Elderly Jehovah’s Witness dies in Russia after prolonged criminal investigation and ‘extremism’ conviction
A 68-year-old Jehovah’s Witness in Russia’s Kurgan region died on Monday, roughly a month after a local court fined him 500,000 rubles ($5,000) for “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” (in this case, Jehovah’s Witness religious activity). He is reportedly the 12th Jehovah’s Witness to die in Russia during or following a prolonged police probe.
Alexander Lubin spent more than three years under investigation. In August 2021, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and won release from pretrial detention. Lubin had an autoimmune disease and needed an oxygen tank, which the detention center did not provide.
In the intervening years, Lubin’s health declined due in part to the stress of his case and attending courtroom hearings, according to his defense attorneys. Nevertheless, he maintained his innocence and had already filed an appeal.
The Russian Supreme Court outlawed the Jehovah’s Witnesses as an “extremist organized” in 2017. Since then, Russia’s justice system has prosecuted hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses for practicing their faith.
