A Jehovah’s Witness in Chelyabinsk, Russia, was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating the activities of an extremist group, according to the local interior ministry.
Maxim Khamatshin, 28, is among 850 Jehovah’s Witnesses prosecuted in Russia since the group was banned eight years ago. During this period, the faith group reported that 588 members were added to a federal list of extremists and terrorists, with 460 individuals having served time in prison.
Before his sentencing, Khamatshin expressed in court, “It is a great honor for me to be a Jehovah’s Witness. No persecution can compel me to abandon my beliefs… No prohibition on legal entities can stop someone from being a believer.”
The interior ministry indicated that the investigation into Khamatshin involved the FSB security service, counter-extremism investigators, and a specialized unit of the national guard. Authorities confiscated computer hard drives, electronic devices, and handwritten notes containing religious material.
“The investigation demonstrated that from 2017 to 2022, the convicted individual organized and directed the activities of a prohibited religious organization and its associated local ‘cells,'” the ministry stated.
In Russia, religious life is largely influenced by the Russian Orthodox Church, which enjoys the support of President Vladimir Putin. Some Orthodox scholars label Jehovah’s Witnesses, known for their door-to-door evangelism and refusal to serve in the military, as a “totalitarian sect.”
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In 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court classified Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremist,” leading to the dissolution and prohibition of nearly 400 of their congregations nationwide.
Last year, the most severe sentences for members of the organization exceeded eight years.
Recently, a 67-year-old Jehovah’s Witness named Valeriy Baylo passed away less than a year into a 2.5-year sentence, with the organization claiming he had been denied medical care for nearly a year.
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