Accessibility links

Breaking News

Another Jehovah's Witness Gets Eight Years In Prison In Russia's Far East Amid Crackdown


Jehovah's Witnesses Dmitry and Elena Barmakin (file photo)
Jehovah's Witnesses Dmitry and Elena Barmakin (file photo)

A court in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok has sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to eight years in prison amid a crackdown on the religious group. The court sentenced Dmitry Barmakin on April 27 after finding him guilty of organizing an extremist group. The same court acquitted Barmakin on the same charge in 2021, but prosecutors appealed the ruling, and the case was sent for retrial. Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and designated the religion an extremist organization. Rights watchdogs and Western governments have condemned Russia's crackdown on religious minorities. To read the original story from RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG