Dennis Christensen arrived safely in Denmark on May 25, 2022. He was released the previous day from a Russian prison and immediately deported. He spent a total of five years in different detention facilities.

“I’m very happy to be released from prison and reunited with my dear wife, Irina,” said Dennis. “The support and encouragement from the worldwide brotherhood was a gift from Jehovah. I continue to pray for my courageous brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and imprisoned for their faith.”

Dennis and Irina are being supported spiritually and materially by friends and family. They stated, “We are looking forward to freely worshipping Jehovah alongside our brothers and sisters in Denmark.”

Dennis was arrested and detained on May 25, 2017, when armed and masked Russian authorities raided a congregation meeting in Oryol that he was attending. He was subsequently convicted of organizing the activity of a religious organization that was declared extremist and banned by Russia’s Supreme Court just one month earlier.

Russian authorities have repeatedly confirmed that the 2017 ban is restricted to legal entities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, claiming that it does not interfere with the rights of individual Witnesses to practice their faith. However, Dennis’ detention was the start of an aggressive campaign of arresting and imprisoning many of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout Russia and Crimea.

As of today, 91 brothers and sisters remain in prison. We pray that Jehovah will continue to support these loyal ones and treat them in a “special way.”—Psalm 4:3.