One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia Was Arrested in Belarus. At Home, He Faces Criminal Prosecution for His Faith

On the morning of September 29, 2021, a 44-year-old Russian citizen Oleg Lonshakov was detained in his apartment in Brest due to the fact that he was put on the interstate wanted list in Russia. On October 1, the deputy prosecutor of the city E. A. Pashkevich decided to detain him until November 8, 2021 in pre-trial detention center No. 7 of the UDIN Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus in the Brest region.

Lonshakov learned from Belarusian law enforcement agencies that in Russia he was accused of "extremism" in a criminal case initiated on the basis of confessional affiliation. Oleg professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Earlier, he had applied for political asylum in Belarus. The believer has been living in Belarus for more than a year and has a residence permit.

Before moving to Belarus, Lonshakov lived in the village of Tavrichanka (Primorye Territory), where a wave of searches took place in July 2020.