Case of Ershov in Shadrinsk

Case History

In July 2021, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Ilya Yershov and Aleksandr Lubin. A few days later, law enforcement officers searched the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kurgan and Shadrinsk, after which Yershov was sent to a temporary detention facility for 2 days. In March 2023, the investigator stopped the prosecution on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and separated the materials against Ilya into a separate proceeding. A new criminal case against the believer was initiated in September 2023 on charges of participating in the activities of an extremist organization.
Timeline

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    July 14, 2021 Search Interrogation Temporary detention facility

    Local Jehovah's Witnesses are being searched in Kurgan and the city of Shadrinsk, about 150 km away. Among those detained and taken in for interrogation is Ilya Ershov.

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    July 15, 2021 Search
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    July 16, 2021 Temporary detention facility

    Investigator Astapov releases Ershov from custody, as there are no grounds for his further detention.

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    March 17, 2023 Case initiated Art. 282.2 (2)

    Nikolay Astapov, deputy head of the first department for the investigation of especially important cases, terminates the criminal prosecution of Ilya Ershov for organizing the activities of an extremist association.

    The resolution states: "During the investigation of the criminal case ... sufficient evidence on the basis of which Ershov could be charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has not been established."

    At the same time, materials under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the case of Alexander Lubin are separated into separate proceedings against him.

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    September 18, 2023 Case initiated Art. 282.2 (2)

    Senior investigator Captain of Justice A. A. Kravchenko initiates a criminal case against Ilya Ershov for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The basis is the report of Nikolai Astapov.