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Additional Name(s): Чеколаев Кирилл Васильевич

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Date of Detainment: December/7/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism

Kirill Chekolaev

Extra Bio Info:

Kirill Chekolaev is detained for his religious belief and activity.

On December 7, 2023, authorities in Vladivostok detained Chekolaev after searching several Jehovah's Witness homes. Law enforcement reportedly interrogated Jehovah's Witnesses about their religious beliefs and activities. Chekolaev is under investigation for “organizing the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-1 RCC).

Related Cases: Yuriy Bycha, Sergey Novoselov, Yegor Pogrebnyak

Sources:

Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Kirill Chekolaev" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The case of Byche and Others in Vladivostok" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Мы считаем политзаключённым свидетеля Иеговы из Владивостока" Memorial
"Believers Were Searched in Vladivostok. One Was Beaten, the Other Was Arrested" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia

Gender: Unspecified

Perpetrator: Nicaragua

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Sentence: 6 Years Imprisonment

Date of Sentencing: December/24/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Managing a Religious Institution Religious Activity Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Embezzlement & Fraud

Mariví Andino

Extra Bio Info:

Mariví Andino is imprisoned for their association with a religious organization.

In 2023, Nicaraguan authorities detained Andino, a former employee of the Catholic charity Caritas in the Diocese of Estelí, under unclear circumstances. Andino's arrest came amid intensified crackdowns on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

On December 24, 2023, the government convicted Andino on dubious money laundering charges in relation to their work with Caritas and sentenced them to six years' imprisonment. The government has a pattern of baselessly alleging non-governmental organizations and their employees, including Catholic charitable and educational institutions, are failing to comply with various financial laws as a pretext to shutter them.