{"id":49137,"date":"2025-01-31T18:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T15:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnymi-chetveryh-svidetelej-iegovy-iz-chelyabinskoj-oblasti\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T18:52:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:52:31","slug":"my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnymi-chetveryh-svidetelej-iegovy-iz-chelyabinskoj-oblasti","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnymi-chetveryh-svidetelej-iegovy-iz-chelyabinskoj-oblasti\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses from Chelyabinsk Oblast are political prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the charge of extremism, Igor<\/em><\/em> Smolnikov, Oleg<\/em><\/em> Preobrazhensky, Artyom<\/em><\/em> Repin and Evgeny<\/em><\/em><\/em> Cherepanov have been taken into custody<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project, in accordance with\u00a0international standards<\/a>, considers Igor Smolnikov, Oleg Preobrazhensky, Artyom Repin and Evgeny Cherepanov to be political prisoners. They are being prosecuted under the article on organising the activities of an extremist organisation. The criminal case against the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses from Ozersk violates their right to freedom of religion. We demand that they be released immediately and that all criminal charges against them be dropped.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the charges against the four Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On January 17, in the city of Ozersk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, security forces carried out searches at the homes of local Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. Two men were beaten during the raids. The believers had their Bibles, phones, computers, and personal notes confiscated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this, Igor Smolnikov, Oleg Preobrazhensky, Artyom Repin, and Yevgeny Cherepanov were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. Twenty-year-old Yevgeny Cherepanov had come to Ozersk to take his mother to a medical examination at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, the court sent the four believers to a pre-trial detention center. They are accused under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1, Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we consider the deprived of liberty Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses political prisoners?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On 20 April 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia issued the decision to declare the Russian \u201cAdministrative Centre of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses\u201d an extremist organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We consider it discriminatory to bring charges against individuals on the sole basis that, as Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, they may have participated in rituals and gatherings or distributed materials related to their faith. Furthermore, such charges violate international legal norms, particularly the right to freedom of religion. In essence, under article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, believers are charged with having been members of an organised religious group\u2014an accusation that is unequivocally unlawful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 7 June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found<\/a> Russia\u2019s ban on Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses and the prosecution of believers illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ECHR ruled that Russia had violated the believers\u2019 right to freedom of religion (article 9 of the European Convention), freedom of expression (article 10), freedom of association (article 11), as well as the right to protection of property (article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further information on the prosecution of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses in Russia is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply that the \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements or actions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you help?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can write letters to the accused at the following address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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