Aleksei Ovchar
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Ban on activity, Suspended prison sentence, Restriction of liberty
- Sentence
- 6 years
- Date of verdict
- 2025-02-26
- Region
- Kamchatka Krai
- City
- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Case summary
A Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky resident, he worked as a Chinese language teacher, translator, and manager in a trading company. In September 2022, a case was brought against him for organising activities of an extremist organisation due to his involvement in the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses community. Representatives of this community are prosecuted under extremist articles solely because of their religious activities, such as holding meetings and worship services and attracting new supporters. On 25 December 2023 the investigation was suspended, but on 15 October 2024 it was resumed. The case went to trial. The prosecutor announced that Ovchar's guilt lay in his participation in 12 worship meetings. The defence stated that he had attended only one of these meetings. On 26 February 2025, Ovchar was sentenced to six years' probation.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
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Source: this person’s record in the OVD-Info political persecution database
Published under CC BY 3.0. The criteria for treating a person as politically persecuted belong to OVD-Info; FACTUM relays their assessment and makes none of its own.
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