Jehovah's Witnesses Persecuted in 65 Regions of Russia: Mass Searches Took Place in Adygea, One Sent to a Pre-Trial Detention Center

On April 16, 2021, in the city of Maikop, the capital of the Republic of Adygea, searches were carried out supposedly at 5 addresses of Jehovah's Witnesses. Several men and women were questioned. 46-year-old Inver Siyukhov was placed in a pre-trial detention center for 2 months.

At about 6 o'clock in the morning in Maikop, armed representatives of the FSB and the Investigative Committee (about 12 people in total) arbitrarily entered a private household, waking up Inver Siyukhov and his elderly parents. During the 5-hour search, printed publications and electronic devices were seized. No copies of the minutes were provided. On April 17, the Maykop City Court ruled to detain Inver. Two days later, he was transferred to SIZO-2 in Tlyustenkhabl, an urban-type settlement in the Teuchezhsky district of the Republic of Adygea. The believer's elderly parents are under intense stress.

According to the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Adygea, Inver Siyukhov is suspected of organizing and continuing the activities of a local religious organization in Maikop. According to the investigation, the unlawful actions of the believer were expressed in "holding meetings using the Internet, coordinating speeches and services ..., ideological indoctrination of the residents of the Republic of Adygea in order to increase the number of followers of this religious extremist organization.

Other believers, a married couple, were visited by 6 security officials, headed by investigator Murat Temzokov, in a rented apartment. All electronic devices, personal records and a bank card were seized from them, and then interrogated as witnesses in the criminal case of Siyukhov. The spouses were encouraged to cooperate with the investigation, threatening to change their status from witnesses to suspects: "You are very young. Why do you need problems?" The investigator inquired whether they knew Inver, whether they were members of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, and whether they held meetings. Around noon, the couple were released.

At 6:40 a.m., another believer was awakened by a loud knock on the door. A group of security officers with machine guns entered the house. Investigator Yuriy Chundyshko told the woman that she was being searched because she communicated with Inver Siyukhov. At the same time, another local believer was searched. After interrogation, both women were released.

It is noteworthy that after the 70th anniversary of the repressions in the USSR against Jehovah's Witnesses, searches of Russian believers are only becoming more frequent. During the week, the security forces staged 8 raids in 7 regions of the country. Several new criminal cases have been initiated.