Nikolay Makhalichev Will Not Be Extradited to Russia. He Was Released From Belarusian Pre-trial Detention Center

On April 7, 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus refused to extradite Nikolai Makhalichev to the Russian Federation, against whom a criminal case had been initiated in his homeland on the basis of religion. On the same day, he was released from the Vitsebsk pre-trial detention center, where he had been held since the end of February.

The case against Nikolay Makhalichev was initiated in Urai (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug) on January 31, 2019. He was one of 23 residents of the region who were persecuted for discussing the Bible. On February 21, 2020, he was detained by Belarusian law enforcement officers near the border with Russia. Belarusian and international human rights organizations have called for the refusal to extradite Makhalichev, as they are convinced that his persecution in Russia is connected exclusively with his religion.

Immediately after the decision of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Deputy Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region G. A. Korenko signed a decree on the release of the believer from the pre-trial detention center.

Nikolay Makhalichev was released a few hours before the start of the Lord's Supper, the only religious celebration among Jehovah's Witnesses, which in 2020 was celebrated on April 7 after sunset.