Russian Court Sends Jehovah’s Witness to Prison for 6 Years

In this handout photo released by Courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses, Dennis Christensen, who was leading the local Bible reading, is escorted from a court room in Oryol, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Yuriy Temirbulatov, Courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses via AP

MOSCOW—A regional court in western Russia on Feb. 6 sentenced a Danish Jehovah’s Witness to six years in prison, in arguably the most severe crackdown on religious freedom in Russia in recent years.

The court in Oryol found Dennis Christensen guilty of extremism, making him the first Jehovah’s Witness in Russia to be sent to prison.