A preliminary hearing in the case concerning Dennis Christensen will begin on February 19, 2018. Mr. Christensen, a Danish citizen and one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, has been held in pretrial detention in Oryol, Russia, since his arrest in May 2017.

On January 31, 2018, the Deputy Prosecutor of the Oryol Region filed a 76-page indictment against Mr. Christensen. The prosecutor charged him under Article 282.2(1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation—organizing the activity of a religious organization that has been declared extremist. The maximum penalty for this crime is ten years in prison.

Mr. Christensen is not guilty of a crime. He was arrested while attending a peaceful religious meeting along with his wife and fellow believers. The trial will begin at 2:30 p.m. on February 19, 2018, at the Zheleznodorozhniy District Court in Oryol.