RUSSIA: 159 "anti-missionary" prosecutions in 2018 - list
Forum 18 has found 159 prosecutions in all of 2018 (56 of organisations and 103 of individuals) for violating Russia's July 2016 Administrative Code Article 5.26 "anti-missionary" restrictions. 132 of the 2018 prosecutions resulted in initial convictions (129 fines). 2018 saw a conviction rate of 90 per cent, compared with an 82 per cent conviction rate in the year from July 2016. Three foreigners were ordered deported, and one of the deportations was overturned on appeal).
There were in all of 2018 at least 159 prosecutions of individuals and communities for violating Russia's "anti-missionary" restrictions under Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3 ("Implementation of activities by a religious organisation without indicating its official full name, including the issuing or distribution, within the framework of missionary activity, of literature and printed, audio, and video material without a label bearing this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately false label"), Part 4 ("Russians conducting missionary activity"), and Part 5 ("Foreigners conducting missionary activity").This marks a decrease in the overall number of such prosecutions compared with the first year of the legislation's implementation from July 2016. This appears to be primarily explained by the sharp drop in the number of Administrative Code Article 5.26 cases against Jehovah's Witnesses, whose activities were outlawed as "extremist" by Russia's Supreme Court in 2017 (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2474). As a result of the ban there has been a steep rise in Jehovah's Witnesses held in pre-trial detention, under house arrest, and under travel restrictions as over 100 face "extremism"-related criminal charges (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2453).
Members of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting for worship, Russia
svaboda.org (RFE/RL)
Of the 14 foreigners charged, three were ordered deported (in the form of monitored independent departure), although one had this overturned on appeal.
More than half of Russia's federal subjects have seen at least one prosecution. Russian citizens comprise the overwhelming majority of individual defendants.
A number of the prosecutions listed below followed surveillance by the FSB security service of people exercising freedom of religion and belief. The FSB then informed prosecutors office officials or the ordinary police, who then initiated prosecutions the people or community involved.
(A full analysis of these 2018 prosecutions is here (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2474).)
These prosecutions are based on changes to the Administrative Code and Religion Law introduced in July 2016 as part of the "Yarovaya" package of "anti-terrorism" laws (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2246).
Russia has also imposed its "anti-missionary" legislation in Crimea (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2441), which it annexed in 2014.
All prosecutions under Administrative Code Article 5.26, Parts 3, 4, and 5 known to have reached court in the calendar year 2018 are listed below, ordered by date of court hearing. The list is based on court decisions and court records seen by Forum 18 and other information.
==================================================
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3
- Known Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3 cases ("Implementation of activities by a religious organisation without indicating its official full name, including the issuing or distribution, within the framework of missionary activity, of literature and printed, audio, and video material without a label bearing this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately false label")A fine of 50,000 Roubles (about 6,700 Norwegian Kroner, 690 Euros or 770 US Dollars) represents nearly six weeks' average wages for those in work or 16 weeks' average state retirement pension.
1) 12 January 2018
Name: Sarov Society for Krishna Consciousness
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Sarov District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Nizhny Novgorod Region
Circumstances: Hare Krishna community charged with not displaying its full official name at its registered address – defence argued that this is only its legal address and no religious worship takes place there, only a yearly meeting of the board, and that the full official name is posted on the inner door of the flat (not on the outer, as they are afraid of the reaction of other people); judge notes that the law does not specify what sort of "activity" needs to take place for display of the full official name to be required, therefore should be shown wherever any meeting is held
Appeal: none
2) 16 January 2018
Name: Russian Evangelical Christian Church (centralised religious organisation)
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Yuzhnoye Tushino District Magistrate's Court No. 164, Moscow
Circumstances: after Justice Ministry inspection of compliance with the Religion Law, organisation charged with not using its full official name on its website
Appeal: unsuccessful – 28 May 2018, Tushino District Court, Moscow
3) 18 January 2018
Name: Restoration Evangelical Christian Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Central District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Kaliningrad
Circumstances: church charged with not displaying a sign with its full official name at its rented premises
Appeal: none
4) 18 January 2018
Name: Liberation in Jesus Pentecostal Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kungur Magistrate's Court No. 3, Perm Region
Circumstances: church charged with having "carried out its activities…without displaying its full official name" – ie. the sign on its building omits the phrase "local religious organisation" and the word "Pentecostalists"; found during prosecutor's office inspection of compliance with anti-extremism legislation; lawyer argued that the community had no funds to pay a fine
Appeal: unsuccessful – 27 February 2018, Kungur City Court, Perm Region; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 24 April 2018, Perm Regional Court
5) 7 February 2018
Name: Transfiguration Baptist Union Church
Punishment: warning
Court: Khasansky District Magistrate's Court No. 91, Primorye
Circumstances: church charged with not using its full official name on documents it submitted to the regional Justice Ministry branch for an inspection
Appeal: none
6) 16 February 2018
Name: Full Blessing Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Moscow District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Kaliningrad
Circumstances: church charged with having "carried out its activity .. without displaying its full official name" on its door
Appeal: none
7) 22 February 2018
Name: Shakhunya Seventh-day Adventist Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Shakhunya District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Nizhny Novgorod Region
Circumstances: church charged with holding meetings for worship in a house which had a sign reading "Seventh-day Adventist Church" hanging to the left of the door; found by police, who interrupted a meeting for worship after receiving a message about "suspicious people" gathering; there was a sign with the church's full official name on the inside of the building – lawyer Vasili Nichik claims the signs had been swapped by an official; witnesses claim that until recently, the sign had shown the full official name; "[In law] All doubts are interpreted in favour of the [defendant]. The community does not have a bank account or any property to pay the fine. Almost all believers are pensioners. The nature and extent of the damage is incommensurable. Officials could simply point out that there is a problem. In fact, there was no reason to talk about the presence of an administrative offence. The law requires that there be a sign with the full name of the organisation, but there is no norm in the Law [which requires] the sign to be outside"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 16 April 2018, Shakhunya District Court, Nizhny Novgorod Region
8) 28 February 2018
Name: To the Ends of the Earth Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kirov District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: church charged with "carrying out its activities" without displaying its full official name at the entrance to the building or on the walls, as found by prosecutor's office inspection of compliance with the Religion Law; defence argued that an appropriate sign was displayed inside the building's hallway and on the door of the room rented for worship, by agreement with the building's owner
Appeal: unsuccessful – 17 April 2018, Kirov District Court, Ufa; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 4 July 2018, Supreme Court of Bashkortostan
9) 12 March 2018
Name: Good News Mission of Evangelisation and Charity of Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals)
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kirov District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: church "carried out a meeting for worship with the participants of members of this religious organisation without displaying its official full name at the entrance to the building or on the walls of the building by the entrance, in the form of a sign or plaque" – found by prosecutor's office inspection
Appeal: none
10) 12 March 2018
Name: Reconciliation Baptist Union Church
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 9, Mari El Republic
Circumstances: church charged with distributing religious literature to the public which did not bear its full official name; found during planned Justice Ministry inspection of documents; also charged under Part 4; judge decides that there is no proof that the unmarked literature presented in court is the same as that distributed during the alleged missionary activity, which "does not allow for an objective conclusion to be drawn about the presence or absence of markings on the products distributed by the missionaries"
Appeal: by Justice Ministry; case sent back for re-examination – 9 April 2018, Yoshkar-Ola City Court; acquittal upheld on re-examination – 26 April 2018, Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 9
11) 13 March 2018
Name: House of the Gospel
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Naberezhniye Chelny Magistrate's Court No. 7, Republic of Tatarstan
