RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Techniques of surveillance against Jehovah's Witnesses

CENTER "E" PERSONNEL CONDUCT FILMING WITH HIDDEN CAMERA SEVERAL MONTHS IN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' APARTMENT IN BELGOROD

Novaia Gazeta, 24 August 2018

 

In Belgorod, personnel of the "E" center ["Extremism"] installed a hidden camera for nine months in a one-room apartment of a couple, who were adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, which has been ruled to be extremist and forbidden in Russia by a court decision. This was reported by Dozhd, with reference to attorney Anton Omelchenko.

 

"Everything is recorded in materials of the case: here they are watching television, somehow that is speaking out negatively against authority; there they make a note: 'cursed the authorities.' Everything is completely recorded in shorthand," the attorney said.

 

Omelcheno clarified that now the couple, whom the security personnel observed for almost a year, have left Russia.

 

He said the law enforcement agencies installed hidden cameras in homes of other members of the organization, also, recording that they were praying. After this, criminal cases were opened.

 

It was reported earlier that Finnish authorities have received about 200 applications for granting asylum from Russian adherents of the organization.

 

Massive searches of Jehovah's Witnesses in Belgorod became known in February. Security personnel searched 16 apartments and took their residents to the police department, where they were fingerprinted. Two persons were held in custody.

 

"I am surprised that they did not find ISIS literature in my apartment." Like "He is not our tsar" was found during a search for books of the banned Jehovah's Witnesses in the apartment of the organizer in Cheliabinsk.

 

We recall that in March the Ministry of Justice declared the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremist. The ministry declared that the activity of the organization does not comply with the charter of the Jehovists and about 100 publications of the organization were entered into the Federal List of Extremist Publications.

 

After this, in April, the Supreme Court ruled to liquidate the religious organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" and its 395 regional divisions, and to transfer its property to state ownership. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 August 2018)


Russia Religion News Current News Items

Editorial disclaimer: RRN does not intend to certify the accuracy of information presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the articles as they appeared in news media of countries of the former USSR.

If material is quoted, please give credit to the publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please include reference to the URL, http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.