ECtHR recognizes violation of rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses* from Dagestan

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) obliged Russia to pay 10,000 euros to each of the four Dagestani Jehovah’s Witnesses*, sentenced to suspended imprisonment, considering their persecution a violation of the right to personal integrity and freedom of religion.

The ECtHR awarded each complainant a compensation for moral damage in the amount of 9750 euros and a compensation for costs in the amount of 250 euros.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in November 2022, the Kirovsky District Court of Makhachkala sentenced Jehovah’s Witnesses* Arsen Abdullaev, Marat Abdulgalimov, and Anton Dergalyov to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment, and Maria Karpova was sentenced to six years of suspended imprisonment. The court found all four defendants guilty of organizing the activities of the extremist organization. In addition, Arsen Abdullaev, Marat Abdulgalimov, and Anton Dergalyov were convicted of financing the banned organization, and Maria Karpova was convicted of involvement in its activities. The suspended sentence can be considered a victory, stated a wife of one of the convicts.

*396 Russian organizations of Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognized as extremist, and their activities in Russia are banned by court’s decision.