Four believers from Tatarstan spent six months in a pre-trial detention center - and now the court has returned their case to the prosecutor because of falsifications!

On November 27, 2019, the Naberezhnye Chelny City Court refused to consider the case against Ilham Karimov, Konstantin Matrashov, Vladimir Myakushin and Aydar Yulmetyev. The court pointed to a significant violation of the law committed at the pre-trial stage and returned the case to the prosecutor of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The court drew attention to the fact that the investigators handed the defendants one text of the charge, and presented another to the court with a significantly expanded charge. In addition, the investigation, followed by the prosecutor's office, qualified the actions of believers under parts 1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation completely arbitrarily, clearly not understanding what, in fact, their "crime" was.

Despite the court's bold decision to return the case, the believers remain under recognizance not to leave. The case against them has not been closed.

A dark period in the history of religious freedom in Tatarstan began on May 27, 2018. Law enforcement officers raided 10 apartments of local residents who were suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Searches and interrogations in the homes of peaceful believers began on Sunday evening and continued until late at night. Law enforcement officers introduced themselves as employees of the Investigative Committee and the FSB. All electronic devices, mobile phones, and passports were confiscated from the believers, including four men, 10 women (including the elderly) and a child.

Ilham Karimov, 37, Vladimir Myakushin, 30, Konstantin Matrashov, 29, and Aidar Yulmetyev, 24, were arrested and sent to a pre-trial detention center for six months. After that, each of them spent another 2 months under house arrest.

Russian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in an extremist organization. This criminal prosecution is a direct consequence of the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia, which on April 20, 2017, liquidated and recognized as "extremist" 396 registered religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country.