Occupation authorities report new cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Crimea, Ukraine

Occupation authorities in Crimea have reported new criminal cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to a statement from the occupation law-enforcement office of the so-called Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. The office described the matter as part of a Russian investigation.

The cases follow a series of 2017 measures against the group. In April 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled to liquidate the organization and banned its activity across the Russian Federation, including in occupied Crimea. In June of that year, the occupation authorities removed all Jehovah’s Witnesses from the register.

According to the investigation, a 53-year-old woman from a village continued the group’s activities after the court decision and collected funds from members of the community. The authorities allege that she organized these activities, which the source describes as securing the group’s work. These are allegations reported by the occupation forces, not findings of a court.

The occupation forces also reported the detention of two more residents, aged 49 and 50, who were accused of organizing a religious organization that Russia has recognized as extremist. The charges, as the source reports them, relate to that accusation. Claims of this kind deserve to be tested openly and fairly, and the source does not indicate that any court has yet ruled on them (Proverbs 18:17).

During searches of homes and workplaces, officials removed religious literature and other materials, the report said.

According to Russian legislation, as the source states it, participation in extremist activity carries criminal liability.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Ukrainian)