Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Security Forces in Sevastopol Inspected the Home of a Believer Who Had Previously Been Interrogated as Part of an Investigation Into the Case of Local Jehovah's Witnesses

Crimea

Early in the morning of August 5, 2022, a group of six security officials conducted an inspection in the apartment of a resident of Sevastopol, who had previously been interrogated in the case of Zhukov and others. The events were held on suspicion of "carrying out extremist and missionary activities", as well as "financing an extremist organization."

Permission for inspection was issued by the judge of the Sevastopol City Court Gennadiy Nikitin. Police Major A. Savelyev, an employee of Center “E”, as well as senior detective of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol Dmitriy Shevchenko, who had already carried out an operational search activity against local Jehovah's Witnesses, took part in this one too.

The inspection lasted more than 4 hours. The security forces dispersed around the rooms so that the owner could not observe their actions and took out personal belongings from the cabinets without asking permission and ignoring the man's objections. During the inspection, a video was taken. Law enforcement officers seized the man's electronic devices, as he refused to provide passwords for them, as well as personal belongings of his wife and adult son, who were not at home. Copies of the resolution and protocol of examination were not provided to the man.