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