MOSCOW, May 5 (Itar-Tass) — The investigation bodies in the Orenburg Region opened a criminal case over extremism activities of the religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“The criminal case was opened under Article 282 Part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code for instigating hatred or strife and the humiliation of human dignity,” spokesman for the Russian Investigation Committee Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

The detectives found that since June 1994 to April 2012 several local residents were members of the religious organization Jehovah’s Witnesses. “During the activities of this organization in Orenburg and several other settlements in the Orenburg Region members of the religious community held numerous massive religious events (public prayers), at which they have made statements, which fanned up hatred and strife and humiliated the human dignity and a group of people for their attitude to religion,” the spokesman said. “Meanwhile, during the foresaid period of time members of the religious organization were spreading actively the brochures, which contained extremism statements,” Markin said.

“The criminal case was opened over the materials of the Federal Security Service department in the Orenburg Region and the search results by the extremism security centre of the police department in the Orenburg Region,” Vladimir Markin pointed out.

The detectives of the Investigation Committee together with the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry have made over 15 searches, “during which a large amount of material evidence, including the literature with the extremism content, were confiscated.”

The investigation continues.