Updated: March 19, 2024
Name: Suvorkov Andrey Sergeyevich
Date of Birth: February 26, 1993
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 114 day in a pre-trial detention, 192 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: Suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 6 years 3 months, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations for 2 years, with restriction of liberty for 1 year, the main punishment is considered suspended with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

Andrey Suvorkov is one of the peaceful believers detained during the raid on Jehovah's Witnesses in Kirov. He was accused of extremism only because of his faith, and Andrey had to defend his good name in court.

Andrey was born in 1993 in Kirov. His love for the Bible was instilled in him by his mother, who from childhood raised him in accordance with the commandments from this book. At school age, he loved the exact sciences, participated in city Olympiads, and played volleyball in his free time. Later he received the specialty of a computer operator.

Having reached military age, due to peaceful Christian convictions, Andrey asked for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian one. His request was granted, and he worked full time as a nurse in a narcological dispensary.

In 2016, Andrey married Svetlana. They have many friends, spouses love to play sports and help others.

Relatives and friends of Andrey do not understand why such a peaceful person was subjected to criminal prosecution.

Case History

In October 2018, searches of believers were carried out in Kirov. A criminal case under extremist articles was initiated against seven local residents, five of them were taken into custody, including Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk, who had been in captivity for almost a year. His fellow believers spent 3 to 11 months in jail and another 6 to 9 months under house arrest. The men were included in the Rosfinmonitoring list. One of the accused, Yuriy Geraskov, died of a long illness a week before the trial. In January 2021, court hearings began. In June 2022, the believers were given suspended sentences ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 years. Yuriy Geraskov was also found guilty of extremism, but the criminal case was dismissed due to his death. The appellate court upheld the verdict against the believers.