Photo: Evgeny Spirin

Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Ivanovo region, six months after his arrest, a believer was released

Ivanovo Region

On July 5, 2019, the Ivanovo Regional Court released 33-year-old Yevgeny Spirin from pre-trial detention and transferred him from custody to house arrest. In total, the believer spent 160 days in prison.

It is noteworthy that this peace-loving citizen of Russia, who is now accused of extremist activities, in the past underwent alternative civilian service, because his conscience did not allow him to take up arms.

Yevgeny Spirin was arrested on January 27, 2019 and sent to a pre-trial detention center the next day as a result of a series of searches of residents of the city of Furmanov (Ivanovo region). The criminal case is being conducted by the investigator of the FSB of Russia in the Ivanovo region A. Dmitriev. The believer faces from 6 to 10 years in prison.

Yevgeniy Spirin is forbidden to leave his home, communicate with anyone (except his wife, investigator and lawyer), surf the Internet, make phone calls, receive and send mail.

Case of Spirin in Furmanov

Case History
After a series of searches in January 2019 in the city of Furmanov, local resident Yevgeny Spirin was interrogated and sent to a pre-trial detention center for 5 months. The FSB in the Ivanovo region accused him of resuming the activities of a banned organization, although Spirin did not harm anyone, but simply professed his faith. During the court hearings, numerous fabrications of “evidence” of Spirin’s guilt were revealed. Thus, an expert handwriting expert revealed a falsification of the search protocol. A neighbor of the Spirins told the court that she did not give a negative characterization to Yevgeniy, who appears in the case. And the prosecution witness turned out to be an embedded retired law enforcement officer. Nevertheless, in 2020, the court sentenced him to a fine of 700,000 rubles, although, taking into account the time spent by Spirin in custody, the amount payable is 500,000 rubles. The verdict has entered into force.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Ivanovo Region
Locality:
Furmanov
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, together with others he conducted religious services, which is interpreted as organising the activity of an extremist organisation (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11907240001000003
Initiated:
January 21, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Directorate of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia for the Ivanovo Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court:
Фурмановский городской суд Ивановской области
Case History