Case of Makhnev and Kuzin in Kaluga

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    June 26, 2019

    A group of armed masked militants invades the apartment of 87-year-old believer Olga Verevkina. In Kaluga, the FSB raids at least 6 apartments until late at night. Electronic devices, Bibles, scientific books on religious studies are seized from Kaluga residents.

    43-year-old Roman Makhnev claims that banned literature was planted in his house, his 15-year-old daughter is taken outside and forced to stand barefoot in the rain while the house is searched. Roman Makhnev was taken to the FSB building, where he was handcuffed to a pipe and left in this position until the next morning.

    It becomes known that the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia for the Kaluga Region is initiating a criminal case for faith under Article 282.2 (1) against local Jehovah's Witnesses.

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    June 27, 2019
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    June 28, 2019

    The Kaluga District Court elects Roman Makhnev and Dmitry Kuzin a measure of restraint in the form of detention for a period of 2 months. The court stubbornly ignores the atrocities committed by the FSB and evades assessing the circumstances of the detention of believers. It becomes known that 53-year-old Eduard Petrushin became another defendant in the criminal case for his faith; No preventive measure was chosen against him.

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    June 30, 2019 Search
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    July 3, 2019

    Dmitry Kuzin and Roman Makhnev are charged with committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

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    July 5, 2019
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    August 26, 2019

    Galina Gobrusenko, judge of the Kaluga District Court, extends the arrest of believers for another 2 months. At the same time, the judge commits gross violations and reveals a biased attitude towards believers. The decision is appealed to the Kaluga Regional Court.

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    August 28, 2019

    Believers who are being held in pre-trial detention are writing an open letter to the governor of the Kaluga region, Anatoly Artamonov. Dmitry Kuzin in his letter reports on abuses by FSB officer E. Beijing, who led the search in his apartment.

    Roman Makhnev informs the governor that printed publications were planted in his house, that he demanded to conduct a sweat study of these publications (to identify fingerprints) in order to prove that he or his relatives were not involved in them, but this was not done by the investigation. In addition, Roman Makhnev reports that during the search, which lasted until half past three at night, he was constantly handcuffed, and in the FSB building he was handcuffed to a radiator until the morning and was not fed for two days.

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    September 9, 2019

    The Kaluga Regional Court acknowledges that during the hearing on 26.08.2019, the lower court did not allow the believers to defend themselves and actually mocked them. For example, according to the audio recording of the hearing, Judge Galina Gobrusenko told Kuzin: "You are not a prisoner of conscience and have nothing to do with the first Christians, you are not called to gladiatorial fights. And as a follower of Jehovah, you also raise many questions." The Court of Appeal notes: "With such data, it is impossible to talk about the objectivity of the presiding judge." The court decided to return the case to the same court for a new trial, but with a different composition. Believers remain in detention.

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    September 19, 2019
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    September 24, 2019
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    October 11, 2019
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    October 26, 2019

    The court extends the detention of believers until 26.12.2019.

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    December 6, 2019 Search
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    December 15, 2019

    About 30 believers are helping the family of Roman Makhnev, eliminating the consequences of a fire in his mother's house.

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    December 24, 2019
    Judge of the Kaluga District Court of the Kaluga Region Olga Alabugina releases Dmitry Kuzin from the pre-trial detention center at a closed session, sending him under house arrest for 2 months. The believer spent 182 days in prison.
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    December 25, 2019
    The Kaluga District Court releases Roman Makhnev from the pre-trial detention center, sending him to house arrest for 2 months.
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    December 31, 2019
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    February 14, 2020

    The head of the investigation department of the FSB extends the term of the preliminary investigation of the case until 04/26/2020.

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    February 20, 2020

    By the decision of the judge of the Kaluga District Court of the Kaluga Region, Viktor Potapeiko, house arrest for Dmitry Kuzin is replaced by a ban on certain actions. The initiative to change Kuzin's measure of restraint is made by senior investigator E. Pavshenko. The reason for this is the deteriorating health of the accused, as well as the elderly age of the parents who need care. The investigator also claims that Kuzin does not violate the restrictions imposed on him and is "characterized satisfactorily."

    Now he is forbidden to leave the house at night, communicate with other defendants in the criminal case (with the exception of Dmitry's wife and mother), use communications and the Internet, as well as send and receive postal and telegraph items.

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    April 20, 2020

    With regard to Dmitry Kuzin, the ban on leaving the house at night (from 22:00 to 6:00) ceases. The remaining restrictions remain in force.

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    November 13, 2020

    Senior investigator of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia in the Kaluga region, Major of Justice E. G. Pavshenko decides to suspend the preliminary investigation of the criminal case due to the spread of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the region.