5 Russian security forces searched and interrogated six Jehovah’s witnesses in the occupied Crimea. A criminal case has been opened against one elderly woman for ‘organising the activities of an extremist organisation’. This is reported by the European Association of Jehovah’s witnesses.
Searches were conducted in the villages of Razdolnoye, Sinokosnoye and the city of Alushta. Russian law enforcers rudely demanded to provide passwords to electronic devices, questioned about adherents, in one case threatened to harm a pet. Electronic devices, particularly a button phone and personal records, were seized. The searches were conducted under the direction of the senior investigator of the Investigative Committee of the for the Republic of Crimea Ya. A. Merkulov.
It is known that in the village of Razdolnoye a believer came to work. He was put face down on the floor and tightened his hands with a kapron tie, because of which he was injured. Later, the man recorded the injuries in the trauma centre, but the medical certificate was taken away from him at the police station.
‘Four hours after the beginning of the search, a criminal case under part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was opened against 68-year-old believer Tamara Bratseva,’ -the report said.