Sergey Melnikov

On 5 June 2019, he was detained in his own car while talking to a man who, according to Jehovah's Witnesses, was "leading him into conversations about faith". Melnikov's home was searched. The court sent him to custody. On 4 October he was transferred to house arrest. Initially he was accused of organising the activities of an extremist organisation but in February 2020 the charge was reclassified to participation in the activities of an extremist organisation. At the same time Melnikov was released from house arrest on his own recognisance. In March, it became known that the prosecutor's office returned the case for further investigation. On 3 February 2022, he was sentenced to three years' suspended sentence.