Photo: Vyacheslav Boronos, Yevhen Kayryak

Photo: Vyacheslav Boronos, Yevhen Kayryak

Photo: Vyacheslav Boronos, Yevhen Kayryak

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Searches of two believers in Surgut declared illegal

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area

On March 27, 2019, the court of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra granted the appeal of Yevgeny Kayryak against the order to search his apartment. The plaintiff referred to the absence of legal grounds for the search. The court noted that "the [lower] court did not in any way motivate or evaluate the decision, did not draw any conclusions of its own as to why it considered the investigator's request for permission to conduct a search to be justified, and in connection with which it should be satisfied." The proceedings were discontinued.

On the same day, the district court ruled on a similar complaint by Vyacheslav Boronos. The decision to allow a search of his apartment was declared illegal due to violations of procedural norms (lack of a properly executed record of the court session). The investigator's petition was sent to the court of first instance for a new trial.

On February 15, 2019, shortly after the searches, Yevgeniy Kayryak and Vyacheslav Boronos reported that they had been tortured in the building of the Investigative Committee during interrogations. Criminal cases have been initiated against them. Believers insist on their complete innocence, while courts in Surgut and other Russian cities continue to interpret ordinary religious activities of believers as extremist activity. The Human Rights Council, the President of Russia, the European Court of Human Rights and many other Russian and international organizations have already drawn attention to this problem.

Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut

Case History
In February 2019, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against 18 men and 1 woman from Surgut (among them was a man mistaken for a Jehovah’s Witness). Their homes were searched. During the interrogations, 7 believers were subjected to violence. Artur Severinchik was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 29 days, and Yevgeny Fedin and Sergey Loginov - for 56. Timofey Zhukov was illegally placed in a psychiatric hospital for 14 days. Believers complained about the use of torture to the Investigative Committee, the ECHR and the Commissioner for Human Rights, a press conference was held with the participation of human rights defenders, but none of the security forces was ever brought to justice. In October 2021, the case materials were submitted to the court. The prosecutor requested imprisonment for the defendants for a term of 3 years and 3 months to 8.5 years in prison, and for Loginov - 9.5 years, which was the most severe request for punishment for believing in Jehovah God in modern Russia.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area
Locality:
Surgut
Suspected of:
delivering speeches, engaging in the Witnesses' public preaching activity with local members, meeting with Bible education volunteers and appointed congregation assistants, and having as one objective the organizing of appointed men in the Vzlyotnove Congregation
Court case number:
42002007709000023
Initiated:
February 11, 2019
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the city of Surgut of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
№ 1-27/2023 (1-130/2022; 1-1348/2021)
Court:
Сургутский городской суд
Judge:
Дмитрий Люпин
Case History
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