The court sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness from Sakhalin Oblast, a region in Russia’s Far East, to a fine of 600,000 roubles (US$6,600).

Today, the Kalininsky District Court of St Petersburg sentenced Igor Muravyov, a resident of Sakhalin Oblast in Russia’s Far East, in a case concerning involvement in the activities of an extremist organisation and participation therein (Parts 1.1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the Joint Press Service of the St Petersburg Courts.

The court found the believer guilty of being involved in the activities of the “Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.” The court stated that the man “had a real opportunity to stop his participation” in the organisation after it was declared “extremist.”

However, from April 2022 to April 2024, Muravyov “took part in meetings, held conversations with people who practise and share the religious teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses” online, “engaged in preaching activities and disseminated doctrine among residents of Sakhalin Oblast for the purpose of recruiting …> new individuals.”

The court fined Igor Muravyov 1.1 million roubles (roughly US$12,000), but taking into account his pretrial detention as a believer from 2 April 2024 to 11 June this year, the amount was reduced to 600,000 roubles (about US$6,600).

• As noted by the SOVA research centre, the case against Igor Muravyov was initiated on 7 December 2023. He was formally charged in March 2024. On 3 April that year, a court in St Petersburg arrested the Sakhalin resident at his place of stay.
• Muravyov reported in May 2024 that in “Kresty,” the pretrial detention centre in St Petersburg, he was not receiving necessary medication or dietary food. He complained of poor health.