Minutes ago, the Furmanovsky City Court of the Ivanovo Region convicted Yevgeniy Spirin and fined him 500,000 rubles ($6,920 US).

Jarrod Lopes, spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses, states: "The court convicted Yegveniy in complete disregard for the religious freedom enshrined in Russia's constitution. Russian authorities have also remained obstinate in the face of repeated criticism from prominent international bodies and human rights advocates. Just days ago, the U.S. [2], U.K. [3], and the EU again called on Russia to stop persecuting Jehovah's Witnesses. The current state of religious freedom in Russia is reminiscent of Soviet times. It is well documented that Jehovah's Witnesses did not renounce their faith during Soviet oppression. Likewise, the persistent threat of arrest and imprisonment since the 2017 ban has not deterred our fellow believers in Russia today."

· Yevgeniy is 34 years old; Married to wife, Natalya, since 2014

· Charged with organizing the activities of an "extremist" organization

· Criminal case initiated on January 21, 2019, by a regional Federal Security Service (FSB) investigator. Six days later, FSB agents raided the home of Yevginiy and his wife, Natalya. The Oktyabrsky District Court of the Ivanovo Region ordered that he be kept in pretrial detention for at least two months, solely based on his being one of Jehovah's Witnesses. His detention was subsequently extended

· Spent 160 days in pretrial detention

· Transferred to house arrest on July 5, 2019. He spent 167 under house arrest

Excerpts from UK Statement on Russia's Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation.

We repeat our concern that the increasing number of searches, as well as use of simultaneous large-scale home raids, creates the impression of an organised campaign of persecution against Jehovah's Witnesses.

For three years now, the delegation of the Russian Federation has assured the Permanent Council that individual Jehovah's Witnesses are able to practice their religion at home, as no permission is required to pray in Russia. However, we have witnessed time and again that any manifestation of their faith by Jehovah's Witnesses can result in the search of their homes, lengthy detention, criminal prosecution and imprisonment.

We again call on the Russian Federation to end the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, and to uphold the commitments on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all individuals across the Russian Federation.

Nationwide Persecution (Russia and Crimea)

372 under criminal investigation
43 in prison (10 convicted; 33 pretrial detention)
27 under house arrest
1,072 homes raided since 2017 Supreme Court ruling (275 raided in 2020--even during the COVID-19 pandemic)