LONDON, (Reuters) – In the wee hours of February 15, 2019, armed police officers and intelligence agents broke into Timofey Zoukov’s Surgut home. Surgut is a western Siberian oil town. He said that they knocked him down and began to search his belongings.

Zhukov stated to Reuters that the raid was just one of 20 carried out in Surgut that day. Jehovah’s witnesses, which was banned in Russia 2 years prior to Russia’s Supreme Court declaring it an extremist organization, were all the targets. Russian authorities claimed that the organization promotes beliefs superior to those of other religions.

Zhukov, along with other believers, was taken into custody for questioning. He was charged of “continuing activities of an extreme organisation” which could land him in prison. Reuters asked Russian authorities about this matter but they didn’t answer.

Zhukov was a lawyer by training and told Reuters that he and others had done nothing illegal. Zhukov explained that Surgut’s branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses had been closed after the ban was in effect. “But we believe,” he added.

Jarrod Lopes of Jehovah’s Witnesses spoke out to Reuters. “If Russia’s skewed perspective on extremism were imposed upon everyone then just about any believer or non-believer in Russia would be banned, not only Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Jehovah’s witnesses claim they are neutral in politics. They are not allowed to lobby, vote or campaign for candidates for public office. They view saluting the flag or singing national anthems as acts of worship. They also reject military service – a choice that has led to the imprisonment of Jehovah’s Witnesses members in several countries.

The Orthodox Church is the dominant religious group in Russia, and is supported by Vladimir Putin. Orthodox experts view Jehovah’s Witnesses to be a “totalitarian Sect.”

Zhukov’s legal case is still being processed by the courts. However, his name has been added to the Register of Terrorists and Extremists. He can not travel beyond the city without authorization. His bank account is not restricted. When he wishes to withdraw more that 10,000 roubles ($120), he will need to justify the reason: “I must pay for the flat, for kindergarten and for school.”

Zhukov claims that over three years, investigators and police threatened him with imprisonment and he was forced to go to Yekaterinburg hospital for a mental examination. He claimed he spent 14 consecutive days in the hospital with other violent criminals. He said, “I passed all tests.

The “terrorists/extremists list” continues to grow. There were over 12,200 people and groups registered at the end of 2021. This is an 13% increase from the previous year. Russia doesn’t release the date on which names were added. However, Reuters compared the present list to previous versions that are stored at archive.org.

The list includes violent extremists like neoNazi and Islamic State. A Reuters analysis of Russian lists shows that at least 400 Jehovah’s Witness groups are considered terrorists or extremists.

January saw a Jehovah’s witness aged 56 sentenced to six-years in a penal colony. On the same charges, a 64 year-old male was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for extremism. Both of them had stated their innocence. Zhukov also insists on the fact that his religious beliefs are not in violation of any law.

He said, “As an attorney, I can easily distinguish between religious associations and legal entities.” I don’t know why judges and lawyers can’t tell the difference. What threat are we posing?

We preach the gospel, and we teach people from the Bible about the kingdom God.

(reporting by Lena Masri. Editing by Janet McBride).