Investigative bodies of the RF Investigative Committee for Orenburg region have launched a criminal case over a crime under part 1 of article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code (incitement of hatred or enmity and abasement of human dignity) and extremist activity of religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses in Orenburg and its region.
According to the investigation’s version, several local residents, in the period from June 1994 to April 2012, operated the religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses.
During the period of its activity, the members of the community held in Orenburg and other cities in the region mass religious events (public sermons), where they expressed ideas aimed to entice hatred and enmity, as well as abasement of human dignity in one person or group of persons by reason of their attitude to religion. Apart from this, members of the community during the said period were actively spreading among the population publications containing extremist ideas.
The ground for initiating the case were files by Orenburg region FSB Department and results of investigation and search operations by Anti-extremism Center of Orenburg region Interior Ministry Department.
The number of the community’s members amounts to about 3 thousand people.
Investigators together with regional FSB and MVD personnel carried out more than 15 searches in the Orenburg region and withdrawn a considerable amount of evidence, including publication of extremist nature.
Investigations are carried on to establish all circumstances of the crime and persons involved.
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