A court in Kirov released three believers after a lengthy house arrest. The criminal case has not been closed

On September 30, 2019, the Pervomaisky District Court of the city of Kirov released Yevgeniy Suvorkov, Vladimir Korobeynikov and Maxim Khalturin from house arrest. Prior to that, the believers spent 6 to 9 months in isolation in their own homes.

Judge Alexei Zhilin considered that there was no reason to continue to keep believers under house arrest — they would not be able to interfere with the criminal proceedings. The court also once again rejected the investigator's argument that the defendants "may continue to engage in criminal activity."

Earlier, the court softened the measure of restraint for two more defendants in this criminal case - it released Andrei Suvorkov from house arrest, and also released Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk from the pre-trial detention center on his own recognizance.

Five Kirov believers were arrested on October 9, 2018, following mass searches in the homes of civilians, including those who do not profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. The investigation suspected them of "singing biblical songs together, improving their missionary skills, studying religious literature, the so-called 'Holy Scripture' (Bible)." These charges are based on the "extremist" articles 282.2 (1) and 283.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, under which civilians in Kirov face from 6 to 10 years in prison.

The searches, arrests, and criminal prosecutions deeply traumatized the families of the believers. Some of them have relatives who are seriously ill and need constant care.

At the moment, 12 residents of the Kirov region are under investigation for their faith in Jehovah. Kirov law enforcement officers continue to interpret the peaceful profession of faith guaranteed by the Russian Constitution as a serious crime.