In Lesosibirsk, a Repeated Search Took Place at the Home of One of Jehovah's Witnesses. A Criminal Case Was Initiated Against Him for His Faith

On April 11, 2023, the house of one of Jehovah's Witnesses Andrey Shiyan, 53, was searched again in Lesosibirsk. Because of the stress, the believer ended up in the hospital. He is suspected of organizing the activity of an extremist organization for reading the Bible with friends.

Early in the morning, an investigator accompanied by an FSB officer and two attesting witnesses came to Shiyan's home to conduct a search that lasted 4 hours. An ambulance was called twice for the believer. He could not sign any documents, as he was physically not able to do so. The search was carried out on the basis of the ruling of the Lesosibirsk City Court dated February 13, 2023.

The next day, Andrey Shiyan was summoned for interrogation, during which he again became ill, so the ambulance took him to the hospital. There, the investigator handed him several more subpoenas.

Earlier, on November 25, 2021, as part of the criminal case against Valeriy Schitz, Andrey Shiyan had already been searched, during which electronic storage equipment were seized.

Andrey Shiyan became the 30th Jehovah's Witness in the Krasnoyarsk Territory against whom the authorities opened a criminal case for his faith. The persecution of believers in Russia continues despite its condemnation by international and national human rights organizations.