The investigating authorities of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Murmansk region completed the investigation of the criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of a religious association, in respect of which the court has taken a valid decision on liquidation in connection with the implementation of extremist activity).

The decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017, which entered into legal force, liquidated the Religious Organization “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” and its branches, including the local Jehovah’s Witness organization Polar.

As a result of carefully planned and organized operative-investigative actions on suspicion of committing this crime, two local residents of the closed city of Aleksandrovsk in the city of Polar Murmansk Region, born in 1974 and 1957, were detained.

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According to the investigators, the accused in the period from May 2017 to April 2018 on the territory of the Closed City of Aleksandrovsk of the city of Polyarny, acting as part of a group of persons by prior agreement, reliably knowing that the said religious organization was liquidated due to extremist activities and prohibited the territory of the Russian Federation, organized its activities by convening and holding meetings using the Internet. They also organized the recruitment of new members, informed the participants of the meeting of the content of religious literature texts, collected money under the guise of donations.

As part of the criminal case initiated, investigators of the Russian IC with power support from Rosgvardia officers in the Murmansk Region and the UFSB of Russia in the Northern Fleet were simultaneously searched in six locations in the city of Polar, during which electronic media were taken, as well as a large amount of literature. A complex of investigative actions was carried out, including the results of more than 13 studies and forensic examinations, including computer, phonoscopic and complex psychological and linguistic expertise with the participation of a religious scholar. More than forty witnesses were also questioned. Investigative actions were carried out on the territory of the Murmansk region and other subjects of the Russian Federation.

During the preliminary investigation, the perpetrators did not admit their guilt, did not wish to testify, using the provisions of Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Despite this, the investigators carried out hard work, the result of which was a sufficient evidence base.

This crime was revealed by the operational officers of the UFSB of Russia for the Northern Fleet.

Currently, the criminal case with the approved prosecutor’s indictment has been sent to the court for consideration on the merits.

The sanction of the article provides for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for a term of six to ten years.