Wife of a Jehovah's Witness* arrested in Dagestan tells search details

The law enforcers, who conducted a search of the apartment of Arsen Abdullaev, a Jehovah's Witness (the organization, recognized as extremist and banned in Russia by the court), who was arrested in Dagestan, used threats and intimidation, Suat, Arsen's wife, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 1, searches were conducted in Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Kizlyar and Derbent, after which Jehovah's Witnesses, Arsen Abdullaev, Maria Karpova, Anton Dergalyov and Marat Abdugalimov were detained. On June 3, the court arrested them for two months.

According to Suat, Arsen's wife, the law enforcers who conducted the search intimidated them, demanding from Arsen to plead guilty and give the address of his friends. "They threatened that our child would not be able to study where he is studying now. They said: 'You'll break all his life.' They threatened to bring me to justice too. Arsen told them: 'How can I say of what I never did? Yes, I am a Jehovah's Witness*, but I'm neither the organizer nor the leader," Suat Abdullaeva told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on June 3.

She has added that relatives have no information about whether any moral or physical pressure was applied to the detainees, and what are their custody conditions.

*The organization is recognized as extremist, and its activity is banned in Russia by the court's decision

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 4, 2019 at 07:00 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.