Circumstances: Protestant church charged because it "carried out its activities" (i.e. held a meeting for worship) "without displaying its full name", as established during a police inspection of its rented premises; pastor argued that there was a sign inside the building, and that the church's full name was also displayed on leaflets explaining the meeting for worship and on a screen in the hall
Appeal: unsuccessful – 6 June 2018, Naberezhniye Chelny City Court, Republic of Tatarstan
12) 14 March 2018
Name: Pomorian Old Orthodox Church (centralised religious organisation)
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Preobrazhenskoye District Magistrate's Court No. 111/113, Moscow
Circumstances: priestless Old Believer church; did not display full official name – details not given in verdict
Appeal: none
13) 15 March 2018
Name: Ark Evangelical Church
Punishment: none – because of "insignificance" of "offence"
Court: Sevsk District Magistrate's Court No. 51, Bryansk Region
Circumstances: church charged with having a sign on its building which did not exactly match its full official name; police officer in court (not the one who carried out the police inspection) states that this had no "harmful or dangerous consequences"; judge decides to free church from administrative responsibility
Appeal: none
14) 16 March 2018
Name: House of the Living God Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Rezh District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Sverdlovsk Region
Circumstances: church charged with not having a sign with its full official name on the outside of the building where it holds meetings for worship – pastor argues that registration paperwork with the full official name is posted on the door of the room where meetings for worship take place, and that he did not point this out during the prosecutor's office inspection, because he did not know what the inspection was for
Appeal: unsuccessful – 25 April 2018, Rezh District Court, Sverdlovsk Region; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 24 August 2018, Sverdlovsk Regional Court
15) 19 March 2018
Name: Jesus Embassy Pentecostal Church, Kstovo
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kstovo Magistrate's Court No. 2, Nizhny Novgorod Region
Circumstances: church charged with "carrying out its activities" without displaying a sign with its full official name, as established during police inspection; defence insisted that two signs were in place, one to the right of the front door of the flat where meetings for worship are held, one on the wall immediately inside the flat
Appeal: supervisory appeal rejected without consideration – 15 June 2018, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
Vyacheslav Matveychuk
Church of Jesus Christ, Nyagan [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)]
Name: Vyacheslav Matveychuk
Punishment: none – sent back by judge
Court: Nyagan Magistrate's Court No. 2, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
Circumstances: same case as Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ (below)
Appeal: none
17) 1 April 2018
Name: Mary, Queen of Peace Roman Catholic Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Berezniki Magistrate's Court No. 49, Perm Region
Circumstances: church charged with uploading videos of church activities to the internet, which did not show its full official name; apparently found by FSB security service monitoring; defence argued that these were uploaded on a non-official basis by congregation members
Appeal: unsuccessful – 28 May 2018, Berezniki City Court, Perm Region
18) 6 April 2018
Name: Life Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Chernovsky District Magistrate's Court No. 11, Chita
Circumstances: church charged with posting material (photos, videos, information about meetings for worship) in a publicly accessible group on VKontakte without including its full official name, as well as links to its website and YouTube channel, which also do not display its full official name – found by FSB security service
Appeal: unsuccessful – 21 December 2018, Chernovsky District Court, Chita; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 6 March 2019, Zabaykalsk Regional Court
19) 15 April 2018
Name: Mari Evangelical Church
Punishment: none – because of insignificance of offence
Court: Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 7, Mari El Republic
Circumstances: church charged with failing to display a sign on its building with its full official name – found by prosecutor's office inspection; sign by the door showed an incomplete name (apparently lacking only the name of the town); defence pointed out that the building is a private house on land designated for residential use, which is continuously lived in, and the church uses only one room – also argued that the law requires the display of a religious organisation's full official name, but does not specify what form this should take; judge decides that the church should be freed from administrative responsibility because the offence "did not lead to significant socially dangerous consequences, and therefore does not represent a significant violation of protected social relations".
Appeal: none
20) 17 April 2018
Name: Kurgan Regional Union of Baptist Churches
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Petukhovo District Magistrate's Court No. 19, Kurgan Region
Circumstances: regional religious organisation fined because the Light of Truth Baptist church (a religious group) did not include the organisation's name on its sign, as established during inspection by prosecutor's office
Appeal: unsuccessful – 14 June 2018, Petukhovo District Court, Kurgan Region
21) 18 April 2018
Name: Vladimir Ananyev
Punishment: 15,000 Roubles
Court: Kalinin District Magistrate's Court No. 10, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: pastor of House of God Evangelical Church (religious group) charged for giving a man a book – "Alone with God", by Richard Wurmbrand – "as part of missionary activity", which was not labelled with a religious organisation's full official name; district prosecutor's office and police Centre for Countering Extremism carried out inspection on the information of Republic prosecutor's office and apparent tip-off from an individual; defendant argued that acquaintances came of their own accord to pray at his home and that the man himself asked to read the book; fine reduced because defendant has two underage children; also charged under Part 4
Appeal: none
22) 24 April 2018
Name: Nagayevskoye Muslim community
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Karsun District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Ulyanovsk Region
Circumstances: Muslim community charged for failing to display a sign on its mosque with its full official name – found by prosecutor's office inspection
Appeal: none
23) 28 April 2018
Name: Jesus Embassy Church (centralised religious organisation)
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Moscow District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: Pentecostal church charged for posting video (in 2016) on VKontakte showing international students talking about their experiences as church members, which did not display the church's full official name; also charged under Part 4
Appeal: unsuccessful – 8 June 2018, Moscow District Court, Nizhny Novgorod
24) 10 May 2018
Name: Khimki Muslim community
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Khimki Magistrate's Court No. 258, Moscow Region
Circumstances: religious organisation charged for displaying religious literature and information on Islam on a table in the corridor outside their prayer room – material was not marked with the organisation's full official name; also charged under Part 4
Appeal: none
25) 15 May 2018
Name: Makhalla No. 486
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Soviet District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Astrakhan
Circumstances: Muslim community charged for failing to display a sign on its building with its full official name – found during prosecutor's office inspection
Appeal: none
26) 15 May 2018
Name: King Jesus Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Dzerzhinsky District Magistrate's Court No. 5, Perm
Circumstances: church charged for posting videos of church events on YouTube which did not show its full official name – found by FSB security service
Appeal: unsuccessful – 9 July 2018, Dzerzhinsky District Court, Perm; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 3 September 2018, Perm Regional Court
27) 29 May 2018
Name: Russian United Methodist Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Khamovniki District Magistrate's Court No. 365, Moscow
Circumstances: centralised religious organisation charged after planned Justice Ministry inspection of documentation, for not displaying its full official name on copies of a hymn book (the phrase "Centralised Religious Organisation" was omitted)
Appeal: unsuccessful – 30 October 2018, Khamovniki District Court, Moscow
28) 31 May 2018
Name: Vifaniya Baptist Union Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Avtozavodsky District Magistrate's Court No. 3, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: church charged for "carrying out religious activity without displaying its full official name", ie. failing to have a sign on its building; the pastor (who owns the house where meetings for worship are held) argued that there is a sign on the door of the room used for meetings for worship, and the law does not specify where an organisation's name should be displayed; police officer agreed that there was a sign on an internal door, but pointed out that outer clothing belonging to visitors was hanging in a corridor before this room
Appeal: none
29) 5 June 2018
Name: Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Nyagan District Magistrate's Court No. 3, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District
Circumstances: church charged for not displaying its full official name at the entrance to the hall it was using for worship in a house of culture; police inspected premises after receiving information about an "unsanctioned gathering"; judge agrees with defence that two information panels with the correct details had indeed been set up, one outside and one inside the hall
Appeal: none
30) 13 June 2018
Name: Exaltation of the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Lenin District Magistrate's Court No. 5, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: church charged for distributing literature not labelled with its full official name – details unspecified
Appeal: none
31) 17 June 2018
