Danish citizen arrested in connection with raid on Jehovah's Witnesses

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Danish citizen arrested in connection with raid on Jehovah's Witnesses

SEARCHES, ARREST, AND CRIMINAL CASE ON EXTREMISM ARTICLE AGAINST JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN OREL PROVINCE

Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 26 May 2017

 

On 25 May 2017 in the city of Orel, at least 15 armed persons, including personnel of the FSB, entered the building where local Jehovah's Witnesses were located. Law enforcement officials reported that a criminal case has been initiated on the basis of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the RF (continuation of activity of an organization that has been prohibited for extremism). One of the believers was arrested. Passport data of all in attendance were copied, explanations were taken, and tablets were confiscated. The men were taken off to the FSB building, where some of them were detained until the morning of the next day. Searches were conducted in several residences of believers.

 

It is known that a criminal case was initiated for at least one of the believers, Dennis Christensen, a foreign citizen. He was arrested and held in custody in the FSB building. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 May 2017)

 

COURT SELECTED PREVENTIVE MEASURE IN FORM OF DETENTION UNDER GUARD OF MEMBER OF OREL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

Press Service of Soviet District Court of City of Orel, 26 May 2017

 

On 26 May 2017 the Soviet district court of the city of Orel considered an order of the Investigation Division of the FSB Directorate of Russia for Orel province presenting before the court a petition for selecting a preventive measure in the form of incarceration under guard for a member of the Orel religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, a citizen of Denmark, D.O. Christensen, who is charged with committing a serious crime provided for by part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian federation (arranging the activity of an extremist organization).

 

After considering the aforementioned order of the investigator and presented materials, the court made a decision to satisfy the order of the investigator and the selection for D.O. Christensen of a preventive measure in the form of detention in custody.

 

The order has not taken legal effect and may be appealed by the parties within three days. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 May 2017)

See also JW.ORG :

Danish Jehovah’s Witness Arrested and Jailed in Russia After Police Raid a Christian Meeting

NEW YORK—In the wake of the April 20, 2017, decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation against Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Danish citizen was arrested along with Russian citizens at a peaceful worship service disrupted by a police raid on the evening of May 25, 2017.

 

Dennis Christensen

At least 15 heavily armed police and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers raided a peaceful religious service of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Oryol (also known as Orel), pictured above. The police collected copies of the identification documents of all in attendance and seized their electronic devices. The FSB also took into custody Dennis Christensen, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who is a Danish citizen. Shortly thereafter, police officers searched four homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses located throughout the city.

After being detained overnight in FSB custody, today, the Soviet District Court of Oryol granted the application of the FSB and ordered Mr. Christensen to be jailed in pretrial detention pending completion of the FSB criminal investigation. Mr. Christensen is the first foreigner to be included in these official actions against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia since the Russia Supreme Court decision. If convicted, Mr. Christensen faces the possibility of a lengthy term of imprisonment.

This raid is the latest of over 40 incidents of aggression against Jehovah’s Witnesses perpetrated by authorities and others after the Russian Supreme Court labelled them as extremists and liquidated the Witnesses’ Administrative Center in Russia along with 395 Local Religious Organizations they used throughout the country.

 

Vandals burned a house used for religious services.

Just hours after the Supreme Court issued its decision on April 20, a group of men in St. Petersburg vandalized the largest place of worship used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, even threatening the worshippers. Vandals have also targeted other places of worship and even homes of Witnesses in Kaliningrad, Moscow, Penza, Rostov, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk, Voronezh, and Krasnoyarsk. In one incident, on May 24, 2017, in the town of Zheshart in the Komi Republic, a house where meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses used to be held was badly damaged in an arson attack. In addition to police raids and vandalism, individual Witnesses have been attacked, threatened at school and work, or lost their jobs.

David A. Semonian, a spokesman at the Witnesses’ world headquarters, states: “Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are now even more concerned about our fellow worshippers in Russia. These disturbing events are clearly aftereffects of the Russian Supreme Court’s unjust decision against us. We have formally appealed this decision on May 19, 2017. This will give Russia another opportunity to end these unwarranted and unjustifiable actions against Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are also filing a complaint against the unjust imprisonment of our fellow worshipper, Dennis Christensen.”

Media Contact:

International: David A. Semonian, Office of Public Information, +1-845-524-3000

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Severe treatment of foreign Jehovah's Witness in heart of Russia

DANISH SUBJECT JEHOVAH'S WITNESS DETAINED FOR TWO MONTHS IN OREL PROVINCE

Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 27 May 2017

 

A 44-year-old Dane, Dennis Christensen, who is respected in the circle of his fellow believers, was sent to a SIZO [pre-trial isolation cell] for two months in the city of Orel. He is charged with continuing the activity of an organization that had been banned for extremism (article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the RF). He was arrested on 25 May 2017 during a joint Bible reading, which local Jehovah's Witnesses were conducting in a building on Zheleznodorozhnaia St.

 

In the evening of 25 May at 7:30 p.m., the street near the building, which belongs to one of the believers, began filling with automobiles and buses with armed persons in masks—OMON troops. Under the direction of an investigator of the FSB, a group entered the building and blocked the believers who were in it, who were not allowed to touch their telephones and tablets. Inspection of documents, searches, and questioning continued until morning. Searches were conducted in a number of residences of believers.

 

On Friday, 26 May 2017, Judge Svetlana Naumova ordered the selection of a measure of prevention for Dennis Christensen in the form of detention for two months. Dennis' wife, Irina Christensen, and also lawyers, intend to use all possible means of legal defense. The consulate of the Kingdom of Denmark was notified about the incident. (tr. by PDS, posted 27 May 2017)