Hit, Twisted, Handcuffed: Details of an Aggressive Invasion Against a 68-Year-Old Believer in Khabarovsk

On May 27, 2020, during searches of believers in Khabarovsk and Vyazemsky, FSB officers invaded in the house of 68-year-old Lee Yen Sen. An armed, masked operative hit Lee Yen Sen in the side, twisted his hands and put him in handcuffs. His wife lost consciousness as a result of such inhuman treatment of the elderly man.

It was 07:30 in the morning. Lee Yen Sen’s wife needed the help of an ambulance team. During the search, electronic devices were seized from the Lee's family and copies of photos with friends and personal notebook entries were taken. The handcuffs of Lee Yen Sen were only removed after the search to sign the search report, a copy of which was never left to him. Then the believer was taken for interrogation to the FSB in Khabarovsk Territory. There, Lee Yen Sen was offered a deal with the investigation that involved self-incrimination. He was only released home at 9 p.m., after 13 hours of detention. The measure of restraint in the form of a subscription about not leaving was chosen to the believer.

Yen Sen Lee is suspected of "organizing the activities of an extremist organization" and "involving other people," although the Supreme Court decision to liquidate and ban legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia does not prohibit them from individually or jointly practicing their religion.