Chernyshev Yuriy

Name: Chernyshev Yuriy Yevgeniyevich
Date of Birth: August 30, 1963
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 3 day in a temporary detention facility, 376 day in a pre-trial detention, 896 day Under house arrest, 254 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 6 years 3 months with serving a sentence in a correctional colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Smolensk Region
Address for correspondence: Chernyshev Yuriy Yevgeniyevich, born 1963, Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Smolensk Region, Poselok Shakhta 3 , Microrayon Gorniy, Safonovo, Smolensk region, 215500

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

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

Biography

Insults, harsh treatment and threats to send their underage daughter to an orphanage were what the Chernyshev family from Moscow had to face when the security forces bro into the house of believers in the early November morning. As a result, the court sentenced the head of the family to 6 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God.

Yuriy Chernyshev (pronounced as "Chernyshov") is a native of Moscow. He was born in 1963. As a child, he was engaged in sports swimming. After school, he graduated from the Moscow Civil Engineering Institute, and later worked as a civil engineer.

Yuriy's mother, who is no longer alive, was a believer and from childhood instilled in her son a love for God and the Bible. The study of the Holy Scriptures helped Yuriy to be convinced of God's love, compassion and care for people and for him personally. He was impressed by the kindness and hospitality of people who try to live according to the biblical commandments, and this prompted Yuriy to do the same.

In 1989, Yuriy met his future wife Yekaterina. In 1996, the young people got married, and soon they embarked on the Christian path together. They are raising a daughter who is in medical college. Yekaterina runs a household, she has a hobby—decoupage. Before the persecution, the Chernyshevs loved to spend time with the whole family, visiting various attractions, parks and exhibitions, traveling and learning the history of other countries.

In 2014, the head of the family was diagnosed with serious problems with the spine, which worsened after the search. After Yuriy was placed under house arrest, he and his wife had to live separately for six months, as Yekaterina was a witness in a criminal case against her husband.

In his last plea at the trial, Yuriy Chernyshev stated: "On November 24, 2020, my life and the life of my family changed. The investigator accused me of something I had never done. I . . . did not undermine the foundations of the constitutional system and the security of the state, did not incite religious discord, did not encourage the rupture of kinship and family relations."

Case History

In November 2020, a big special operation took place in Moscow—22 searches in the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Vardan Zakaryan was hospitalized due to injuries inflicted by the security forces. He, as well as Vitaliy Komarov, Yuriy Chernyshev, Ivan Tchaikovskiy and Sergey Shatalov were placed in an isolation ward at 38 Petrovka Street. The believers were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and Zakaryan was accused of being involved in it. It is noteworthy that Tchaikovskiy in 2010, through the ECHR, obtained compensation for the violation of his rights due to the illegal liquidation of the Moscow community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the winter of 2022, the case went to court. The accusation was based on the testimony of the FSB agent “Makarov”, who feigned an interest in the Bible. In March 2023, the court sentenced Tchaikovsky, Komarov, Chernyshev and Shatalov to 6 years and 3 months in prison, and Zakaryan to 4 years and 3 months in prison. The appeal upheld this decision in April 2024.
Timeline
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