06 August 2023, 19:53
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.
In January 2021, in Mednogorsky, FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) agents conducted searches at homes of local believers, including the Perefilyeva's one. According to investigators, she organized religious services for believers and studied religious books with them.
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.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 5, 2023 at 11:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
