In the Smolensk region, after 8 months behind bars, believers Valery Shalev and Viktor Malkov were transferred under house arrest

On December 20, 2019, Denis Nikishov, judge of the Leninsky District Court of Smolensk, released 60-year-old Viktor Malkov from custody in the courtroom. A day later, the same judge made a similar decision in relation to 42-year-old Valery Shalev. After spending 240 days behind bars, believers will now languish under house arrest.

Two other defendants in this case, Ruslan Korolev and Yevgeny Deshko, were released from the pre-trial detention center earlier, having spent 112 and 207 days behind bars, respectively.

FSB investigator G.P. Bezrukov objected to Viktor Malkov and Valery Shalev being released from the pre-trial detention center. Although the court rejected the FSB's request to keep them behind bars, still, under the terms of house arrest, they cannot live or even communicate with their wives, since the FSB assigned them the status of "witnesses" in the case (despite the fact that close relatives in Russia are exempt from the obligation to testify in the case). In addition, believers are not allowed to enter into correspondence with anyone, make phone calls, use the Internet, and so on.

In total, three criminal cases have been initiated against believers in the Smolensk region: the case of Shalev and others in Smolensk (4 accused), the case of Sorokina and Troshina in Sychevka (two accused), and the case of Vladimirova and Galkevich in Smolensk (two accused). All believers spent an average of 196 days in the pre-trial detention center and were placed under house arrest.

All three criminal cases are being investigated by the Smolensk Region Directorate of the FSB. Such formidable security forces in the region are thrown against 4 women and 4 men who are perfectly characterized, not convicted, law-abiding. There are no victims in the cases. FSB officers are forced to delve into theological issues and are now able to explain how the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses differs from the creeds of other religions. At the same time, the security forces fail to explain what, in fact, the "extremism" imputed to believers is.