Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with ammunition in Kirov

On October 9, 2018, in the city of Kirov, during a search in the house of pensioner Vladimir Bogomolov, who collects artifacts from the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), investigators seized fragments of obviously incapable rusted shells. The man was searched because his 69-year-old wife (the only one of her entire family) professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The woman does not share her husband's passion for antiques. Thus, the report that the ammunition was allegedly seized from Jehovah's Witnesses is not true.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not take up arms for reasons of conscience. For this position, they appeared before the tribunals of different countries and went to concentration camps. They will be grateful to the media for clarifying the misunderstanding.

Vladimir Bogomolov, from whom the relics were seized, in the past an active participant in the search movement (aimed at burying the remains of soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War), the foreman of the search party. The activities of his detachment were written in the newspapers. On October 9, 2018, a criminal case was opened on the discovery of artifacts on illegal possession of weapons, it was separated into a separate proceeding. The items were sent for examination.

The criminal prosecution of peaceful believers, including searches and arrests of civilians in Kirov, was the result of a miscarriage of justice—the recognition of all registered Jehovah's Witnesses organizations in Russia as "extremist." Believers will appeal this decision to the European Court of Human Rights. The Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation expresses concern about the growing religious repression.