In the photo: search in the apartment of believers in Tolyatti (September 2022)

In the photo: search in the apartment of believers in Tolyatti (September 2022)

In the photo: search in the apartment of believers in Tolyatti (September 2022)

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Searches in Tolyatti: Armed Security Forces Entered Believers Through a Window

Samara Region

On September 21, 2022, searches were carried out in the homes of two believers, Vladimir Zubkov and Aleksandr Chagan, in Tolyatti (Samara Region). The latter spent two days in the TDF and was released on bail.

At around 7:30 p. m., when Vladimir Zubkov, 71, was talking to friends via video conference, 12 people burst in, some of them armed. The believer's son, 33, was forced to lie on the floor. Electronic devices, bank cards and various translations of the Bible were confiscated from the family. Then the Zubkovs were taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee and released home after midnight.

Aleksandr Chagan, 51, saw a capture group at the same time, squeezing out the window. They ordered everyone to lie on the floor and handcuffed the head of the family. The security forces did not show any documents. While one insulted the believers, the others behaved more correctly. Electronic devices, storage media, bank cards and cash (about 28,000 rubles) were confiscated from the family. After the search, the believers were taken away for interrogation, having been warned that Aleksandr would never return home.

During interrogation at the Investigative Committee, according to the believer, one of the officers threatened to torture him and kept him face down on the floor for about an hour and a half. After 2 a. m., Chagan was interrogated by investigator Ruslan Mgoyan. Then, already in the morning, the believer was placed in a temporary detention facility. On September 23, the court released him on bail.

This is the second criminal case against believers in the Samara region. Four of them—Sergey Polosenko, Denis Kuzyanin, Nikolay Vasiliyev and Aram Danielyan—are in the detention centre.

The Case of Chagan in Tolyatti

Case History
The first search in the family of Aleksandr and Yekaterina Chagan took place in March 2022. Six months later, in September, law enforcement officers again invaded their house, squeezing out the window. They put the household on the floor and handcuffed the head of the family, and then searched him. At night, Aleksandr was taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee, after which he was sent to the temporary detention facility. The court released him under recognizance agreement. On the same day, Aleksandr became a defendant in a criminal case—he was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist community. In July 2023, the case went to court. At the trial, a secret witness and experts testified, whose conclusions, according to the defense, were biased, unscientific and unfounded. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation.
Timeline

Persons in case

Chagan
Aleksandr

Criminal case

Region:
Samara Region
Locality:
Tolyatti
Court case number:
12202360032000539
Initiated:
September 14, 2022
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Central Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Samara Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-46/2024 (1-527/2023)
Court of First Instance:
Tsentralniy District Court of Tolyatti
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Victoria Gorbasheva
Case History
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