The Supreme Court of Russia's Udmurt Republic on October 26 upheld the detention of four residents of Votkinsk charged in a criminal case involving the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses. Lawyers for three of the defendants appealed the pretrial detention orders, but the resulting court decision left all four in custody.
Kommersant reported the outcome, citing the court's press office. The initial detentions and arrests took place in the first half of October; on October 26, the court considered appeals against the detention orders.
Two men are accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of Russia's Criminal Code, while two women are accused of participating in such activities under Part 2 of the same article. According to the rights monitoring SOVA Center, their pretrial detention had initially been ordered through December 8, 2026.
In 2017, Russia's Supreme Court dissolved Jehovah's Witnesses' legal entities and deemed their activities extremist. Since then, criminal cases have regularly been brought against believers in Russia over meetings and other expressions of religious life. Human rights advocates regard such prosecutions as violations of religious freedom, while Russian authorities base the charges on the ruling banning the organization.
The appellate court considered only whether the defendants should remain in pretrial custody. It did not determine the guilt of the four Votkinsk residents, each of whom retains the presumption of innocence.