Blagoveshchensk. Photo source: Dima Ostrovsky / CC BY 2.0
In Blagoveshchensk, a new criminal case was opened for faith. Two men signed a recognizance agreement
Amur RegionOn October 21, 2019, V. S. Obukhov, an investigator of the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia for the Amur Region, issued a decision to initiate a new criminal case under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Sergey Yermilov and Anton Olshevsky are now accused of extremism. Both were taken on their own recognizance.
This is not the first criminal case initiated against civilians in Blagoveshchensk. On July 20, 2018, searches were carried out in seven homes of believers in the city. One of them was Dmitry Golik, in whose apartment a listening device was installed. For almost six months, operatives listened to the details of the personal life of Dmitry and his wife. On January 21, 2019, Alexei Berchuk was detained at the Moscow airport and taken to Blagoveshchensk. Both men signed recognizance agreements. A preliminary investigation of the criminal case is underway.
Thus, the authorities of Blagoveshchensk interpret the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of religion as organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization. Sergey Yermilov and Anton Olshevskiy face real prison terms just because they believe in God.