Jehovah’s Witnesses say a member of the religious denomination banned in Russia has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, the most severe penalty in dozens of cases
MOSCOW – The Jehovah’s Witnesses say a member of the religious denomination banned in Russia has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, the most severe penalty in dozens of cases.
According to the denomination’s European office, 63-year-old Alexander Ivashin was sentenced on Wednesday in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia.
Authorities said he had had religious discussions with friends in another city via video link. Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and declared the religious group an extremist organization.
Currently, 46 members are in prison and 27 are under house arrest, the denomination says.