Human rights defenders recognize arrested believer from Cherkessk as political prisoner

The “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence** recognized Jehovah’s Witness* Vladimir Fomin from Cherkessk as a prisoner of conscience. The court placed the man in custody in a case on extremism, despite his disability.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on March 23, the Cherkessk City Court sent 44-year-old Jehovah’s Witness* Vladimir Fomin to a SIZO (pre-trial prison), despite the fact that the defendant lost consciousness during a court hearing and an ambulance was called for him. Vladimir Fomin is accused of involvement in the activities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses* organization and involving other people in it.

The human rights defenders note that the reason for the prosecution of Vladimir Fomin was his conversations about the Bible with Elena Menchikova, another believer, sentenced under the article on extremist. Following an appeal and reconsideration of her case, Elena Menchikova was sentenced to four and a half years of probation, although a public prosecutor requested the court to sentence the defendant to five years of imprisonment.

*396 Russian organizations of Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognized as extremist, and their activities in Russia are banned by court’s decision.

**As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the register of foreign agents was the spread of “inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces.”