Photo: invasion of believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in 2019 (archival photo)

Photo: invasion of believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in 2019 (archival photo)

Photo: invasion of believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in 2019 (archival photo)

Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Ulyanovsk, the court released the believer from the detention center, but with the condition

Ulyanovsk Region

On May 16, 2019, the judge of the Leninsky District Court of the city of Ulyanovsk, Yulia Poladova, chose a measure of restraint for 62-year-old Alexander Ganin - a ban until June 23 to leave the house from 16:00 to 9:00 the next day, use the telephone and the Internet, as well as communicate with participants in criminal proceedings.

Earlier, on May 15, 2019, at 5:50 a.m. local time, FSB officers came to Alexander's house in Novoulyanovsk and searched him. Aleksandr himself was placed in a temporary detention center.

Aleksandr Ganin became the sixth believer in Ulyanovsk to be prosecuted for his faith. He is charged under Article 282.2 Part 2 (Participation in the activities of an extremist organization). The cases of all six were merged into one criminal proceeding. According to the investigation, the Ulyanovsk believers were engaged in "popularizing the ideas of Jehovah's Witnesses, promoting the superiority of these ideas over other religious teachings." Such an absurd accusation was made despite the fact that the Government of the Russian Federation clearly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation of 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."

Case of Zelenskiy and Others in Ulyanovsk

Case History
In 2019, the FSB in Ulyanovsk opened a case against the Mysins and their co-religionists Zelensky, Tabakov, Ganin and Khachikyan. After the searches, they were sent to jail and later under house arrest. In addition, savings and cars worth 1.5 million rubles were seized from believers. The charge under Article 282.2 was limited to participation in “activities that included religious chanting, preaching, study of the article and prayer.” Believers were seriously worried about the repressions, Sergey Mysin, who spent 2 months behind bars, ended up in intensive care. The state prosecutor recommended that all six be sent to a general regime colony for terms ranging from 3 to 7 years, as well as confiscate the seized property and money. The court of first instance sentenced them to suspended imprisonment for terms of up to 3.5 years. The court of appeal increased the suspended sentence for Sergey Mysin by six months - up to 4 years - and left the sentences unchanged for the rest of the believers.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Ulyanovsk Region
Locality:
Ulyanovsk
Suspected of:
“popularization of the ideas of Jehovah's Witnesses, promoting the superiority of these ideas over other religious teachings, finding venues for meetings of participants in this organization, and direct participation in meetings.”
Court case number:
11907730001000006
Initiated:
February 24, 2019
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia for the Ulyanovsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-220/2020
Court of First Instance:
Засвияжский районный суд г. Ульяновска
Case History
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