The court in Novosibirsk sent two followers of the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the colony

The court in Novosibirsk sent two followers of the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the colony on charges of extremism. The reason for the persecution was their religious affiliation. This is reported by the website of the church in Russia.

52-year-old Maryna Chaplykina and Valery Maletskova were sentenced to 4 and 6 years in prison, respectively. They were taken into custody in the courtroom. Chaplykina was accused of participating in an extremist organization and its financing, Maletskov — of organizing its activities.

The Russian Supreme Court recognized the church itself as an extremist organization. Her parishioners are regularly arrested and sent to colonies. In more than 70 regions of Russia and the annexed Crimea, 376 criminal cases were initiated, and 425 convictions were handed down to believers. In total, about 800 people were accused in such cases.

The ban on the church was criticized by human rights organizations and governments of Western countries. The European Court of Human Rights will stop the persecution of believers. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, publicly advocated for Yehovists. However, this did not prevent new criminal cases and sentences.

• In December, courts in the Far East softened or overturned earlier decisions against Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sibir.Realii reports. The Court of Cassation sent the criminal case of Dmitry Barmakin, who was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment, for a new review. In the Amur region, the regional court replaced the real term with a conditional one for 71-year-old Vladimir Balabkin, who was diagnosed with an oncological disease.