A New Wave of Religious Persecution in Kholmskaya. Another Criminal Case for Faith Opened

On April 7, 2021, as part of new criminal cases, at least 4 peaceful believers were searched in the village of Kholmskaya (Krasnodar Territory). The search warrants were issued by judge Aleksandr Kholoshin, who two months earlier had handed down a harsh sentence to Aleksandr Ivshin.

At 6:20 a.m., the house of 38-year-old Anna Yermak, who has a baby, was searched by FSB operative Lieutenant I.V. Govorukhin, accompanied by 3 officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 2 witnesses. For 3 hours, the security forces tried to "find items and documents testifying to the organization of the activities of the extremist organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Abinsk." As a result of the search, a tape cassette, CDs, 8 A4 sheets with the heading "Jehovah's Witnesses in Eritrea are imprisoned for their faith", a notebook with personal notes, and a photo album with postcards containing the mention of Jehovah's name were seized. The believer was summoned for interrogation.

Investigator Vitaliy Kuzmin came to Olga Ponomareva with a search that same morning. Not finding anything forbidden, law enforcement officers began to consult with someone by phone. As a result of an almost 2-hour search, a laptop and a notebook with personal notes were confiscated from the believer. The investigation interprets Olga's peaceful conversations with people about the Bible as committing a crime under Part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 (persuading, recruiting or otherwise involving a person in the activities of an extremist organization). After the search, the believer was taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee, where the investigator Kuzmin offered her to incriminate her friends and threatened her with imprisonment in a pre-trial detention center. Olga signed a recognizance agreement.

"While I was being interrogated, my mother became ill with her heart, and there was no one to help her, since we live together," said Olga Ponomaryova.- After the search, she cried for several more days. Now we shudder at every knock and bark of the dog."

Two men were also detained and interrogated. Aleksandr Nikolayev, suspected of participating in extremist activities under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, had three addresses searched (his place of registration, actual residence and the apartment he rents). Electronic devices, a book on psychology, school notes of his child, a child's drawing with the inscription "Father will protect us" and a postcard were seized from the believer.

In total, 8 criminal cases were recorded in the Krasnodar Territory against 12 peace-loving believers. Three residents from the small village of Kholmskaya with a population of about 20 thousand people have already received harsh sentences (from 3 to 7.5 years in prison) just for their faith in Jehovah God.