Illustrative photo: raid on believers in Astrakhan (June 2020). Photo source: [Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOiAwKQuFMdJuK7wwDIoKpA)

Illustrative photo: raid on believers in Astrakhan (June 2020). Photo source: Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Illustrative photo: raid on believers in Astrakhan (June 2020). Photo source: Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

During Searches of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow, Security Forces Detained a Disabled Person with a Mental Disorder and Threatened the Elderly

Moscow

The searches that took place in Moscow and Moscow region on October 20, 2021, were not without violations of the rights of special categories of citizens — sick and pensioners. According to eyewitnesses, at times the security forces resorted to groundless threats, and one of the task forces took an unhealthy man away for questioning only because his mother was a Jehovah's Witness.

As a reminder, as a result of the raids, three Jehovah's Witnesses were detained, two of them — Roman Mareyev and Sergey Tolokonnikov — were sent to a pre-trial detention center.

As the believers said, during the searches, on the whole, the operatives behaved respectfully, but there were exceptions. For example, in one of the cases, the security forces came to a believing woman early in the morning when she was at work. She had to hurriedly return home, because the unexpected visit greatly frightened her sick son, a disabled person of the II group, suffering from mental illness. To avoid aggravating her son's condition, the woman asked law enforcement officers let her son not be present during the search and to wait at her neighbor's, but she was refused. She says: “My son was stressed. He hit the wall with his fist and kept asking: 'Won't you take me away?'

Although the security forces did not want to take the believer's son away for interrogation, at the insistence of their superiors, they nevertheless brought both of them to the police station. “The son was nervous and cried loudly,” the woman said. During the interrogation, the investigators asked the detainees to describe Jehovah's Witnesses, express their "attitude towards priests," and also inform them if they saw fellow believers at home.

A group of six security officials broke into the apartment of a 71-year-old believer and her husband with diabetes mellitus at 6 a.m. The operatives violently searched woman's room: they threw all things out of the closets and turned over the beds. They confiscated a tablet, a telephone, a hard drive and unbanned editions of the Bible in the Synodal Translation and Archimandrite Macarius' translation from the hostess. Mockery and threats were poured at the believer. The law enforcers said: “You are extremists! You will go to jail. " After a three-hour search, the spouses were taken for interrogation, despite the elderly woman's poor health and high temperature.

On the same morning, a task force of 6 people came to the 83-year-old believer. The officers confiscated from her a laptop, an e-book, a telephone, a Bible in the translation of Archimandrite Macarius, letters, several photographs and a postcard. After an almost 4-hour search, the believer was taken to the police station. The electronic devices were returned to the pensioner on the same day.

Thus, after new searches, already seven believers from Moscow and the Moscow region are in jail. One of them, Sean Pike, faced manifestations of domestic racism there.

The Case of Mareyev and Others in Moscow

Case History
In October 2021, the Investigative Committee conducted at least eight searches in different districts of Moscow and the Moscow Region. Anatoliy Marunov, Sergey Tolokonnikov and Roman Mareyev were detained and sent to a temporary detention facility. Later, Mareyev and Tolokonnikov were placed in a detention center, and Marunov was placed under house arrest. A criminal case was initiated against them under an article for extremism. In June 2022, the case went to court. The charge was based on recordings made by an FSB agent who pretended to be interested in the Bible. In July 2023, the defendants were sentenced: 69-year-old veteran of work Marunov – 6.5 years, 50-year-old Tolokonnikov – 5 years, and 45-year-old Mareyev – 4.5 years in a penal colony. A year later, the court of appeal toughened Tolokonnikov’s sentence, adding 2 months to his term. Roman Mareyev was released on October 25, 2024.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Moscow
Locality:
Moscow
Suspected of:
"acted as heads and communicative leaders of the religious organization, by organizing and conducting discussions, monitoring presentations of participants, commenting on passages of text read out" (from the Ruling to charge)
Court case number:
12102450011000104
Initiated:
October 20, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Department for the Investigating of Especially Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate for the Northern Administrative District of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the City of Moscow
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
01-0123/2023 (01-0997/2022)
Court of First Instance:
Савёловский районный суд города Москвы
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Дмитрий Зозуля
Case History
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