Volgograd Region: Jehovah's Witnesses are searched and detained

Two girls-believers were detained in the course of their religious service in the city of Novoanninskiy, Volgograd Region, and brought to the local OVD (Interior Division), where their personal things were confiscated; then, searches began in Jehovah's Witnesses' apartments with confiscation of property and money - searches were conducted without witnesses and protocols. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Grigory Martynov, representative of the press service of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

"On March 31, 2010, two girls-Jehovah's Witnesses - Olga Galutskikh and Elena Yurieva - were detained in the course of their religious service in the city of Novoanninskiy, Volgograd Region. They were brought to the local OVD, where Militia Captain Victor Bannykh, head of the criminal investigation department, searched them and confiscated everything from their bags, including mobile phones. Moreover, militiamen took Elena Yurieva to the apartment, where both girls live, forced her to open the door, searched the flat and confiscated all their religious literature, personal documents, things and money - 3500 roubles and 200 euros," said Mr Martynov.

In total, their detention lasted for about 10 hours. "As the detainees report, at the police station they were kept standing in the corridor, not allowed to drink water and use the toilet. As a result, one of the girls had such strong headache, that militiamen had to call an ambulance," he has added.

According to his story, only at 10:00 p.m. one of believers was served a summon demanding to appear to the station on the following day as a witness. When she came there on April 1, 2010, Captain Bannykh told her to wait, left away and never appeared on that day.

"Later, it became known that on that very day, at about 9:00 p.m., Victor Bannykh together with six militiamen came to another Jehovah's Witness, M. V. Volevach, who lives in a rented apartment together with his wife and small children. Bannykh contacted the owner of the apartment, and, saying that 'the owner allowed', tried to get in intending to conduct a search with confiscation of personal things and literatures. However, again, Bannykh had no documents sanctioning his entrance into the apartment and a search thereof," said Martynov.

He added that all militiamen's actions were accompanied by rough violation of the law and human rights, including the right to inviolability of residence.

"Only through lawyers' interference these intentions were stopped. Eventually, Victor Bannykh served a summon to the believer calling him to appear to the Novoanninskiy OVD," Grigory Martynov said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the above OVD, a militia captain on duty listened to the questions of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent and said that their division had no press service for dialogue with journalists; therefore, he could not imagine who could give comments to the edition on the occasion, "maybe the chief of staff, but he was absent."