Photo: search of believers (2016)

Photo: search of believers (2016)

Photo: search of believers (2016)

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Searches of believers in Saransk. Father of young children detained

Mordovia

On February 6, 2019, starting at 6:00 a.m., in the capital of Mordovia, FSB officers conducted at least 20 searches in the homes of citizens believed to be Jehovah's Witnesses. 31-year-old Vladimir Atryakhin, husband and father of two young children, was detained. The issue of the measure of restraint should be decided on February 8.

A total of 8 people were detained, according to preliminary information, most of them were released after interrogation. Believers report that police officers initially behaved rudely, but since the believers remained unfailingly friendly, they even recommended that believers eat before being detained, knowing that the detention procedure could be delayed.

It is known that a criminal case has been initiated, but it is not yet known under what article and against whom. The search warrant was issued the day before by the Leninsky District Court of Saransk. Additional circumstances are being investigated.

Despite concerns about the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, human rights defenders, the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia and the President himself, repressions against believers have recently intensified. Recently, a guilty verdict was passed on a Danish citizen, Dennis Christensen, just for professing his faith.

Update. Together with Atryakhin, Aleksandr Shevchuk and Georgiy Nikulin, a total of 3 people, were detained and sent to the pre-trial detention center. According to updated data, searches were carried out in 9 families.

The Case of Shevchuk and Others in Saransk

Case History
In February 2019, in Saransk, the FSB initiated a criminal case against three believers on suspicion of extremism. After mass searches, Vladimir Atryakhin, father of two young children, as well as Aleksandr Shevchuk and Georgiy Nikulin ended up in a pretrial detention center, where they spent between 2 and 5 months. Later, three more defendants appeared in the case — Aleksandr Korolev, Elena Nikulina and Denis Antonov. The case went to court in May 2021. The defense managed to show the court several times that the unveiled secret witness, Vlasov, was giving false testimony. In August 2022, the believers were convicted: Vladimir Atryakhin was sentenced to 6 years, Georgiy and Yelena Nikulin — 4 years and 2 months, and Aleksandr Shevchuk, Aleksandr Korolev and Denis Antonov — 2 years in a penal colony. The court of appeal upheld the verdict. In November 2023, Shevchuk was released from the penal colony, and in June 2024, Korolev and Antonov were released.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Mordovia
Locality:
Saransk
Suspected of:
they "disseminated ideology and belief among the citizens of the Republic of Mordovia... by conducting conversations with citizens of Saransk in public and in residential buildings" which is interpreted as "organising the activity of an extremist organisation"
Court case number:
11907890001000003
Initiated:
February 4, 2019
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate of Russia for the Republic of Mordovia
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)
Court case number:
1-13/2022 (1-216/2021)
Court:
Leninskiy District Court of the City of Saransk
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Yelena Simonova
Case History
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