Case of Neverov and Others in Saransk

Case History

In February 2023, a series of searches took place in the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Saransk. A month earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a case on organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Several believers, including women, were taken for interrogation to the center for combating extremism. Some of them said that the investigators tried to force them to incriminate themselves and their friends. Mikhail Shevchuk, Artem Velichko and Ivan Neverov were placed in a pre-trial detention center for 2.5 months, and later under house arrest, where they spent more than 3 months. In August 2023, their preventive measure was changed to a ban on certain actions. Later, the case of Artem Velichko was separated into a separate proceeding. In January 2025, the case against Neverov and Shevchuk went to court.
Timeline

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    Search Detention center Art. 282.2 (1) Interrogation
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    House arrest

    The Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia, as a result of an appeal against the chosen measure of restraint, releases Mikhail Shevchuk, Ivan Neverov and Artem Velichko from the pre-trial detention center under house arrest. The believers spent more than 2.5 months behind bars.

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    Prohibition of certain actions

    The court changes the measure of restraint for believers from house arrest to a ban on certain actions.

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    The criminal case against Artem Velichko is separated into a separate proceeding.

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    Case went to court

    The case of Ivan Neverov and Mikhail Shevchuk is submitted to the Proletarsky District Court of Saransk. It will be considered by judge Inna Balyasina.

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    Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation

    About 30 people are present at the first hearing. The defendants say they do not consider themselves guilty. Ivan Neverov notes that the essence of the accusation boils down to participation in worship services via video link. He emphasizes: "The prosecutor did not take into account the fundamentals of Christianity, to which Jehovah's Witnesses belong. From the very beginning of their existence, Christians have kept in touch with each other and held joint worship services with common prayers and the singing of spiritual songs." Mikhail Shevchuk agrees with Neverov's arguments and adds that he professes his faith following the example of Jesus Christ.

    Both believers note that the accusation does not contain any indications of extremism in their actions. Similar statements are made during the interrogation of witnesses. For example, Murlaev, an employee of the Center for Counteracting Extremism, talks about the infiltration of two informants into a group of believers and notes that during the years of operational-search activities, he has not heard any extremist calls from the defendants.

    Another witness, a 78-year-old man, retracts his testimony to the investigator and states that he did not say what is recorded in it.

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