Over a hundred searches targeted Jehovah's Witnesses in a Russian region in a single day, the movement said on Tuesday in a statement. Police " armed with guns " searched the homes of 110 supporters of the movement in Voronezh (central Russia) on Monday, " at least two of whom were beaten " by police, the statement said.
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" This is the most significant series of searches targeting Jehovah's Witnesses, which was carried out in one day in contemporary Russia, " he said.
" We hope that the Russian authorities will put an end to these persecutions and preserve the freedom of religion and belief which is enshrined in the Constitution, " said Jarrod Lopes, the spokesperson for Jehovah's Witnesses, quoted in the statement.
According to the local branch of the Russian Investigative Committee, responsible for criminal investigations in the country, these searches were carried out in the context of investigations for " extremism " targeting local inhabitants, and " a large number of books banned in Russia have been seized ”.
Jehovah's Witnesses were banned in April 2017 by the Russian Supreme Court and their movement is now considered " extremist " by the Ministry of Justice. Since this ban, several Jehovah's Witnesses have been sentenced to prison terms.