There were a series of detentions of Jehovah's Witnesses in September and October 2009 different regions of Russia.

In October 2009, there were a number of occasions in which Jehovah's Witnesses were detained: On September 12, 2009 in Gubinke (Belogorodskaya Oblast) two Jehovah's Witnesses who were telling people about their religious convictions were detained and taken to the police station.

In October 2009 in Salska (Rostovskaya Oblast) two female Jehovah's Witnesses were detained while preaching and taken to the police stations. At the station, their personal belongings were inspected and statements were taken from them. After the occurrence, a local newspapers published an article, in which it was stated that the detained believers were guilty of breaking the law by distributing illegal materials. We should keep in mind that previous incidents involving the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses also were reported in Salska.

On October 3, 2009 in Voronezh, two female Jehovah's Witnesses were detained while preaching and taken to the police station. At the police station, their religious literature was seized and they were fingerprinted.

On October 7 2009 in Kurgan, employees of the public prosecutor's office, policemen, and FSB employees seized religious literature during a worship service of Jehovah's Witnesses at the Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall.

On October 10 2009 in Mendeleevska (the Republic of Tatarstan), two Jehovah's Witnesses were detained while preaching and taken to the police station. A report of the detention was never made and there were no copies of declarations that were distributed.

On October 13 2009 in Moscow two Jehovah's Witnesses were telling people about their religious convictions when they were detained and taken to the police station. They were interrogated, photographed, and fingerprinted.

On October 18 2009 in the village of Dyachkino (Rostovskaya Oblast) four Jehovah's Witnesses who were telling people about their religious convictions were detained and taken to the police station. They were interrogated and religious literature was taken from them. They were told that reports of the interrogations would be distributed to the FSB and the public prosecutor's office.

On October 22 2009 in Moscow, two Jehovah's Witnesses were telling people about their religious convictions when they were detained and taken to the police station. AT the station, statements were taken from them.

On October 23 2009 in the village of Pizhanka (Kurovskaya Oblast) a female Jehovah's Witness was detained while preaching. She was taken to the police station and interrogated.

On October 23 in the city Urev-Polskiy (Vladimirskaya Oblast) two Jehovah's Witnesses who were telling people about their religious convictions were detained by policemen. After checking their documents and verifying their identities, the policemen took the believers to the police station. After they were detained and photographed, the believers were told to leave the city.

On October 24 2009 in the city of Kamerovo, a Jehovah's Witness who was standing at a bus stop and waiting for a bus was detained. A police car approached the man, and two men who were not in uniform exited the vehicle. At the same time, a certified FSB employee emerged from the entrance of a building. The policemen and the FSB employee asked the man to sit in the car so that they could check his identity. At the police station, they interrogated him. The employees of the security organs conducting the questioning threatened that they would call the believer at work and have him fired.

On October 23 2009 in Ershova (Saratovskaya Oblast) a female Jehovah's Witness who was speaking with various people about the bible was detained and taken to the police station. The policemen kept her at an office of the station for over three hours without providing any explanation for their actions. On the next day, she was told to return to the police station. At the station, she was told to sign a statement that had been put together the day before. He stated that he would detain the believer for 48 hours and call her every day and keep her occupied for 3 hours. He also displayed a weapon. When the detained believer tried to call her husband, the policeman approached her, twisted his arm, took the telephone from her, and turned it off. The detained believer tried to leave the office, but the policeman locked the door with a latch and threatened to charge her with breaking and entering if she tried to escape. Later, she was able to leave the office.

On October 24 2009 in the city of Kazan, two female Jehovah's Witnesses who were speaking to a woman about religion were detained by policeman. After checking the believers' passports, the policemen insisted on taking the detainees to the police station. On the way to the station, the policeman made fun of detainees' religious convictions and spoke vulgarly. According to the believers, the policeman exerted psychological pressure on the detainees at the station. The detainees were also searched and subjected to personal examinations. Their private belongings, including their mobile telephones, were taken. Additionally, they were fingerprinted, interrogated, photographed, and put behind bars for 1.5 hours. Subsequently, all of their belongings were taken and they were ordered to take off their watches and rings. They then said that the believers would remain in a cell until morning unless their superior returned before that time. After a while, they were released and their belongings were returned.

On October 26 2009 in Sizran (Samarskaya Oblast), two female Jehovah's Witnesses were speaking about their religious convictions to residents of a building. They were detained by a policeman who lived in that building and claimed that the believers were not allowed to preach without explicit permission. The policemen summoned additional policeman who, as a group, escorted the detainees to the police station. At the station, the detainees were fingerprinted and photographed.

On October 27 2009 in the city of Ckopin (Ryanskaya Oblast), two female Jehovah's Witnesses were telling residents of a building about their religious convictions. They were detained by policemen and taken to the police station.

On October 29 2009 in the city of Aznakaevo (the Republic of Tatarstan), a group of Jehovah's Witnesses were holding a worship service at the apartment of one of the believers. Policeman arrived and insistently demanded that the worshippers open the door. After opening the door, the believers were ordered to go with the policemen to the station. After the believers refused, the policemen demanded that everyone present provide the policemen with the information from their passports. After the believers refused to do this, the policemen left.

On October 30 2009 in Zelenograd (in Moscow) two female Jehovah's Witnesses were detained by policemen while speaking with the residents of a building about their religious convictions. After checking the believers' passports, the policeman refused to return the documents and insisted that the believers accompany them to the police station. At the station, the believers were photographed and fingerprinted.

Jehova's Witnesses materials. Translated by J. Freeman.