Investigators have opened a criminal case against a Jehovah’s Witness from Birobidzhan, a city in Russia’s Far East.

At the end of May, investigators opened a criminal case against Jehovah’s Witness Igor Pritiko from Birobidzhan, the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region in Russia’s Far East. This was noted by the SOVA research centre. Information about the case being opened is available on the website “Jehovah’s Witnesses. Legal Situation in Russia.”

Igor Pritiko, a refrigerator repair technician, is now a suspect in a case on participation in the activities of an “extremist” organisation (Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). A day after the case was opened, on 29 May, he was summoned for questioning by the Investigative Committee.

• Igor Pritiko faced religious persecution in February 2024, when his home was searched for the first time as part of a case against other Jehovah’s Witnesses—Anatoliy Artamonov and Aleksandr Krushevsky. They are already on trial because of their faith.
• In April this year, security forces searched the home of Pritiko and his wife for a second time, this time in connection with the case of Oleg Postnikov. Postnikov, who had previously received a suspended five-and-a-half-year sentence, was sent to a pre-trial detention centre.
• During the search, all of Igor Pritiko’s electronic devices and personal records were confiscated.