Prosecutor demands conditional imprisonment for KChR believer

The prosecution has asked for a conditional imprisonment of four years for Irina Perefilyeva, a Jehovah's Witness* from the village of Mednogorsky. The prosecutor has stated that such a punishment is asked given the absence of aggravating circumstances, the human rights project "OVD-Info"** has reported. A woman, the prosecution witness, has stated that she had never heard any calls for extremism from Perefilyeva.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Urupsky District Court of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR) is considering the case of Irina Perefilyeva, accused of extremism. Irina has stated in court that the believers were praying and discussing the doctrine, while the prosecution has failed to provide a single fact to justify the criminal prosecution.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2021, a court in Cherkessk found Elena Menchikova, who professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses*, to be a member of an organization banned in Russia and sentenced her to five years conditionally. The Court of Cassation in Pyatigorsk overturned the verdict and sent the case back for retrial.

On December 6, 2021, the Cherkessk City Court sentenced Albert Batchaev, a Jehovah's Witness*, to six years of conditional imprisonment; he had been under criminal prosecution for almost two years.

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

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.