Photo: Oleksandr Shevchuk
Residents of Saransk accused of "spreading the faith" were released from the pre-trial detention center
MordoviaOn July 2, 2019, Aleksandr Shevchuk and Georgiy Nikulin were released in Saransk (Mordovia) after 147 days behind bars. The investigation of the criminal case continues.
According to the investigation, the locusts were engaged in "spreading ideology and faith among the inhabitants of the Republic of Mordovia ... by conducting conversations in public places and living quarters with residents of the city of Saransk and other settlements", which is interpreted as "organizing the activities of an extremist organization".
The case of Shevchuk and others in Saransk was initiated on February 4, 2019. After 2 days, the Mordovian FSB conducted searches of 9 Saransk families of Jehovah's Witnesses. Aleksandr Shevchuk, Vladimir Atryakhin and Georgiy Nikulin were detained and sent to a pre-trial detention center. Currently, all of them are under recognizance not to leave.