A New Wave of Searches in the Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses Took Place in Birobidzhan. Among Them Are the Postnikovs, Who Are Serving a Suspended Sentence for Their Faith

Not less than ten people were affected by raids of the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan and the village of Amurzet on February 6, 2024. At least two criminal cases have been initiated; one is being investigated by the Investigative Committee, the other by the FSB.

One of the believers, Anatoliy Artamonov, is suspected of involving a local resident in the activity of a liquidated legal entity of Jehovah's Witnesses (Article 282.2(1.1) of the RFCrC). From the search warrant it is evident that the resident in question is a young man from the village of Amurzet, located 200 km from Birobidzhan.

The home of his family was also searched by law enforcement officers. He had earlier applied for alternative civilian service. Although the young man explained this through his Bible-based personal beliefs, the military commander indicated in his response that "the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation declared the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses extremist and banned its activity in Russia in 2017."

Some of those affected by the search in Birobidzhan talked about the Bible with a local woman and her adult daughter. Turns out, they worked for the security forces and secretly recorded the conversations with the believers.

The searches as part of the case being investigated by the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region were authorized by the Birobidzhan District Court. Law enforcement officers seized electronic devices, data storages, personal notes and different translations of the Bible.

The search at the home of the Postnikov family in Birobidzhan took about five hours, and during this time a 72-year-old acquaintance visited them. The security forces seized her phone. Oleg, who is serving a suspended sentence for his faith, was threatened with tougher punishment, he was told to "prepare his bag." On February 9, an FSB investigator summoned the couple for interrogation.

In the Jewish Autonomous Region, 23 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been sentenced to various terms for their Christian beliefs.