Name: Baranovskiy Roman Lyubomirivich
Date of Birth: June 27, 1974
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 89 day in a pre-trial detention, 1235 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 6 years in a correctional colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in leadership activities in public associations for a term of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year and 6 months
Currently held in: Penal Colony No. 3 in Trans-Baikal Territory
Address for correspondence: Baranovskiy Roman Lyubomirovich, born 1974, IK No. 3 in Trans-Baikal Territory, Ugdansky pr-d, 61, Chita, Russia, 672000

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

On April 10, 2019, searches were carried out in the families of believers in Abakan. Roman Baranovskiy and his mother Valentina were detained. A criminal case was opened against them for extremist activities. The investigation lasted more than a year, and then the case was considered in court for 8 months. In February 2021, a harsh decision was made: Roman was sentenced to 6 years in prison, and his 70-year-old mother was sentenced to 2 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God. 3 months later, the Supreme Court of Khakassia upheld the verdict.

Roman was born in 1974 in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Region. Later, the family moved to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), and in 1991 moved to Abakan, where Valentina's relatives lived. As a child, Roman was fond of chess and football. He graduated from the Polytechnic College as an auto mechanic, and later mastered the skill of finishing work, which is what he is doing to this day.

From his youth, Roman thought about the meaning of life. He says: “Sometimes I asked God to show me the right way. It always seemed to me that there is a higher meaning in life than just living it ... In 1993 I bought a Bible and began to read it ”. Mother joined him in this. The man is very impressed by the consistency of the Bible's teachings.

In his free time, Roman likes to play mind games. He is also interested in playing the guitar. Before sentencing, Roman took care of his mother. “He is a very big support for me,” said Valentina.

Roman's cousins and sister were shocked to learn that Roman and his mother were accused of such monstrous things as extremism simply because of their belief in God. They were surprised by the unfair conviction of Roman and Valentina.

Case History

In April 2019, the investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation A. Pachuev opened a criminal case against Roman Baranovsky and his mother, Valentina. At the same time, armed law enforcement officers searched their house. Believers from Abakan were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and participating in it. In the summer of 2020, the case was submitted to the Abakan City Court. Against the background of severe stress, Valentina had a stroke. In February 2021, Judge Yelena Shcherbakova found the believers guilty and sentenced Roman to 6 years in prison and Valentina to 2 years. The 70-year-old believer became the first woman Jehovah’s Witness in Russia to be sentenced to actual imprisonment. The Supreme Court of Khakassia upheld this decision. In the fall of 2021, despite Valentina’s serious illnesses, the court denied her early release. Her repeated petition was granted, and on May 4, 2022, Valentina was released. Roman continues to serve his sentence in a penal colony.