Mass Detentions in Kazan: Department for Combating Organized Crime Finds Out Why People Aged 9 to 80 Read the Bible

On the morning of January 19, 2020, law enforcement officers detained about 15 believers in Kazan, including two women over the age of 80 and two children. All of them were interrogated under psychological pressure about who was forcing them to read the Bible. Some believers were searched.

At about 11 a.m. on January 19, three investigators, accompanied by six masked riot policemen, entered Tatiana Obizhestvit's apartment. At this time, Tatiana had guests. About 15 people, including children aged 9 and 12, were taken to the local department for combating organized crime at 3 Karl Fuchs Street. During the interrogation, the investigators did their best to find out what the believers were doing in a private apartment, which of them was the "senior" and who made them discuss spiritual topics with each other. Intimidation techniques were used. One of the believers was threatened with initiation of a criminal case for "involving children in illegal activities."

Armen Hayriyan and Lyudmila Samoilova were searched. Spouses Andrey and Leysan Bochkarev were interrogated until late in the evening. Copies of protocols and other documents were not provided to anyone. The Bochkarevs, as well as 51-year-old Tatyana Obizhestvit, have been in a temporary detention center for the second day.

Other details of the incident are being clarified.