During the assault, the security forces knocked out windows and doors. Chelyabinsk. September 2022
In Chelyabinsk, Special Forces Stormed the Apartments of Jehovah's Witnesses. Believer Arrested
Chelyabinsk RegionOn September 8, 2022, a raid on 13 houses of Jehovah's Witnesses in Chelyabinsk took place — the security forces broke out the windows and doors of the apartments. One of the believers, Dmitriy Dolzhikov, was detained and taken 1,500 kilometers away to Novosibirsk, where he was taken into custody.
The searches in the houses of the believers began in the evening and continued until midnight, and video footage was taken. Some were detained and taken away for interrogation to the Investigative Committee, while others were given summons for the next morning. These events affected about 34 people in total.
Electronic devices, storage media, bank cards, passports, religious literature and personal records were confiscated from believers. A large amount of personal savings was taken from one family.
Two of the families affected live in the same apartment block on the 3rd and 7th floors. The security forces broke in their flats through the windows. To do this, they descended on ropes from the roof of the house and knocked out the windows of the balcony doors. One of the believers was handcuffed and laid on the floor, he has been kept in this position in the cold for about half an hour.
In another dwelling, where a woman lives with her daughter, the security forces broke down the iron door without waiting for it to be opened voluntary. One of the women was in bed with a high temperature due to illness.
Operational activities were held with the participation of employees of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation A. Sivulko and E. Kozlov. According to believers, investigator of the Investigative Committee Aleksandr Chepenko, who initiated a wave of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Chelyabinsk Region, was also present at the interrogation.
Two days later, on September 10, the court arrested Dmitriy Dolzhikov. He was placed in SIZO No. 1 in Novosibirsk.
In the Chelyabinsk Region, 11 11 people are already being persecuted for their faith in Jehovah God. Six of them received unjust convictions.
