Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses reached the Kuril Islands

On February 25, 2019, in the city of Kurilsk and the village of Reidovo (Sakhalin Region) on the Kuril Islands, FSB officers searched the homes of two women, Olga Kalinnikova and Larisa Potapova. The event was held on the basis of the Decree of the Head of the PU of the FSB of Russia for the Sakhalin Region, Lieutenant-General (!) S. Kudryashov, as well as on the basis of the Resolution of the Judge of the Sakhalin Regional (!) Court V. Malevanny.

Although the operational-search event was formally called "Inspection of premises", computers, hard drives, cell phones, flash drives, and other personal belongings were seized from women. As far as is known, no criminal proceedings have been initiated and no women are suspects or accused. The reason for the seizure of things was not explained to them. As a result, the women were left without means of communication on an isolated island.

About 1,600 people live in Kurilsk, about 1,000 people live in the village of Reidovo.

Law enforcement officers across the country continue to interpret citizens' normal religious activities as "extremist activity." Meanwhile, the Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts banning the organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses "do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually."