MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - Investigators in Russia's internal republic of Komi have opened a criminal case on a count of extremism against five adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, banned in Russia, and arrested one of them, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
"The Investigative Committee's branch for the republic of Komi has opened a criminal case based on the materials provided by the regional departments of the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry against five residents of Syktyvkar who are suspected of organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization [Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code]," the committee said in a statement published on its website on Thursday.
In 2017-2020, "the suspects, following the extremist ideology of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, banned in Russia, and being aware of a court ruling to shut down this organization due to its extremist activities, took active organizational steps to continue these unlawful activities and to involve new participants in them," it said.