Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Searches Were Carried Out at the Homes of Local Jehovah's Witnesses in Novocherkassk. Two Believers Were Placed in a Detention Center

Rostov Region

In the early morning of August 11, 2022, in Novocherkassk (Rostov region), security forces conducted searches at 10 addresses, after which local believers were interrogated. The court placed two men, Garegin Khachaturyan, 55, and Gevorg Yeritsyan, 35, in pre-trial detention center No. 3 in Novocherkassk for 2 months.

This is already the 11th criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Rostov Region. The news is being added.

Update.

It became known that Lyubov Galitsyna, 66, was detained and sent to a pre-trial detention center. Returning from vacation, she found out that she had been summoned for interrogation. Anticipating a possible arrest, the believer took essentials and medicines with her. Senior investigator R. A. Bakhramov charged her under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and detained.

The Novocherkassk city court decided to send Galitsyna to a pre-trial detention center for 2 months. The woman was led to the courtroom and later to the paddy wagon to the applause of 30 fellow believers who came to support her.

The Case of Yeritsyan and Others in Novocherkassk

Case History
One early August morning of 2022, searches were carried out at the homes of local Jehovah’s Witnesses in Novocherkassk and the village of Grushevskaya. Half an hour before the searches, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Gevorg Yeritsyan, Garegin Khachaturyan and Lyubov Galitsyna on charges for extremism. The men were interrogated and placed in a pretrial detention center. A few days later, Lyubov also ended up behind bars. She spent more than a year in a pretrial detention center, after which she was placed under house arrest. Hearings in the case began in September 2023. In June 2024, the court sentenced Lyubov Galitsyna to 2 years and 3 months, Gevorg Yeritsyan to 6 years and 2 months, and Garegin Khachaturyan to 6.5 years imprisonment for their religion. The court considered the term imposed on Galitsyna as already served. Three months later, the court of appeal upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Galitsina
Lubov
Khachaturyan
Garegin
Yeritsyan
Gevorg

Criminal case

Region:
Rostov Region
Locality:
Novocherkassk
Suspected of:
"Using technical means and devices connected to the Internet, Zoom held a closed video conference through a computer program for organizing conferences, during which it disseminated information related to biblical truths and prophecy, as well as explaining the Bible, as part of a private Bible study" (from the indictment)
Court case number:
12202600015000047
Initiated:
August 11, 2022
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the city of Novocherkassk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Rostov Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-28/2024 (1-451/2023)
Court of First Instance:
Novocherkassk City Court, Rostov Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Nikolay Egorov
Case History
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