Archival photo: search of Jehovah's Witnesses in Mordovia (2019)

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

A new criminal case for faith on Sakhalin. Searches were carried out

Sakhalin Region

On October 24, 2019, in the city of Nevelsk (Sakhalin), searches were conducted at the homes of 49-year-old Vyacheslav Ivanov and 22-year-old Dmitry Kulakov. This is the second criminal case for faith in the city.

The search warrants were issued by Polina Rykova, chairman of the Nevelsk City Court. The searches were conducted by D. Aimagambetova, a senior investigator of the city Department of Internal Affairs. The searches of believers were also supported by the prosecutor E. Pomogaeva.

In Nevelsk, 2 criminal cases for faith are being investigated. The first of them is being investigated by the SO of the FSB in the Sakhalin Region. This case was initiated in 2018 against 58-year-old Sergey Kulakov (father of Dmitry Kulakov). As a result, on January 20, 2019, the FSB conducted a series of searches in the homes of believers on Sakhalin. The second case is being investigated by the Department of Internal Affairs of the Nevelsk urban district. It was initiated at the end of August 2019 against Dmitry Kulakov and Vyacheslav Ivanov.

Investigator D. Aimagambetova believes that Vyacheslav Ivanov and Dmitry Kulakov "conducted conversations" with residents of one of the houses in Nevelsk, "trying to impose on them the ideas that were preached by a religious association liquidated by a court decision, in connection with the implementation of extremist activities." During the search, personal notes, notebooks, various translations of the Bible and receipts for electricity were seized from believers.

Case of Ivanov and Kulakov in Nevelsk

Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Sakhalin Region
Locality:
Nevelsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation “they having conspired prior ... had conversations with the residents of this house, trying to impose on them the ideas preached by a religious association liquidated by court order in connection with extremist activities”
Court case number:
11901640016000206
Initiated:
August 29, 2019
Current case stage:
Case dismissed
Investigating:
Investigation Department of DMIA of Russia for Nevelsk Urban District
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Case History