Krasnoyarsk believer released from house arrest

On July 2, 2019, a court in Krasnoyarsk released Andrey Stupnikov, who had been held under house arrest for his faith. Now he will be able to move freely.

Judge of the Leninsky District Court of Krasnoyarsk, Svetlana Sakovich, decided to release 45-year-old Andrey Stupnikov from house arrest and choose a preventive measure for him in the form of a ban on certain actions. He is not allowed to use the mail and the Internet, as well as to communicate with witnesses interrogated in his criminal case. 

Andrey's friends and relatives do not hide their joy at his release, but the criminal case against him has not been closed. The believer still faces up to 10 years in prison for organizing extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This is how law enforcement agencies interpret conversations with friends on biblical topics. 

The criminal case against Andrey Stupnikov was initiated on July 3, 2018. He spent 241 days in the pre-trial detention center, and in February 2019, the court transferred him to house arrest. His case was the first criminal case in the Krasnoyarsk Territory initiated on the basis of religious affiliation. Two other residents of the region who are suspected by the authorities of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are in a similar situation: Dmitry Maslov in Minusinsk and Anton Ostapenko, who is still being held in a pre-trial detention center in Achinsk. Russian and international human rights organizations and public figures strongly condemn religious repression in Russia.