Four Searches, Interrogations, and New Criminal Case: Prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Crimea Continues

On August 7, 2024, the homes of at least five Jehovah's Witnesses from Crimea were searched and they were interrogated. A criminal case has been initiated against Tamara Brattseva, 68, from the village of Razdolnoye. The believer was placed under a recognizance agreement.

In the early morning, several armed groups of masked law enforcement officers invaded the homes of believers in the villages of Razdolnoye and Senokosnoye and the town of Alushta. Law enforcement officers rudely demanded passwords for electronic devices, quizzed them about their fellow believers, and in one case threatened to harm a pet. Electronic devices, personal notes, media storage and money were seized. The searches were carried out under the leadership of Y.A. Merkulov, the senior investigator of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea.

In the village of Razdolnoye, they went to the workplace of one believer. He was laid face down on the floor and his hands were bound with a nylon zip, which injured him. Later, he had his injuries recorded in the emergency room, but the medical certificate was taken away from him at the police station.

Over the past 7 years, more than 30 Jehovah's Witnesses in Crimea have already been prosecuted for their faith. Eight of them are serving their sentences in penal colonies, one was transferred to prison by a court decision, another was sentenced to forced labor and three were given suspended sentences.