Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

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

Khabarovsk Territory

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.

Case of Baranov and Li in Vyazemskiy

Case History
Yen Sen Li became a victim of religious repression in May 2020. The old age of the believer did not deter the security forces from displaying inhumane treatment: during the search, the elderly Jehovah’s Witness was hit in the stomach and his arms were twisted behind his back; afterward, he was kept for 13 hours in the FSB Directorate building in the Khabarovsk Territory. On the same day, student Yegor Baranov was detained. The court sent him to a pre-trial detention center, where he was kept for six months. While in detention, Baranov was deprived of the right to send and receive letters. Later on, the court seized Li’s car. In January 2021, the case went to trial. A year later, Yen Sen Li died of covid, never having restored his good name. In April 2022, the prosecutor requested six years in a penal colony for Yegor Baranov. In June 2022, the court gave the believer a five-year suspended sentence, and an appeal reduced this term to four and a half years.
Timeline

Persons in case

Baranov
Yegor
Li
Yen Sen

Criminal case

Region:
Khabarovsk Territory
Locality:
Vyazemsky
Court case number:
12007080001000035
Initiated:
May 26, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-4/2022 (1-52/2021)
Court:
Vyazemskiy District Court of the Khabarovsk Territory
Judge:
Ksenia Matviyevskaya
Case History
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