Name: Baranov Yuriy Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: June 12, 1952
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 87 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 4 years, with deprivation of the right to engage in leadership activities in public associations for a term of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

On December 19, 2019, a wave of mass searches swept through Vologda, as a result of which 67-year-old Yuri Baranov was detained and then placed under house arrest.

Yuri was born in 1952 in Vologda. He grew up without a father, as a child he loved to ski and play the accordion. All his life he worked as a gas electric welder. He is now retired.

Yuriy is known as a sympathetic person, always ready to help. If necessary, he always helps friends and acquaintances with minor repairs around the house, supports in word and deed. By his example, he shows young people how important it is to help others.

In 1989, Yuri met his future wife Nadezhda, and in 1990 they got married. Together they raised Nadezhda's daughter, Elizabeth.

In search of justice and answers to his questions, in 1992 Yuri, his wife and daughter began to study the Bible together, and then, according to Yuriy, "everything fell into place."

After the searches and subsequent arrest, the life of the spouses changed dramatically. Yuri's heart problems worsened (before his arrest he was preparing for an operation in Moscow) and a number of other diseases, insomnia began. Yuri needs to undergo an annual course of treatment.

Yuri's mother, who is already over 90, needs constant care and assistance from Yuriy, has a disability group.

Case History

In December 2019, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against two Jehovah’s Witnesses from Vologda. On the same day, searches were conducted in the homes of several believers, and Yuriy Baranov and Nikolay Stepanov were detained. Yuriy spent 1 day in a temporary detention facility and almost 3 months under house arrest; Nikolay spent 4 days in a temporary detention facility, then 8 months in a pre-trial detention center, after which he was placed under house arrest for 43 days. The believers were accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. According to the investigation, their criminal actions consisted of “arranging meetings and organizing religious talks and worship”. In January 2022, the case went to court. In September, Baranov was given a 4-year suspended sentence, and Stepanov was sentenced to 4 years in a penal colony. The appeal resulted in a more lenient sentence for Stepanov; his prison term was replaced with a suspended sentence. Baranov’s sentence remained unchanged.
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