Rostov Regional Court invalidates indictment against Jehova's Witnesses in Taganrog

Today, the Rostov Regional Court will continue hearing of the case of 17 members of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, accused and suspected of extremism. The Court must decide whether the indictment of two believers of this group was legal. The charge of extremism earlier presented to 14 believers has been already declared illegal by the court.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the criminal proceedings against the believers were instituted on August 5, 2011, by the investigatory unit of the Chief Department of the Russia's MIA for the Southern Federal District (SFD) in Taganrog. On August 25, 2011, on the basis of the criminal case searches were conducted in 19 houses of Jehovah's Witnesses in Taganrog and surroundings. On May 31, 2012, 14 Taganrog Jehovah's Witnesses were charged with involvement in an extremist organization; then, two more believers saw the same charges. The believers sued the investigator, who, according to them, rejected defendants' advocates by agreement and "imposed advocates by appointment."

In October, the Taganrog City Court found the actions of the investigator unlawful; respectively, procedure of charging the group of Jehovah's Witnesses in May and June became void. However, on November 13 and 15, 2012, the same group of believers was indicted again, while the rulings of the Taganrog City Court were appealed against at the Rostov Regional Court.

The "Caucasian Knot" was informed by the defence lawyer Alyona Borodina that on December 11, the Rostov Regional Court upheld five orders of Taganrog City Court, which declared unlawful the presentation on May 31, 2012, of charges to 14 believers, as well as the actions of the investigator who rejected two defendants' advocates.

Twelve Jehovah's Witnesses figuring in the case were accused of involvement in an extremist organization under Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. Four other believers saw the same charge, and – besides – of involving minors in the crime. One more believer – Ksenia Gorbunova – figures in the case as a suspect, said the defence lawyer.

The investigators believe that the accused Jehovah's Witnesses, while being aware of the prohibition and liquidation of their religious community in Taganrog by the Rostov Regional Court in September 2009, and "acting out of extremist motives," continued to operate their local religious community; and the organizers – the elders of the religious community – held, from April to August 2011, prayer services and study of the literature, which had been found to be extremist.