Jehovah’s Witnesses say member of Russia’s banned religious denomination has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, the harshest punishment in a number of 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 harshest punishment in dozens of cases.
The European denomination office said Alexander Ivashin, 63, was convicted on Wednesday in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia.
Authorities said he had held religious discussions with friends in another city via a video link. Russia banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and declared the religious group an extremist organization.
Currently, 46 members are imprisoned and 27 under house arrest, according to the denomination.