A Russian court has upheld an eight-year prison term handed to a Jehovah's Witness, Dmitry Barmakin, rejecting his third appeal of the sentence. Barmakin was initially detained in 2019 and charged with the organization of an extremist group. His case was originally returned by the court over "ambiguous charges." In 2021, he was retried and acquitted, but that decision was later overturned. In August 2023, Barmakin's conviction was overturned and his case was sent for retrial. Prosecutors appealed that move and won the case on February 6. Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and designated the religion an extremist organization.
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5 Things To Know About The Jehovah's Witnesses In Russia