Name: Exaltation of the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 12, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: church charged for distributing magazines not labelled with its full official name – details unspecified
Appeal: none
32) 19 June 2018
Name: Russian Central United Christian-Presbyterian Society
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Yasenevo District Magistrate's Court No. 60, Moscow
Circumstances: organisation charged for using an incomplete name in its official stamp on the report of its 2017 activities submitted to the Justice Ministry
Appeal: none
33) 3 July 2018
Name: Orthodox Jewish Community of Yoshkar-Ola
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 3, Mari El Republic
Circumstances: community charged for "carrying out its activities without using its full official name", ie. in paperwork submitted to the Justice Ministry for a planned document check, it had used the abbreviated form "MROOI 'Yevreyskaya Obshchina g. Yoshkar-Ola'", or simply "Yevreyskaya Obshchina g. Yoshkar-Ola", instead of the full form: "Mestnaya Religioznaya Organizatsiya Ortodoksalnogo Iudaizma 'Yevreyskaya Obshchina g. Yoshkar-Ola'"
Appeal: none
34) 17 July 2018
Name: Naberezhniye Chelny Seventh-day Adventist Church
Punishment: none – case sent back
Court: Naberezhniye Chelny Magistrate's Court No. 12, Republic of Tatarstan
Circumstances: unknown – did not display full official name
Appeal: none
Word of Life Evangelical Church, Orenburg
Google
Name: Word of Life Evangelical Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Central District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Orenburg
Circumstances: church charged for not having a sign with its full official name on the facade of its building, as established during prosecutor's office inspection; defence argued that a temporary sign was placed outside during meetings for worship, and that there is no direct obligation in law for such a sign to be permanent
Appeal: unsuccessful – 28 August 2018, Central District Court, Orenburg
36) 27 July 2018
Name: Community of Evangelical Christian-Baptists, Chelyabinsk
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Lenin District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Chelyabinsk
Circumstances: Baptist Union church charged for not having a sign on its facade showing its full official name; defence argued that the sign had fallen into disrepair and had been replaced the day after the prosecutor's office inspection of compliance with the Religion Law (which was carried out according to information from the police Centre for Countering Extremism)
Appeal: none
37) 12 August 2018
Name: Glorification Pentecostal Church, Abakan
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Abakan Magistrate's Court No. 12, Republic of Khakasiya
Circumstances: church charged for not using its full official name on its Facebook page and YouTube channel
Appeal: unsuccessful – 10 October 2018, Abakan City Court, Republic of Khakasiya
38) 17 August 2018
Name: Tabernacle of Faith Pentecostal Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Syzran Magistrate's Court No. 82, Samara Region
Circumstances: as part of an unscheduled inspection of compliance with the Religion Law, the Justice Ministry requested copies of the church's documents and any literature it was distributing – church accused of "using a shortened name in its activities"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 18 September 2018, Syzran City Court, Samara Region
39) 22 August 2018
Name: Arkhangelsk Bible Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Arkhangelsk
Circumstances: Baptist Union church failed to display full official name – details unknown
Appeal: twice rejected because submitted too late – 26 September and 19 November 2018, October District Court, Arkhangelsk
40) 28 August 2018
Name: Nyagan Seventh-day Adventist Church
Punishment: none – because of insignificance of offence
Court: Nyagan District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District
Circumstances: church charged for not displaying its full official name on the facade of its building, after prosecutor's office inspection of its compliance with the Religion Law; judge concluded that the violation "did not carry a significant threat to protected public relations" and accepted that it had been "promptly eliminated" by the church
Appeal: none
41) 29 August 2018
Name: Moscow Baptist Theological Seminary
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Perovo District Magistrate's Court No. 290/291, Moscow
Circumstances: after Justice Ministry inspection of compliance with the Religion Law, seminary charged for not using its full official name on its website and in April 2018 issues of its electronic journals "Vestnik" and "Informatsionniy Vestnik"
Appeal: none
42) 11 September 2018
Name: Hope Mission of Evangelical Christians of Chelyabinsk
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Metallurgical District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Chelyabinsk
Circumstances: church charged for failing to display its full official name on the facade of its building – found by prosecutor's office "inspection of compliance with the [Religion Law]"
Appeal: none
43) 20 September 2018
Name: Kadriya Makhalla
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Meleuz Magistrate's Court No. 2, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Muslim community charged for having religious literature "freely available for visitors to the mosque", as found during prosecutor's office inspection of compliance with the Religion Law, and for showing only the shortened name "Kadriya Mosque" on its facade; judge notes definitions of "marking" and "distribution" from Constitutional Court statement of 7 December 2017
Appeal: none
44) 27 September 2018
Name: Oleg Gugnin
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Lipetsk District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Lipetsk Region
Circumstances: chairman of Church of Evangelical Christians of Lipetsk and Lipetsk Region charged because religious organisation had "carried out activity without displaying its official full name" in the form of a sign on its building, as established by police inspection
Appeal: none
45) 9 October 2018
Name: Konstantin Kostin
Punishment: none – case sent back
Court: Kansk District Magistrate's Court No. 147, Krasnoyarsk Region
Circumstances: unknown
Appeal: none
46) 16 October 2018
Name: Light of the Gospel Baptist Union Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kirov District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: church charged both for lacking a sign with its full official name and distributing literature not labelled with its full official name; pastor accepted guilt, but pointed out that the books were for internal use only and were never distributed, and that the incomplete sign in place at the time of the prosecutor's office inspection was only temporary
Appeal: none
47) 28 November 2018
Name: Makhalla Muslim community, Mostovaya
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Lenin District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Ulyanovsk
Circumstances: unknown – failed to display full official name
Appeal: unsuccessful – 11 February 2019, Lenin District Court, Ulyanovsk
48) 4 December 2018
Name: Rebirth Evangelical Church, Astrakhan
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Trusovsky District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Astrakhan
Circumstances: church charged for "carrying out activities without displaying its official full name", as found by prosecutor's office inspection – details unknown
Appeal: none
49) 14 December 2018
Name: A.Yu. Kaygorodov
Punishment: none – case sent back
Court: Tavda District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Sverdlovsk Region
Circumstances: unknown
Appeal: none
50) 19 December 2018
Name: Reconciliation Evangelical Church, Narimanov
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Narimanov District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Astrakhan Region
Circumstances: church charged for not displaying a sign with its full official name on the building where it rents basement space for worship, after prosecutor's inspection apparently triggered by tip-off
Appeal: none
51) 20 December 2018
Name: Kingdom of God Pentecostal Church
Punishment: warning
Court: Ivanteyevka Magistrate's Court No. 1, Moscow Region
Circumstances: church charged for distributing printed materials on its premises which were not marked with the organisation's full official name, as found by prosecutor's office inspection of compliance with the Religion Law
Appeal: none
52) 21 December 2018
Name: Cornerstone Pentecostal Church, Ulyanovsk
Punishment: none – sent back for technical reasons
Court: Zavolzhsk District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Ulyanovsk
Circumstances: unknown – failed to display full official name
Appeal: none
53) 21 December 2018
Name: Kineshma Seventh-day Adventist Church
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Kineshma Magistrate's Court No. 7, Ivanovo Region
Circumstances: church charged for "carrying out its activities", without displaying its full official name on its building; defence argued that the property inspected by police was only a legal address, where meetings for worship are not held, and that a sign showing the church's full name was placed outside its place of worship every Saturday
Appeal: none
54) 26 December 2018
Name: House of the Gospel Evangelical Church
Punishment: 31,000 Roubles
Court: Naberezhniye Chelny Magistrate's Court No. 20, Republic of Tatarstan
Circumstances: church charged for having religious literature on its premises which did not bear its full official name, while holding a meeting for worship for about 25 attendees, "including people not connected to the religious organisation" – literature found during police inspection; defence argued that the only people present at the meetings for worship were congregation members and that Part 3 only applies to materials distributed as part of missionary activity
Appeal: unsuccessful – 13 February 2019, Naberezhniye Chelny City Court, Republic of Tatarstan
==================================================
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 4 and Part 5
- Known cases under Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 4 ("Russians conducting missionary activity") and Part 5 ("Foreigners conducting missionary activity")A fine of 50,000 Roubles (about 6,700 Norwegian Kroner, 690 Euros or 770 US Dollars) represents nearly six weeks' average wages for those in work or 16 weeks' average state retirement pension.
1) 9 January 2018
Name: Nikolai Ivanov
Punishment: 10,000 Roubles
Court: Maykop City Court, Republic of Adygeya
Circumstances: pastor of unregistered Baptist church charged because he "performed missionary activity without state registration", as established by a prosecutor's office inspection; no details; defendant denied his actions constituted missionary activity
Appeal: supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 19 February 2018, Supreme Court of the Republic of Adygeya
2) 10 January 2018
Name: Roman Kirkin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Mezhdurechensk Magistrate's Court No. 1, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: member of New Generation-linked Pentecostal religious group charged for preaching in rented premises when the rental agreement stated that they were to be used for entrepreneurial activity
Appeal: none
3) 12 January 2018
Name: Valery Imokov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Buguruslan Magistrate's Court No. 3, Orenburg Region
Circumstances: defendant (with Listratov – see below) distributed Baptist literature and audio recordings to passers-by outside a shop without written authorisation from his religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of a religious group's creation – argued that he was acting on his own behalf, not that of a religious group, and therefore had no documents
Appeal: unsuccessful – 19 February 2018, Buguruslan District Court, Orenburg Region
4) 12 January 2018
Name: Sergey Listratov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Buguruslan Magistrate's Court No. 3, Orenburg Region
Circumstances: defendant (with Imokov – see above) distributed Baptist literature and audio recordings to passers-by outside a shop without written authorisation from his religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of a religious group's creation – argued that he was acting on his own behalf, not that of a religious group, and therefore had no documents
Appeal: none
5) 18 January 2018
Name: V.V. Lopatsky
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Kungur Magistrate's Court No. 4, Perm Region
Circumstances: congregation member of Liberation in Jesus Pentecostal Church posted church videos (content unspecified) on a social network, without any authorisation from the religious organisation to carry out missionary activity on its behalf; defendant argued that the videos were not aimed at recruiting new members and that he had been acting only on his own behalf
Appeal: unsuccessful – 14 February 2018, Kungur City Court; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 18 April 2018, Perm Regional Court
6) 22 January 2018
Name: G.A. Gryaznykh
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Gubakha Magistrate's Court No. 1, Perm Region
Circumstance: unregistered Baptist pastor charged for holding meetings for worship in his home without written authorisation from a religious group or organisation, and without having notified the Justice Ministry of the existence of a religious group; "The placement by [the defendant] at the entrance of a residential building of a sign reading: "House of Prayer of the International Council of Churches of Evangelical Christian-Baptists, meeting for worship every Sunday from 10am" and information on the website of the International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian-Baptists .. with his contact details, suggests that [the defendant] carries out missionary activity aimed at disseminating information about the beliefs of [the church] among other persons who are not members"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 8 February 2018, Gubakha City Court, Perm Region
7) 27 January 2018
Part 5
Name: William Neil Matthews
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles plus deportation (monitored independent departure)
Court: Abakan City Court, Republic of Khakasiya
Circumstances: American citizen and Pentecostal pastor charged for speaking at a conference held by the Glorification Church in a house of culture, without the necessary documents from the religious organisation authorising missionary activity
Appeal: partially successful (deportation order lifted) – 20 February 2018, Supreme Court of the Republic of Khakasiya
8) 29 January 2018
Name: Ragim Faradzhov
Punishment: 7,000 Roubles
Court: Komintern District Magistrate's Court No. 10, Voronezh
Circumstances: Muslim charged because he "not officially part of a religious organisation…conducted the rite of namaz in the presence of congregation members, that is, carried out missionary activity in violation of [the Religion Law]", in a prayer room in a block of flats which was freely accessible to anybody; police argued that, as a missionary, he had "organised and led Muslim prayers while not a leader of any religious organisation registered with the Justice Ministry", and that local authorities should be informed of "such events"; defence argued that only Faradzhov's friends had been present, nobody else had been invited, and no information about Islam had been shared with non-Muslims; defendant also denied forming a religious group
Appeal: unsuccessful – 13 March 2018, Komintern District Court, Voronezh; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 31 July 2018, Voronezh Regional Court
9) 5 February 2018
Name: G.B. Saytkhuzhin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Krasnoarmeysk District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Chelyabinsk Region
Circumstances: imam charged for leading weekly prayers for a Muslim religious group; defence pointed out that only fellow believers were present and the defendant did not involve any non-members of the group; religious group had submitted all necessary documentation to the Justice Ministry and met on premises rented for the purpose; defendant does not appear in group's documentation as leader or member of the group, but was appointed by the group (in minutes of a meeting) as its imam and to carry out missionary and teaching duties – judge concludes that he unlawfully performed missionary activity, as a non-member and without written authorisation from the group
Appeal: unsuccessful – 15 March 2018, Krasnoarmeysk District Court, Chelyabinsk Region; supervisory appeal lodged on 1 August 2018 at Chelyabinsk Regional Court (outcome unknown)
10) 8 February 2018
Name: A. Yu. Zharnikova
Punishment: none – sent back by judge for technical reasons
Court: Mezhdurechensk City Court, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: unknown
Appeal: none
11) 14 February 2018
Name: Leonid Artyukh
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Svetly Magistrate's Court, Kaliningrad Region
Circumstances: defendant led a meeting for worship of the unregistered "New Beginning" Protestant church in rented accommodation for about fifteen people, at which he "explained texts of Holy Scripture, that is, performed missionary activity in violation of the [Religion Law]"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 16 May 2018, Svetly City Court, Kaliningrad Region
12) 16 February 2018
Name: Valery Imokov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Buguruslan Magistrate's Court No. 3, Orenburg Region
Circumstances: defendant again (with Chibizov – see below) distributed Baptist literature and audio recordings to passers-by outside a shop without written authorisation from his religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of a religious group's creation – argued that he was acting on his own behalf, not that of a religious group, and therefore had no documents
Appeal: unsuccessful – 5 April 2018, Buguruslan District Court, Orenburg Region
13) 16 February 2018
Name: Vladimir Chibizov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Buguruslan Magistrate's Court No. 3, Orenburg Region
Circumstances: defendant (with Imokov – see above) distributed Baptist literature and audio recordings to passers-by outside a shop without written authorisation from his religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of a religious group's creation – argued that he was acting on his own behalf, not that of a religious group, and therefore had no documents
Appeal: unsuccessful – 5 April 2018, Buguruslan District Court, Orenburg Region
14) 18 February 2018
Name: Zaynulla Sabitov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Proletarian District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Tver
Circumstances: Muslim defendant charged for calling two acquaintances and inviting them to come to Tver and participate in his religious organisation's activities, despite the fact that the Justice Ministry had refused it registration because of "incompatibility of its states with the law and the impossibility of its being accommodated on residential premises" – therefore, defendant carried out missionary activity without the necessary authorising documents from a religious association or proof of registration, and on residential premises; one copy of an "extremist" book also found by prosecutor's office officials and FSB security service officers in his home, where religious rites were held, "freely accessible, and anyone could acquaint himself with it"
Appeal: none
15) 26 February 2018
Name: R. Makhmudov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Asha District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Chelyabinsk Region
Circumstances: Muslim charged for running a prayer house in a residential building, as established by prosecutor's office inspection, without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; prosecutor interpreted worship in the house as unlawful "missionary activity in residential premises"
Appeal: none
16) 1 March 2018
Name: Eduard Tomilov (Father Roman)
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Nurlat District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Republic of Tatarstan
Circumstances: Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) priest charged for "carrying out missionary activity by holding a meetings for worship in the presence of the congregation of [a] prayer house" and talking to the assembled congregation members in a village prayer house about "his understanding of Christianity". (According to the appeal verdict, this was legally seen as missionary activity.)
Fr Roman had been suspended from ministry by his Moscow Patriarchate bishop, as well as being deprived of the right to teach, give blessings, wear the pectoral cross, or serve in institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate; Fr Roman was suspended because he and four other priests refused to mention Patriarch Kirill in their prayers, in protest at Kirill's "ecumenism" after he held a meeting with Pope Francis in Cuba
Appeal: unsuccessful – 12 April 2018, Nurlat District Court, Republic of Tatarstan
17) 2 March 2018
Part 5
Name: A.L. Moon
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Central District Court, Chelyabinsk
Circumstances: South Korean citizen; member of the Society for Worldwide Mission – Church of God charged for "the dissemination of information about her beliefs among people who are not members of this religious association, with the aim of involving them in the association"; no further details given
Appeal: none
18) 5 March 2018
Name: Vitaly Kupriyanov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Kirov District Magistrate's Court No. 52, Omsk
Circumstances: same case as Abdullin (below); Hare Krishna adherent charged for distributing religious literature outside a shopping centre in Megion in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District (case sent to court in his home region), without authorising documents from a religious organisation
Appeal: unsuccessful – 7 May 2018, Kirov District Court, Omsk
Reconciliation Baptist Church, Yoshkar-Ola
Google
Name: Reconciliation Baptist Union Church
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles
Court: Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 9, Mari El Republic
Circumstances: church charged for issuing documents authorising members to carry out missionary activity on its behalf which did not include proof of the church's registration; found during planned Justice Ministry inspection of documents; also charged under Part 3
Appeal: unsuccessful – 24 April 2018, Yoshkar-Ola City Court, Mari El Republic; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 10 August 2018, Supreme Court of the Mari El Republic
20) 14 March 2018
Name: S.S. Zhavoronkova
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Northwestern District Magistrate's Court No. 27, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent – details unknown
Appeal: none
21) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Itai Sinvani
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after they were informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
22) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Irina Sinvani
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after they were informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
23) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Liak Kutnovski
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after being informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
24) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Anna Brodsky
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after they were informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
25) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Dmitri Dubovis
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after they were informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
26) 19 March 2018
Part 5
Name: Genadi Dubovis
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Meshchansky District Court, Moscow
Circumstances: one of six Israeli citizens working for a Jewish Kabbalah study centre, charged for "the dissemination of information about Kabbalah beliefs among non-members of this religious association, with the aim of involving such people as participants" – by lighting Hanukah candles in their office window – without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; "offence" uncovered by prosecutor's office inspection after they were informed by the FSB security service
Appeal: none
27) 19 March 2018
Name: Sergei Radionov
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Urai District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
Circumstances: unspecified Christian affiliation; charged for holding "conversations on religious themes" with two people in the stairwells of their blocks of flats, without authorising documents from a religious organisation or group; defendant denied performing missionary activity on behalf of any church or having any intention of involving people in the activities of any religious association, and argued that having conversations about religion is not against the law; judge also notes that conversations about religion are not the same as missionary activity, and that missionary activity is carried out by religious associations to recruit new members, but that the police report mentioned no religious association and included no evidence that the defendant is a member of one
Appeal: none
28) 19 March 2018
Name: Mikhail Leontyev
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Urai District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
Circumstances: unspecified Christian affiliation; same case as Radionov (above)
Appeal: none
29) 20 March 2018
Name: Aleksey Kovtun
Punishment: 6,000 Roubles
Court: Bulunsky District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Sakha Republic (Yakutiya)
Circumstances: unregistered Council of Churches Baptist charged for holding meetings for worship for a small number of fellow believers in his flat, without written authorisation from the religious group or notification to the authorities of the existence of a religious group – and for giving a border patrol officer a religious calendar and the book "Stories about the Life of Christ"; border patrol officers had come to the flat after a Sunday meeting for worship, claiming that they "selectively go around flats and check documents"; the following Sunday, a police officer came to check the details of the flat owner – prosecutors then initiated the case
Appeal: conviction upheld but verdict changed to remove reference to missionary activity without notification as defendant proved he was at work on the date specified by the prosecution; fine also reduced to 5,000 Roubles – 23 April 2018, Bulunsky District Court, Sakha Republic (Yakutiya); supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 30 May 2018, Supreme Court of Sakha-Yakutiya
30) 22 March 2018
Name: Danila Abdullin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Pervomaysk District Magistrate's Court No. 77, Omsk
Circumstances: same case as Kupriyanov (above); Hare Krishna adherent charged for distributing religious literature outside a shopping centre in Megion in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District (case sent to court in his home region), without authorising documents from a religious organisation
Appeal: none
31) 26 March 2018
Name: I.A. Datiyeva
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Northwestern District Magistrate's Court No. 27, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent – details unknown
Appeal: none
32) 26 March 2018
Name: A.Kh. Kubalov
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Northwestern District Magistrate's Court No. 27, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent – details unknown
Appeal: none
33) 26 March 2018
Name: A.B. Cheldiyev
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Northwestern District Magistrate's Court No. 27, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent – details unknown
Appeal: none
34) 28 March 2018
Name: Aleksandr Tselykh
Punishment: 10,000 Roubles
Court: Dyomsk District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Pentecostal Christian charged for holding with friends meetings for worship in his private house, without having submitted notification of the existence of a religious group, during which he "disseminates information about his beliefs and distributes corresponding literature without labelling" – established by prosecutor's office inspection triggered by "complaints from neighbours"; second offence
Appeal: none
35) 29 March 2018
Name: Lyubov Koltyrina
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Mezhdurechensk Magistrate's Court No. 5, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: same case as Lebedeva (below); director of Falun Gong health club charged for holding a "Petals of Peace" event (at which participants fold paper lotus flowers to show support for Falun Gong followers persecuted in China), and distributing information on Falun Gong beliefs among non-members in a village newsletter and on her VKontakte profile page, without having notified the Justice Ministry of a religious group's existence
Appeal: initially unsuccessful – 5 June 2018, Mezhdurechensk City Court, Kemerovo Region; returned for re-examination by supervisory judge – 22 August 2018, Kemerovo Regional Court; successful on re-examination – 21 September 2018, Mezhdurechensk District Court, Kemerovo Region
36) 4 April 2018
Name: Leonid Artyukh
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Svetly Magistrate's Court, Kaliningrad Region
Circumstances: defendant led a meeting for worship of the unregistered "New Beginning" Protestant church in rented accommodation for about ten people, at which he "explained texts of Holy Scripture, that is, performed missionary activity in violation of the [Religion Law]"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 16 May 2018, Svetly City Court, Kaliningrad Region
37) 7 April 2018
Name: Marina Lebedeva
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Mezhdurechensk Magistrate's Court No. 5, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: same case as Koltyrina (above); defendant charged for distributing Falun Gong literature in blocks of flats and issuing invitations to worship in the pages of the village council's newsletter, "with the aim of involving new members in [her] religious group"; FSB security service investigation established that the religious group had not notified the Justice Ministry of its creation; Lebedeva argued that she was not responsible for the contents of the newsletter, only its distribution, and that as soon as she learned that the book had been banned, she stopped handing it out
Appeal: initially unsuccessful – 30 May 2018, Mezhdurechensk City Court; sent back for re-examination by supervisory judge – 22 August 2018, Kemerovo Regional Court; successful on re-examination – 20 September 2018, Mezhdurechensk City Court
38) 10 April 2018
Name: Sergei Suprunenko
Punishment: 6,000 Roubles
Court: Abinsk District Magistrate's Court No. 115, Krasnodar Region
Circumstances: director of unregistered Baptist religious group charged for putting information about his group online, without having submitted notification of its existence to the authorities – including an illustrated newspaper and the invitation "If you want to ask a question, receive free literature or audio materials, or attend a Christian meeting for worship, contact the following addresses and telephone numbers in your city", followed by the defendant's name; defendant denies uploading this himself; second offence
Appeal: unsuccessful – 26 May 2018, Abinsk District Court, Krasnodar Region
39) 11 April 2018
Name: M.V. Kozina
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Sarov Magistrate's Court No. 1, Nizhny Novgorod Region
Circumstances: alleged member of Grace Baptist Union church charged for distributing religious newspaper in a shopping centre, without authorising documents from a religious association; defendant denies membership of the church and insists she left the papers on a stand at the entrance of a shop on her own behalf
Appeal: none
40) 17 April 2018
Name: Aleksandr Yurovskikh
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Petukhovo District Magistrate's Court No. 19, Kurgan Region
Circumstances: Baptist Union pastor fined for "carrying out religious activities" without having notified the authorities of the existence of his unregistered religious group; notification submitted only after the start of a prosecutor's office inspection (which also led to prosecution of the regional Baptist organisation under Part 3)
Appeal: unsuccessful – 14 June 2018, Petukhovo District Court, Kurgan Region; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 16 January 2019, Kurgan Regional Court
41) 18 April 2018
Name: Vladimir Ananyev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Kalinin District Magistrate's Court No. 10, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: pastor of House of God Evangelical Church (religious group) charged for giving a man a book – "Alone with God", by Richard Wurmbrand; district prosecutor's office and police Centre for Countering Extremism carried out inspection on the information of Republic prosecutor's office and apparent tip-off from an individual; defendant argued that acquaintances came of their own accord to pray at his home and that the man himself asked to read the book; judge noted that defendant had not submitted notification of the creation of a religious group, that he did not have any authorising documents, and that the "missionary activity" was carried out on residential premises; also charged under Part 3
Appeal: none
42) 18 April 2018
Name: Margarita Stoyenko
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Eastern District Magistrate's Court, Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous Region
Circumstances: chair of Jewish Cultural-Educational Centre "Beit Khazokhar" charged for distributing copies of the Kabbalistic text Zohar among public and commercial organisations in the region "with the aim of involving new members in the activities of the [Centre] and Kabbalistic beliefs" – one person to whom a text was given passed it on to the police; defence argued that the book is not religious literature but a philosophical and mystical text which is part of Jewish cultural heritage, that it is written in Aramaic ("which nobody in the JAO knows"), and that its distribution was in keeping with the statutory aims of the Centre, which are to preserve and promote Jewish culture and traditions; judge notes that missionary activity is "activity of a religious association, aimed at disseminating information about its beliefs among persons who are not members .. in order to involve these individuals as members", that there is no evidence that the defendant disseminated any beliefs with this aim, and that the Centre is not a religious organisation
Appeal: none
43) 19 April 2018
Name: Magomed Omarov
Punishment: 10,000 Roubles
Court: Taganrog Magistrate's Court No. 3, Rostov Region
Circumstances: Muslim imam charged for holding regular Friday prayers for 10-15 people in the basement of a block of flats, "without documents granting him the right to lead meetings for worship"
Appeal: unsuccessful but fine reduced to 5,000 Roubles – 14 June 2018, Taganrog City Court, Rostov Region
44) 19 April 2018
Part 5
Name: I.F. Kurov
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Gubkin City Court, Belgorod Region
Circumstances: Ukrainian citizen (from Donetsk) charged for putting Jehovah's Witness brochures into postboxes in the stairwell of a block of flats, without authorising documents from a religious group or organisation; defendant, who was in Russia at the invitation of a friend, admitted distributing the material with the aim of bringing people to Jehovah's Witnesses
Appeal: none
45) 20 April 2018
Name: Oleg Korban
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Surazh District Magistrate's Court No. 55, Bryansk Region
Circumstances: Seventh-day Adventist pastor charged for "urging citizens to join his religious organisation and distributing corresponding literature"; in his appeal, defendant refers to dissemination of information among non-members as the "system-forming characteristic" [defining feature] of missionary activity (as stated in the Constitutional Court's 13 March 2018 definition); case initiated after the Moscow Patriarchate Russian Orthodox Church mother of a local Adventist complained about the Seventh-day Adventists to Patriarch Kirill – complaint was passed to Bryansk Prosecutor's Office via the General Prosecutor's Office
Appeal: unsuccessful – 5 June 2018, Surazh District Court; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 23 January 2019, Bryansk Regional Court
46) 21 April 2018
Name: Anatoly Chaban
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Magadan Magistrate's Court No. 7, Magadan Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist leader charged for holding a meeting for worship in a private house, which was attended by two people who were not members of the religious group – they were unknown to the congregation, and later gave statements to the police that Chaban had invited them to the meeting for worship; police entered the meeting for worship with video cameras, though stopped filming when asked; defendant also given warning under Administrative Code Article 19.7 ("Failure to provide or late provision of information to a state body") for not informing the authorities of the existence of the religious group
Appeal: successful – 7 June 2018, Magadan City Court
47) 21 April 2018
Part 5
Name: Kudzai Nyamarebvu
Punishment: none – case sent back for technical reasons
Court: Prioksky District Court, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: Pentecostal Zimbabwean medical student charged for reposting, on her own VKontakte page, a video which showed another African student talking about how she believed God had helped her recover from illness
Appeal: none
48) 27 April 2018
Name: Yury Kislitsin
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Yoshkar-Ola Magistrate's Court No. 2, Mari El Republic
Circumstances: Protestant pastor – details unknown
Appeal: none
49) 28 April 2018
Name: S.V. Modyakov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Gorodishche District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Penza Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged for leading worship meetings of a congregation of seven people, without notifying the Justice Ministry of the existence of a religious group, and without written authorisation from the religious group
Appeal: unsuccessful – 29 May 2018, Gorodishche District Court, Penza Region; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 29 October 2018, Penza Regional Court
50) 28 April 2018
Name: Jesus Embassy Church (centralised religious organisation)
Punishment: 100,000 Roubles
Court: Moscow District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: Pentecostal church charged for posting video (in 2016) on VKontakte showing international students talking about their experiences as church members; also charged under Part 3
Appeal: unsuccessful – 8 June 2018, Moscow District Court, Nizhny Novgorod; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 25 October 2018, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
51) 4 May 2018
Name: R.K. Mukhachev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 1/6, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for holding weekly worship meetings with fellow believers in his flat, without having submitted notification of the creation of a religious group; defence argued that Mukhachev was not the leader of a religious association, but was exercising his constitutional right to profess his faith, and that no attempt to involve other citizens was made at the meetings for worship held in his home; on the date in question, three unknown people came to the meeting – in court, they testified that they had gone for the first time
Appeal: none
52) 10 May 2018
Name: M.K. Tetermazov
Punishment: none – sent back for technical reasons
Court: Industrial District Magistrate's Court No. 20, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession – details unknown; resubmitted by prosecutor on 5 June 2018 but sent back a second time
Appeal: none
53) 10 May 2018
Name: A.B. Cheldiyev
Punishment: none – sent back for technical reasons
Court: Industrial District Magistrate's Court No. 20, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Osetiya-Alaniya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession – details unknown
Appeal: none
54) 10 May 2018
Name: Khimki Muslim community
Punishment: 100,000 Roubles
Court: Khimki Magistrate's Court No. 258, Moscow Region
Circumstances: religious organisation charged for displaying religious literature and information on Islam on a table in a corridor outside their prayer room – when their agreement of free use of the premises with the local property department covered only the room itself; also charged under Part 3
Appeal: unsuccessful – 11 July 2018, Khimki City Court, Moscow Region; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 4 October 2018, Moscow Regional Court
55) 23 May 2018
Name: Denis Chuprov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Slavgorod Magistrate's Court No. 1, Altai Region
Circumstances: pastor of Pentecostal "Cornerstone" church charged because two members of his religious group had held a "Feed your neighbour" event for the needy on the town's main street with a New Testament and Psalter lying on the table without markings – despite the fact that a) the requirement for religious literature to carry a full official name applies only to religious organisations; b) the two group members had all appropriate documentation to carry out missionary activity; and c) the pastor was not himself present at the event
Appeal: supervisory appeal successful – 14 August 2018, Altai Regional Court
56) 23 May 2018
Name: Anatoly Stalmakov
Punishment: none – though found guilty
Court: Soviet District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Chelyabinsk
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged for holding regular Sunday meetings for worship in his home without notifying the Justice Ministry of the existence of a religious group; prosecutor's office inspection (based on police information) found that the home contained a "hall" equipped for worship with benches, a sound system, and a lectern, and biblical quotations on the walls: judge concludes that this is an "insignificant offence", "the scale of the harm and the severity of the consequences [of which] do not represent a significant violation of protected societal relations", and releases the defendant from administrative responsibility "taking into account the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights on the reasonable balance of public and private interests"
Appeal: by prosecutor, unsuccessful – 20 June 2018, Soviet District Court, Chelyabinsk
57) 24 May 2018
Part 5
Name: Veniamin Shmatenko
Punishment: 45,000 Roubles without deportation
Court: Tigil District Court, Kamchatka
Circumstances: Ukrainian citizen (Council of Churches Baptist) charged for carrying out "missionary activity in a place not intended for religious rites and ceremonies, aimed at disseminating information about the beliefs of 'Evangelical Christian-Baptists' among the population of the village Palana, who are not members of this religious association", without authorising documents and without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; defendant had displayed religious literature on a folding table outside a pharmacy
Appeal: unsuccessful – 4 July 2018, Kamchatka Regional Court; cassational/supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 30 November 2018, Kamchatka Regional Court
58) 25 May 2018
Name: Rustam Bersanov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Livny District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Oryol Region
Circumstances: defendant gave a sermon at an unregistered Muslim prayer room at a hotel complex without written authorisation from a religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of a religious group's creation
Appeal: none
59) 30 May 2018
Name: Nadezhda Gribovskaya
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Ishimbai District Court, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Jehovah's Witness charged for giving a man a booklet when he asked for one – he then called the police; defendant had been sitting at a bus stop talking with an acquaintance
Appeal: none
60) 31 May 2018
Name: Sergei Tseryut
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Taganrog District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Rostov Region
Circumstances: chairman of Taganrog's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints originally charged under Part 3 because the sign showing the Church's full official name had been stolen; his "offence" was reclassified because Part 3 only applies to legal entities; congregation had themselves reported the theft of their sign to the police and immediately replaced it with a sheet of paper – no meeting for worship was held on the day the sign disappeared; appeal judge concludes that reclassification should not have been allowed as it worsened defendant's position
Appeal: successful – 2 July 2018, Taganrog City Court, Rostov Region
61) Early June 2018
Name: unknown man
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: unknown magistrate's court, Sochi, Krasnodar Region
Circumstances: Pentecostal believer fined for unspecified missionary activity without the required written authorisation from a religious organisation or group
Appeal: none known
62) 4 June 2018
Name: Aleksey Gorelov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Novokuibyshevsk Magistrate's Court No. 69, Samara Region
Circumstances: congregation member of Pentecostal Church of God charged for posting a video on YouTube of himself telling the story (at a meeting for worship) of his recovery from drug addiction; defendant denied posting the video and argued that he was simply talking of his personal relationship with God, not inviting anybody to the church; video found by the FSB security service; appeal judge agreed that there was no evidence that defendant had uploaded the video himself
Appeal: successful – 17 July 2018, Novokuibyshevsk City Court, Samara Region
63) 4 June 2018
Name: Dima Khusnutdinov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Ishimbai District Magistrate's Court No. 2, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent met with friends every Friday at his flat "for the holding of meetings for worship and other religious rites and ceremonies", interpreted as unlawful missionary activity as it took place on residential premises
Appeal: supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 29 August 2018, Supreme Court of Bashkortostan
64) 6 June 2018
Name: Pyotr Klimushin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Anapa City Court, Krasnodar Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged because his religious group distributed the free newspaper "Do you believe?" in the street and put copies in people's postboxes – without having submitted notification to the Justice Ministry of the group's existence
Appeal: none
65) 8 June 2018
Name: Kazan Society for Krishna Consciousness
Punishment: 100,000 Roubles
Court: Vakhitovsky District Magistrate's Court No. 3, Kazan
Circumstances: Society charged for holding a public event involving Indian music and dance, at which food was handed out and participants offered religious literature to passers-by for donations – interpreted by officers of the Justice Ministry's Centre for Countering Extremism (who were filming the event) and an expert from Kazan Federal University as "missionary activity", as "The public performance of the maha-mantra, accompanied by traditional Hare Krishna music and dance, is a public prayer, a religious act aimed at glorifying Krishna and, in fact, has a missionary focus, as it serves the goals of propagating the Hare Krishna faith and its corresponding way of life"; Society had agreed the event with the city authorities with the stated aims of "creating a celebratory, cheerful atmosphere in Kazan" and "promoting a healthy way of life"
Appeal: supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 7 September 2018, Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan
66) 9 June 2018
Part 5
Name: Kudzai Nyamarebvu
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles
Court: Prioksky District Court, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: Zimbabwean medical student charged because of interview she had given about an earlier prosecution, which was published on the Pentecostal Union's website
Appeal: unsuccessful – 9 August 2018, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 20 December 2018, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
67) 9 June 2018
Name: Yekaterina Rybina
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Kaluga District Magistrate's Court No. 6/51, Kaluga Region
Circumstances: member of Grace Protestant church charged for posting an invitation to a church event on a Christian VKontakte group, without giving her religious organisation's full official name and without having the necessary authorising documents for missionary activity
Appeal: unsuccessful – 9 August 2018, Kaluga District Court, Kaluga Region
68) 13 June 2018
Name: V.V. Smolensky
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Kruchinin, Polozov, Lysak, Mokshin, and Vorobyov (below) – member of unregistered Baptist religious group charged for distributing Bibles and other religious literature among residents of Sergeyevka village, accompanied by five others – without having submitted notification of the creation of a religious group and without authorising documents from a religious association
Appeal: none
69) 13 July 2018
Name: S.S. Kruchinin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Smolensky (above) and Polozov, Lysak, Mokshin, and Vorobyov (below) – unregistered Baptist
Appeal: none
70) 13 July 2018
Name: A.V. Polozov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Smolensky and Kruchinin (above) and Lysak, Mokshin, and Vorobyov (below) – unregistered Baptist
Appeal: none
71) 13 July 2018
Name: P.V. Lysak
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Smolensky, Kruchinin, and Polozov (above) and Mokshin and Vorobyov (below) – unregistered Baptist
Appeal: none
72) 13 July 2018
Name: V.I. Mokshin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Smolensky, Kruchinin, Polozov, and Lysak (above) and Vorobyov (below) – unregistered Baptist
Appeal: none
73) 13 July 2018
Name: I.V. Vorobyov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Rossosh District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Voronezh Region
Circumstances: same case as Smolensky, Kruchinin, Polozov, Lysak, and Mokshin (above) – unregistered Baptist
Appeal: none
74) 3 July 2018
Name: Vitaly Boksha
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Mglin District Court, Bryansk Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist charged for holding meetings for worship in residential premises without authorising documents from a religious group/organisation or having notified the Justice Ministry of the existence of a religious group; also accused of distributing information about Baptist beliefs among his neighbours, in the form of religious calendars, books, and CDs, and inviting them to worship
Appeal: successful on technical grounds – 20 August 2018, Bryansk Regional Court
75) 4 July 2018
Name: Yury Kozhevatov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Krasny Kholm District Magistrate's Court, Tver Region
Circumstances: member of Holy Grace Presbyterian Church charged for giving a man a religious book, which was not marked with the full official name of a religious organisation; the man gave the book to the police; the police found several boxes of New Testaments and Psalms in defendant's car; defendant argued that he gave the book to the man on his own behalf, not as a representative of any religious association, and was therefore not carrying out missionary activity
Appeal: successful (statute of limitations) – 23 August 2018, Krany Kholm District Court, Tver Region
76) 4 July 2018
Name: Aleksandr Lepshin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Yuzhnouralsk Magistrate's Court No. 1, Chelyabinsk Region
Circumstances: pastor of Pentecostal "Cornerstone" church charged for conducting regular meetings for worship in rented premises and advertising these on an openly accessible VKontakte page, without having notified the authorities of the creation of a religious group; case initiated after prosecutor's office inspection of church premises
Appeal: none
77) 4 July 2018
Part 5
Name: Uulu Aytkazy
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles plus deportation (monitored autonomous departure)
Court: Blagoveshchensk City Court, Amur Region
Circumstances: same case as Satybaldiyev (below); Muslim Kyrgyz citizen charged for holding prayers together with acquaintances; police found that he "not being the imam of a Muslim mosque, not officially part of a religious organisation, conducted the rite of 'Friday prayer' in the presence of congregation members" on residential premises (where "missionary activity" is forbidden) and without any authorising document from a religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of the existence of a religious group
Appeal: none
78) 4 July 2018
Part 5
Name: Yslambek Satybaldiyev
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles plus deportation (monitored autonomous departure)
Court: Blagoveshchensk City Court, Amur Region
Circumstances: same case as Aytkazy (above); Muslim Kyrgyz citizen charged for holding prayers together with acquaintances; police found that he "not being the imam of a Muslim mosque, not officially part of a religious organisation, conducted the rite of 'Friday prayer' in the presence of congregation members" on residential premises (where "missionary activity" is forbidden) and without any authorising document from a religious group or evidence of notification to the authorities of the existence of a religious group
Appeal: none
79) 5 July 2018
Name: Rose of Eden Evangelical Church
Punishment: 50,000 Roubles
Court: Myski District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: church charged for advertising meetings for worship and youth group meetings online, and holding meetings for worship and keeping religious literature on premises "accessible to all"; the FSB security service informed the ordinary police; appeal judge makes reference to Constitutional Court's definition of missionary activity and concludes that the church's activities lack the "system-defining feature" of missionary activity, ie. the goal of involving non-members
Appeal: supervisory appeal successful – 21 November 2018, Kemerovo Regional Court
80) 5 July 2018
Name: Dmitry Napriyenko
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Myski District Magistrate's Court No. 1, Kemerovo Region
Circumstances: Protestant pastor – same case as Rose of Eden church (above)
Appeal: supervisory appeal successful – 30 October 2018, Kemerovo Regional Court
81) 18 July 2018
Name: I.A. Mamayev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Salavat Magistrate's Court No. 2, Republic of Bashkortostan
Circumstances: Council of Churches Baptist charged for distributing the newspaper "Do you believe?", copies of the Gospels, and other Christian literature (exact circumstances unknown), without necessary authorising documents from a religious association; defendant "implemented his beliefs, spread his religious views and convictions…with the aim of involving outsiders in the activities of the association through newspapers, magazines, and beliefs"
Appeal: unsuccessful – 13 August 2018, Salavat City Court, Republic of Bashkortostan
82) 23 July 2018
Name: N.M. Belkov
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Labytnangi Magistrate's Court No. 1 /2, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region
Circumstances: Christian (affiliation unknown) charged for knocking on a stranger's door, talking to her about God and religion, and showing her text on his phone – ie. missionary activity on residential premises; defendant denies claiming he was a representative of a religious organisation; judge decides that, while defendant had a conversation on religious themes, there is no evidence that he was representing a religious association or that he gave out any information about a religious association, and therefore no evidence of missionary activity
Appeal: none
83) 24 July 2018
Name: Aleksandr Protsenko
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Zavitinsk District Magistrate's Court, Amur Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged because he "carried out missionary activity on residential premises", ie. held a meeting for worship in a home belonging to his wife
Appeal: successful – 28 August 2018, Zavitinsk District Court, Amur Region
84) 25 July 2018
Name: Jesus Embassy Church (local religious organisation)
Punishment: 100,000 Roubles
Court: Moscow District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Nizhny Novgorod
Circumstances: Pentecostal church charged for allowing foreign citizens on student visas to carry out missionary activity on its behalf without authorising documents; details unspecified
Appeal: unsuccessful – 17 September 2018, Moscow District Court, Nizhny Novgorod; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 10 December 2018, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
85) 1 August 2018
Name: A.E. Nazarov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Saratov
Circumstances: member of Pentecostal religious group charged for carrying out, on residential premises, unspecified "missionary activity, by means of disseminating information about the religion of 'Evangelical Christians – Pentecostals' among people who are not participants (members, followers) of the religious association, with the aim of involving these people as [members]" – without having submitted notification of the existence of a religious group
Appeal: none
86) 2 August 2018
Name: Edgar Kozhevnikov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Noyabrsk Magistrate's Court No. 1, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent; defendant argued that he was not acting on behalf of any religious association, only holding a procession (at a football stadium) for the purpose of religious worship, "giving pleasure to the townspeople", and "strengthening Russian-Indian relations"; event agreed with municipal authorities, but defendant accused of disseminating information about "Krishnaism" without the required documentation from his religious organisation, by means of distributing "cult food", singing mantras, and holding religious rites
Appeal: none
87) 10 August 2018
Name: unknown man
Punishment: none – case sent back
Court: Abakan Magistrate's Court No. 3, Republic of Khakasiya
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent – public event; details unknown
Appeal: none
88) 23 August 2018
Name: V.V. Plotnikov
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Verkhnekamsk District Magistrate's Court No. 5, Kirov Region
Circumstances: unknown religious affiliation; defendant charged for carrying out (unspecified) missionary activity in the stairwell of a block of flats without the necessary written authorisation from a religious association; judge concludes that the police later altered the report of the alleged offence in the defendant's absence and rules that no offence was committed, as evidence obtained in violation of the law is inadmissible
Appeal: none
89) 27 August 2018
Name: Safakul Children's Spiritual-Educational Centre
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Safakulevo District Magistrate's Court No. 22, Kurgan Region
Circumstances: Muslim educational centre (registered as public, not religious organisation) charged for holding Friday prayers; director points out that nobody is specially invited to these and the children are not obliged to attend; judge notes that, by definition, missionary activity is carried out by a religious association, which the Centre is not, and consists not of "any dissemination of information about beliefs .. but public dissemination"
Appeal: by prosecution, unsuccessful – 27 September 2018, Safakulevo District Court, Kurgan Region
90) 18 September 2018
Name: Aleksandr Latyshev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Shakhunya District Magistrate's Court No. 1/2, Nizhny Novgorod Region
Circumstances: member of unregistered Baptist community charged for handing out religious literature from a table outside a shopping centre; witness asked if he had permission, and on hearing that he did not, called the police
Appeal: unsuccessful – 16 November 2018, Shakhunya District Court; supervisory appeal unsuccessful – 14 February 2019, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
91) 19 September 2018
Name: Aleksei Parshin
Punishment: unknown fine
Court: Railway District Magistrate's Court No. 6, Chita
Circumstances: member of Pentecostal New Generation church charged because, without authorising documents, he "organised a religious group of people in difficult life situations [homeless people, alcoholics, drug addicts]" in his home, where he "carried out the study of religious doctrine" with them – reported by unspecified party to the Interior Ministry's Centre for Countering Extremism, which led to inspection; defendant argued that at the moment of inspection, the only people present were members of the church
Appeal: unsuccessful – 24 October 2018, Railway District Court, Chita; supervisory appeal rejected without consideration – 15 November 2018, Zabaykalsk Regional Court
92) 19 September 2018
Part 5
Name: Helmut Boehringer
Punishment: 30,000 Roubles – no deportation
Court: Tavda District Court, Sverdlovsk Region
Circumstances: Baptist Union pastor and German citizen – gave brochure on the streets to (among others) 11-year-old girl
Appeal: none
93) 30 October 2018
Name: Taygib Gadzhiyev
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Novosil District Magistrate's Court, Oryol Region
Circumstances: Muslim charged for holding Friday prayers and reading a sermon without the necessary authorising documents for "missionary activity"; defendant argued that he was not performing missionary activity – prayers were attended only by Muslims, who learned of the meeting for worship only from each other, and there was no attempt to involve non-Muslims; judge makes reference to Constitutional Court definition, and concludes that the police inspection report did not show that any non-Muslims were present or that any religious literature was given to non-Muslims, and that therefore the defendant did not seek to involve anybody in his religious association
Appeal: by prosecution, unsuccessful – 4 December 2018, Novosil District Court, Oryol Region
94) 20 November 2018
Name: A.V. Isekeyev
Punishment: none – case sent back and not resubmitted
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 64, Kirov
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession in Vladikavkaz – details unknown
Appeal: none
95) 21 November 2018
Name: V.N. Chernov
Punishment: none – case transferred to different jurisdiction but not resubmitted
Court: October District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Penza
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession in Vladikavkaz – details unknown
Appeal: none
96) 21 November 2018
Name: V.F. Feklistov
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Novoshakhtinsk District Magistrate's Court No. 7, Rostov Region
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession in Vladikavkaz, filmed by officers of police Centre for Countering Extremism; judge rules that video showing the defendant and others dancing and drumming is not evidence of missionary activity, and that the police report failed to describe the alleged offence adequately
Appeal: none
97) 21 November 2018
Name: Vladimir Chukhontsev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Lenin District Magistrate's Court No. 4, Magnitogorsk
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged for holding regular meetings for worship and other religious meetings in a private house (belonging to his aunt), without having notified the authorities of the creation of a religious group, and without documentation authorising missionary activity from any religious group or organisation; police inspection found a library of religious books and a hall equipped with benches, a lectern, musical instruments, and audio-visual equipment
Appeal: unsuccessful – 20 February 2019, Lenin District Court, Magnitogorsk
98) 23 November 2018
Name: Vladimir Chibizov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Buguruslan District Magistrate's Court No. 3, Orenburg Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist charged for handing out the newspaper "Do you believe?" in a marketplace, without authorising documents from his religious group
Appeal: unsuccessful – 14 December 2018, Buguruslan District Court
99) 27 November 2018
Name: A.N. Mitusov
Punishment: none – acquitted
Court: Severodvinsk Magistrate's Court No. 10, Arkhangelsk Region
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for public procession in Vladikavkaz – details unknown
Appeal: none
100) 28 November 2018
Name: Sh. A. Tashmatov
Punishment: unknown
Court: Surgut Magistrate's Court No. 2, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
Circumstances: Muslim; details unknown
Appeal: none
101) 29 November 2018
Name: Eldar Akhundov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Pyt-Yakh Magistrate's Court No. 1, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist charged for talking about religion with a man who recorded their conversations and later reported him to the police Centre for Countering Extremism – defendant approached at home by stranger who wanted spiritual help; defendant talked with him twice, invited him to meetings for worship, and gave him a leaflet (which was later presented as evidence in court)
Appeal: successful – 12 February 2019, Pyt-Yakh City Court, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region
102) 29 November 2018
Name: N.I. Porokhin
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Kopeysk Magistrate's Court No. 3, Chelyabinsk Region
Circumstances: unregistered Baptist pastor charged for holding meetings for worship and offering religious literature inside his community's building without having submitted notification of a religious group's existence
Appeal: unsuccessful – 18 January 2019, Kopeysk City Court, Chelyabinsk Region
103) Late November/early December
Name: Gennady Ochirov
Punishment: unknown
Court: unknown Barguzin District Magistrate's Court, Republic of Buryatiya
Circumstances: unknown
Appeal: decision upheld – 22 January 2019, Barguzin District Court, Republic of Buryatiya
104) 4 December 2018
Name: Andrey Karayev
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Yuzhnouralsk Magistrate's Court No. 2, Chelyabinsk Region
Circumstances: Pentecostal pastor charged for holding meetings for worship of a local New Generation religious group (interpreted as missionary activity) without having notified the authorities of the existence of a religious group; defendant did have documentation authorising missionary activity on behalf of the New Generation centralised religious organisation
Appeal: unsuccessful – 21 February 2019, Yuzhnouralsk City Court, Chelyabinsk Region; supervisory appeal lodged at Chelyabinsk Regional Court on 20 March 2019 (outcome unknown)
105) 11 December 2018
Name: Nikolai Kryukov
Punishment: 5,000 Roubles
Court: Khabarovsk District Magistrate's Court No. 69, Khabarovsk Region
Circumstances: Hare Krishna adherent charged for handing out books and talking about beliefs in a public square; defendant refers to Constitutional Court ruling of 13 March 2018 re. "system-defining" characteristics of missionary activity and denied trying to involve other people in any religious association; defendant was in possession of written authorisation to carry out missionary activity on behalf of a religious group, but "this did not help", according to lawyer; two witnesses stated that defendant had approached them to talk about his faith and offer them books for 100 Roubles – judge concludes that this is evidence of trying to involve people as members of a religious association
Appeal: none
(END)
Full reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?query=&religion=all&country=10)
For more background see Forum 18's survey of the general state of freedom of religion and belief in Russia (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2246), as well as Forum 18's survey of the dramatic decline in this freedom related to Russia's Extremism Law (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2215).
A personal commentary by Alexander Verkhovsky, Director of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis http://www.sova-center.ru, about the systemic problems of Russian anti-extremism legislation (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1468)
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments (http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1351)
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 (http://twitter.com/forum_18)
Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService (http://www.facebook.com/Forum18NewsService)
All Forum 18 text may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the source.
All photographs that are not Forum 18's copyright are attributed to the copyright owner. If you reuse any photographs from Forum 18's website, you must seek permission for any reuse from the copyright owner or abide by the copyright terms the copyright owner has chosen.
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.