Arrests of believers across Russia

[GodlyDevotion]

The world is celebrating the world cup in Russia while my spiritual family and loyal witnesses of Jehovah is facing severe persecution for an unjust, absurd reason. How bad can it go?! Yh, the end must be really close 

[Vinnie]

Yes it's disgusting ,but in a sense, these things must take place just as Jesus suffered and told of the things that he must go through for the fulfillment of the Kingdom.  Regardless of what man does, Jehovah will undo it all.

 

Regarding the KOTN, Daniel 11:44 says - But reports out of the east and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction.

 

If Russia is the KOTN, then it's time to poke the bear, lol.

 

Does this mean many of our brothers will face death at the hands of the KOTN ?  How will we feel then for  our brothers? No doubt great sadness.   Will it look like Jehovah is abandoning his people when this happens? Real tests of our faith await us no doubt.  Stay strong friends.

 

 

Edited June 20, 2018 by Vinnie

[Vinnie]

Regarding sending letters through the  FSIN-letter  system, has anyone tried it and been successful with it?

 

[humble bumble bee]

Good News!

jw-russia.org: Anatoly Vilitkevich released from jail

 

On June 21 Anatoly Vilitkevich , who was detained in the remand centre for more than two months, was transferred to house arrest.

 

Perhaps the letters demanding to stop repression against believers has done some good.

I hope and pray that the same will happen with some or all of the other brothers in detention.

[Foxes53]

It seems Russia is more concerned about "extremists" with a bible than real extremists with guns or bombs.

Of course eventually they'll find out that the bible is more powerful than their security forces with guns !

[Thomas Walker]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-religion-jehovah-s/stop-prosecuting-jehovahs-witnesses-in-russia-kremlin-advisers-idUSKBN1JH2S1

[hatcheckgirl]

Yes, there is a glimmer of hope to this madness.  

 

And on Tuesday, more than 60 well-known Russian writers, historians and rights activists signed an appeal demanding the authorities stop prosecuting the group, describing the legal onslaught on its members as a test for Russian society.

Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a member of the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said on Thursday the council’s intervention had given his group “a glimmer of optimism.”

“We hope that common sense will prevail and that someone wise ... will say that this has all gone too far,” he said.

[Allabord4Jah]

Well I guess The Ministry got the letter from the wives and therefore his answer was for more arrests and interrogations, beatings and harassment.  Even arriesting our brothers and sisters in their 80's.  What a bunch of cowards, despicable human beings.  The USA or European Court cannot do anything. Russia is now its own mentality.  It will not budge and the only one that can destroy it is JEHOVAH himself.   This he will soon do so in his own time table.  Which  by the way the table is starting to tilt down on Satan's world.  It disgusts me deeply, but it also builds up my faith and belief in our living GOD, JEHOVAH.   Persecution against Jehovah's chosen named people has been going on since Cain murdered his brother Abel.  It will not cease till Satan's world empires/kingdoms are removed forever.  Including the cowardly Russian authorities and their real leader behind their backs Satan.   The Russian Federation has a tremendous VEIL over its right from wrong convictions.  If Stalin silenced the Russian Orthodox Church for 70 years, this should be an eye opener for the Russia government.  They were the problem, not citizens.   

[Bluebell]

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/russia/five-jw-sisters-recall-police-raids/   

 

 

....heartbreaking.....

[humble bumble bee]

jw-russia.org: At the airport of Krasnoyarsk, a believer was arrested

 

July 3, 2018 at 4:20 am in the Krasnoyarsk airport Emelyanovo, FSB officers arrested 44-year-old Andrei Stupnikov. He is suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

When registering for the flight, two men approached Andrei and his wife. One of them produced an ID card from an FSB officer. Andrei was announced that he had been detained and would be taken to the FSB of Russia by the Krasnoyarsk Territory on ul. Dzerzhinsky, 18. According to state security officials, within 2 days the court must decide on Andrei the question of the measure of restraint.

 

Usually the report is about searches and breaking down doors of homes, being stopped this way surprised me.

 

[humble bumble bee]

This page has been updated as well: https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/russia/

Quote

Witnesses Imprisoned for Their Faith—19

 https://www.jw-russia.org/ Has a graph of events and a link for

Interim report "The persecution of the Witnesses Jehovah in Russia " In English

January 15, 2018 The first six months after the prohibitive decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

[humble bumble bee]

On June 3, at least 5 searches took place, during which law enforcement officers broke doors and interrogated citizens until late at night, including the elderly and children.

jw-russia.org: In June, the Pskov FSB conducted mass searches in the homes of the faithful

 

The case was opened on May 31, 2018 against Gennady Shpakovsky and other unidentified persons under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 УК РФ. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It is being investigated by the FSB of Russia in the Pskov region. The searches were conducted by FSB officers, including Sergei Bogodukhov, Ivan Kalita, Tigran Merzabasov, Irina Pravdivtseva, M. Shogenov. Gennady Shpakovsky was elected a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place.

 

The last words on the graph: Сколько ещё - How much more?

 

[humble bumble bee]

On ‎7‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 5:34 PM, humblebumblebee said:

jw-russia.org: At the airport of Krasnoyarsk, a believer was arrested

Follow up:

jw-russia.org: In Krasnoyarsk, a believer was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 2 months

 

Quote

On July 4, 2018, at least 70 people came to the Krasnoyarsk Regional Railway Court to support the 44-year-old Andrei Stupnikov, who was arrested the day before because of his religion. After a 45-minute meeting, Judge Marina Belova elected him a preventive measure in the form of a 2-month detention, until September 2, 2018.

 

................Our brother planned to take part in the international congress of Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany. In the arrest warrant, the judge noted that in Germany Stupnikov "can get political asylum knowing that he is being prosecuted". Therefore, the most severe measure of restraint was chosen.

 

Given this arbitrary interpretation of the law, citizens need tremendous civil courage and a clear conscience before people and God to come to court and support fellow believers

(see the 35-second video).

 

Сколько ещё - How much more?

 

[Saffron]

4 hours ago, humblebumblebee said:

Сколько ещё - How much more?

I am wondering the same. Our poor brothers and sisters over there. 😢

[humble bumble bee]

jw-russia.org: In Yakutia mass searches in the homes of believers

 

On June 30 and July 1, 2018 in Lensk (Yakutia), police raids were conducted in 8 dwellings of local citizens suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. After the searches, 22 people were taken to the police department, 15 people were interrogated. With regard to the 42-year-old Igor Ivashin a criminal case was instituted under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, he took a pledge not to leave the place.

 

What is happening in Lensk causes great concern among Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world. The last time such a close attention of believers to this city was riveted 17 years ago, after the devastating flood of 2001, during which three families of Jehovah's Witnesses lost their roofs and many others suffered. Assistance to them and other victims was provided by their co-religionists from all over Russia through the nearby town of Mirny (Yakutia).

Edited July 6, 2018 by humblebumblebee
Added information

[humble bumble bee]

jw-russia.org: In Omsk, for the faith, husband and wife are arrested, a criminal case is opened

 

July 6, 2018, 46-year-old Sergei Polyakov and his wife Anastasia, who were suspected of confessing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, were sent to Omsk detention center. They were detained during fan searches conducted on July 4, 2018 in the homes of local residents.

Spouses Polyakov for 2 days did not go on communication, the door to their apartment was discovered hacked. Simultaneous searches were conducted in at least 4 houses in Omsk. Beginning at 7:00 am, the searches continued until 15:00 and were conducted in houses, on land plots, in economic buildings and in parked cars of citizens. All possible electronic media and electronic devices are seized. During the search, the witnesses actively assisted the law enforcers, prompted and even tried to interrogate the believers.

 

The last sentence is a bit of a puzzle to me.

[Sheep]

5 hours ago, humblebumblebee said:

jw-russia.org: In Omsk, for the faith, husband and wife are arrested, a criminal case is opened

 

July 6, 2018, 46-year-old Sergei Polyakov and his wife Anastasia, who were suspected of confessing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, were sent to Omsk detention center. They were detained during fan searches conducted on July 4, 2018 in the homes of local residents.

Spouses Polyakov for 2 days did not go on communication, the door to their apartment was discovered hacked. Simultaneous searches were conducted in at least 4 houses in Omsk. Beginning at 7:00 am, the searches continued until 15:00 and were conducted in houses, on land plots, in economic buildings and in parked cars of citizens. All possible electronic media and electronic devices are seized. During the search, the witnesses actively assisted the law enforcers, prompted and even tried to interrogate the believers.

 

The last sentence is a bit of a puzzle to me.

It says the searches took place "in the homes of local residents," and "in houses, on land plots, in economic buildings and in parked cars of citizens." That seems to imply the authorities were randomly raiding anyone and everyone, perhaps suspecting they were Witnesses when if fact they were not. These ones, the non-Witnesses, could be the ones it calls "the witnesses" (note the small letter "w"), since they witnessed the searches. On finding out that the authorities were looking for Jehovah's Witnesses, their own hatred for the brothers prompted these onlookers to take part with the authorities in attacking the brothers. Or, perhaps they were simply people who saw (witnessed) the searches going on, even though they were not searched themselves, and they started leading the authorities to those whom they knew to be Witnesses.

 

Usually, translated articles like this refer to Jehovah's Witnesses as "the believers," but never as "the Witnesses" (to my knowledge, at least).

[humble bumble bee]

Thank you brother Erick for your explanation, it has helped me to "see" the answer.

16 hours ago, Sheep said:

On finding out that the authorities were looking for Jehovah's Witnesses, their own hatred for the brothers prompted these onlookers to take part with the authorities in attacking the brothers. Or, perhaps they were simply people who saw (witnessed) the searches going on, even though they were not searched themselves, and they started leading the authorities to those whom they knew to be Witnesses.

It's bad enough that the police attack our br and sr but for neighbours to turn against them as well is just really wrong but not unexpected.

[humble bumble bee]

Update - jw-russia.org: Vladislav Kolbanov - who is he?

Quote

May 16, 2018, 25-year-old Vladislav Kolbanov was sent to a temporary detention center after mass searches in the homes of Orenburg people . However, two days later the court softened his measure of restraint, sending him under house arrest .

Something good has come from his faithfulness because "Vladislav's father, not being a Witness of Jehovah, under the impression of the Christian perseverance of his son began to read the Bible regularly."

 

[Sheep]

On 7/5/2018 at 11:18 AM, humblebumblebee said:

The last words on the graph: Сколько ещё - How much more?

Where is this graph you mention? I can't find it.

[Margaret]

In prison for the faith

June 20, 2018

Infographics

[Sheep]

12 minutes ago, Margaret said:

In prison for the faith

June 20, 2018

Infographics

Oh, was that in response to my question? If so, where do we see this Сколько ещё?

[Margaret]

Either at the right side or below the article. Sorry its in Russian

Edited July 9, 2018 by Margaret

[Thomas Walker]

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/28/russia-sweeping-arrests-jehovahs-witnesses

[humble bumble bee]

11 hours ago, Sheep said:

where do we see this Сколько ещё?

At the lower right corner

 

11 hours ago, Margaret said:

Sorry its in Russian

If anyone is interested in a translation into English let me know.