Dagestani Jehovah's Witnesses* claim their innocence

The faith of Jehovah's Witnesses* is not banned; it does not call for hatred or enmity and is no threat for the state, the Dagestani believers have stated in court. Due to house arrest, the defendants cannot work and support their families, Arsen Abdullaev's wife and Anton Dergalev's mother have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that four Dagestani Jehovah's Witnesses – Arsen Abdullaev, Maria Karpova, Anton Dergalev and Marat Abdulgalimov – were detained in June 2019 and charged with extremism. They spent almost a year in custody; then the measure of their freedom restraint was changed to house arrest.

According to the prosecution, from April 2017 to June 2019, Abdullaev, Abdulgalimov, Dergalev and Karpova organized the activities of the banned religious organization "The Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia". In 2017, the organization was liquidated by a decision of the Supreme Court of Russia and declared extremist.

All the defendants have claimed their innocence, Suat Abdullaeva, the wife of Arsen Abdullaev, has stated, noting that her husband is a Christian and his religious views are based on the Bible.

Marina Dergaleva, Anton Dergalev's mother, said that her son was supported by fellow believers from different parts of Northern and Southern Caucasus. According to her story, after the arrest, she was left without her son's help.

Because of the restraint measure, Arsen Abdullaev cannot work, his wife has complained.

* 396 Russian organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses were recognized as extremist, and their activities in Russia were banned by the court's decision