Illustrative photo
In Udmurtia, security forces invaded the homes and workplaces of believers. There are detainees
UdmurtiaText updated on January 26, 2021.
On January 21, 2021, law enforcement officers conducted searches in seven homes and workplaces of Votkinsk-based Jehovah's Witnesses. Mikhail Potapov, 42, was taken to Izhevsk detention center #1 and Sergey Gobozev, 63, due to poor health, was placed under house arrest and banned from using a telephone and the Internet.
Criminal cases were initiated against the believers based on Part 1, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of extremist activity). During the searches, electronic devices, postcards, photo albums, and Bibles were seized from the believers. Eyewitnesses reported that law enforcement officers planted publications that are included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials.