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59-year-old Believer Andrey Okhapkin Arrested After a New Series of Searches in the Ivanovo Region
Ivanovo RegionOn November 24, 2021, six families of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched in the town of Kineshma, Ivanovo Region. Andrey Okhapkin, 59, was sent to pretrial detention for 2 months by a court decision.
During the searches, security officials confiscated electronic devices from believers. They also searched for printed publications and personal records. As it turned out, Okhapkin is suspected of "resuming extremist activity." The rest of the believers are in the case as witnesses. Information is being specified.
Update.
According to updated information, the searches took place in the afternoon of November 23, 2021. Some lasted until almost midnight. In addition to electronic devices, personal records, photographs, and information carriers were confiscated from the believers. During one of the searches, a minor was interrogated. To the surprise of the security officer, the girl took advantage of Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
In one of the cases, the raid was led by V. S. Nesterov, FSB Investigative Committee for Ivanovo Region interrogator. On November 27, some of the believers were summoned for interrogation. The FSB investigator R. A. Drozdov interrogated a married couple and a woman whose houses were searched. These also appealed to Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to one of the women, the investigator threatened her with the possibility that using this article during interrogation may result in the change of her status from a witness in the case of Andrey Okhapkin into an accused.
