Trial of three Novocherkassk Jehovah’s Witnesses* declared to be held behind closed doors

In Novocherkassk, a court declared the trial in a case against Jehovah’s Witnesses* Garegin Khachaturyan, Gevorg Yeritsyan, and Lyubov Galitsyna, accused of extremism, to be held behind closed doors. The period of their detention in custody has been extended by six months.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in August 2022, in Novocherkassk, Jehovah’s Witnesses* – 55-year-old Garegin Khachaturyan, 35-year-old Gevorg Yeritsyan, and 66-year-old Lyubov Galitsyna – were arrested after searches.

“The court pronounced a decision to hold hearings behind closed doors, as the case is based on the article on extremism. Therefore, no one will be able to attend the courtroom as a listener. The defence will probably file a motion for publicity of the trial,” explained a relative of one of the defendants.

The health state of Lyubov Galitsyna worsened in a SIZO (pre-trial prison), and she did not succeed in seeking a medical examination until August, reported Yaroslav Sivulsky, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses*.

The investigator’s resolution states that Lyubov Galitsyna participated in prohibited religious meetings, including in the form of collective worship services, conveyed the content of religious books to the population, and recruited people as new members of the religious association.

According to the investigator’s version, Garegin Khachaturyan and Gevorg Yeritsyan committed the same actions, but they are the organizers of a banned religious organization.

Yaroslav Sivulsky reports that Garegin Khachaturyan is a carpenter by profession. For some time, the man lived in Poland and Germany, and in 1995, he moved to Russia. Then Garegin Khachaturyan became interested in religion and began to study the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses*.

Gevorg Yeritsyan was a professional athlete in his youth and won the title of Master of Sports in judo. The man qualified as a mining engineer and worked in the police for some time. His mother became interested in religion in 1993, and Gevorg Yeritsyan himself became interested in the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses* in 2013.

Lyubov Galitsyna studied at the Polytechnic Institute and the Mechanical Engineering College. She got married and gave birth to two children. In 2015, her husband died. Lyubov Galitsyna became a member of the Jehovah’s Witness* religious association in 1997. She is a pensioner now. Her family is very worried about being separated from her, emphasizes Yaroslav Sivulsky.

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