A resident of occupied Crimea has been detained on charges of leading a Jehovah’s Witnesses group.

In occupied Crimea, a 52-year-old resident of the village of Zaprudnoye has been detained on charges of leading the Alushta branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This was reported by the local office of Russia’s Investigative Committee.

According to the Investigative Committee, the detainee was “part of the top governing body of the local branch” and “continued to ensure its active operation” after Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned in Russia. He has been charged with organising the activities of an extremist organisation (Article 282.2, Part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code).

His home was searched and Jehovah’s Witnesses literature was confiscated. According to the Investigative Committee, a pre-trial restriction measure will be determined for him in the near future.

18:18 The detainee’s name is Vladimir Chertov, reports the portal “Jehovah’s Witnesses. Legal Situation in Russia.”

On 27 August, at least 11 searches were conducted targeting at least 19 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Alushta, a city on the southern coast of Crimea.