CHITA, August 25 - RAPSI. Investigators have completed the criminal investigation of two married Jehovah's Witnesses members, who have been charged with disseminating extremist literature in the Trans-Baikal area, an Investigative Committee source told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

"The husband, 32, and his wife, 37, distributed 16 Jehovah's Witnesses books and booklets, fully aware that the publications had been declared extremist and prohibited for distribution by the court," the source said.

The couple is facing up to two years in prison if convicted.

Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization. Many representatives of traditional religions consider it a totalitarian pseudo-Christian sect. As of August 2009, the organization counted about seven million members.

Its Russian headquarters is in St. Petersburg. According to the headquarters, the organization has 408 local branches in Russia.

The organizations activities are prohibited by court order in some Russian cities. These court orders are being challenged before the Russian Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.