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.
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)