Druzhinin Leonid

Name: Druzhinin Leonid Ivanovich
Date of Birth: February 14, 1969
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 93 day in a pre-trial detention, 601 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 6 months of imprisonment 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 term of 5 years with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 14 of the Khabarovsk Territory
Address for correspondence: Druzhinin Leonid Ivanovich, born 1969, Correctional Colony No. 14 of the Khabarovsk Territory, shosse Mashinostroiteley, 10, Amursk, Khabarovsk Territory, 682640

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

In October 2020, Leonid Druzhinin came home from work to get changed and go to court to testify in the case against his fellow believer Konstantin Moiseyenko. There FSB officers were waiting for him. They conducted a search and took the believer away for interrogation. As a result, due to his faith, Leonid changed from a witness into a defendant in a new criminal case. In December 2022, the court sentenced him to 6.5 years in a penal colony.

Leonid was born in February 1969 in the village of Trubachevo (Zabaykalksy Territory). He grew up with a younger sister and brother; the latter later went missing. His parents worked on the construction of the Zeya hydroelectric power station. His father has already died.

At school, Leonid attended sports club, went in for skiing, was fond of fishing and hunting. After the eighth grade, he studied at evening school and worked as a concrete carpenter, and later worked in the field of construction-repair services.

In the mid-1990s, the young man began to read the Bible regularly. He was deeply touched to learn from the Bible that “God is love”, and found the answer to the question that bothered him: why does the Creator allow suffering?

In 2008 Leonid met Tamara and two years later they got married. By profession, Tamara is a pattern cutter; later she completed hairdressing courses and is working in this new field. During childhood Tamara's mother instilled in her a love for the Bible. The couple like to spend their free time with friends. They like to be outdoors in nature, and in the summer they like to pick mushrooms and berries.

Interrogations and searches were stressful for the couple. Leonid began to have problems with blood pressure. Friends worry about the believer and consider the criminal prosecution and sentence unjust. The Druzhinins try not to lose heart and they support each other.

Case History

In the summer of 2020, the FSB opened a criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses in Zeya, including Yevgeniy Bitusov and Leonid Druzhinin, who were witnesses in the case of their co-religionist Konstantin Moiseyenko. A year later, they were charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organization. The homes of believers were searched twice, in March 2019 and October 2020. Both men have families, and Yevgeniy Bitusov is the father of a minor child. In October 2021, the investigator reclassified the charge as organizing the activities of an extremist organization. In May 2022, the criminal case was sent to court. In December 2022, the court sentenced Bitusov and Druzhinin to 6 and 6.5 years in prison, respectively. The court of appeal and the court of cassation upheld the verdict.
Timeline
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