On Thursday, March 5, the so-called Dzhankoy District Court sentenced Serhii Filatov to 6 years in a penal colony with a 1-year probation for organizing and participating in the Jehovah’s Witnesses cell. It was reported by the Crimean Solidarity media agency.
“The court found him guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization in accordance with the first part of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced him to imprisonment for 6 years with the deprivation of the right to engage in educational activities related to public speaking and publications, to post materials in the media for a period of 5 years and with a probation for a period of 1 year with serving a sentence in a penal colony of the general regime”,- the report claimed.
More than 50 people came to the courthouse to support Serhii Filatov, but the servicemen of the Russian National Guard and police officers cordoned off the building.
We remind that in November 2018 in Dzhankoy FSB officers conducted mass searches of people suspected of participating in the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses, banned in Russia. The head of the local regional group of Witnesses “Syvash”, Serhii Filatov, was detained. He is suspected of organizing an extremist community. The “Syvash” group itself was disbanded back in 2017.