Four Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sent to a pre-trial detention centre in Tomsk, a major city in Siberia.

Four Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sent to a pre-trial detention centre on charges of participating in an extremist organisation (Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code) in Tomsk, a major city in Siberia, reported local law enforcement.

The individuals are aged between 24 and 65, and two of them are foreign nationals. According to investigators, the men visited the homes of Tomsk residents, tried to persuade them to join their community, and then held meetings online. During searches, police seized money, literature, documents and electronic devices.

5 June The names of the detained Jehovah’s Witnesses became known: Anton Novopashin, Gonhi Djahi, Andrey Plekhanov and Yuri Pichugin. This was reported by the “Jehovah’s Witnesses. Legal Situation in Russia” portal. Novopashin is a citizen of Kazakhstan, and Djahi is a student from Côte d’Ivoire. Pichugin, according to fellow believers, recently suffered a stroke. All of them are being held in Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Tomsk region. Their criminal case has been merged with the case against other Jehovah’s Witnesses from Tomsk.