Updated: April 26, 2024
Name: Khorikov Yuriy Aleksandrovich
Date of Birth: September 14, 1967
Current status: accused
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)

Biography

Yuriy Khurikov, a pensioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a former employee of the economic security service, was prosecuted for believing in Jehovah God along with his son Roman.

Yuriy was born in 1967 in the village of Dolinskoye (Ukraine). He has a younger sister. Their father worked at the factory as a welder, their mother as a boiler room operator.

In his youth, Yuriy was fond of sports—he was engaged in boxing. After school, he entered the Novosibirsk Higher Military-Political Combined Arms School and graduated in 1988.

Yuriy has a rich track record: for two years he served as secretary of the Komsomol committee of the training ground in the city of Berdyansk; from 1990 to 1992 he served as assistant to the head of the political department of the Simferopol Military United School in Crimea; then worked for some time in the criminal investigation department; from 2006 to 2021, he worked in the economic security service of a bank in Surgut, from where Yuriy had to resign due to charges of extremism brought against him.

Yuriy met his future wife, Irada, when he was a student in Novosibirsk. He was a military cadet, and she was a student at the Pedagogical Institute. In 1987, the young people got married. Irada worked as a kindergarten teacher, then as a boiler room operator. The Khorikovs have two children. The eldest son is married, and the daughter is still in school. Both spouses are already retired. They love to walk, chat with friends in nature and solve Japanese crosswords.

Yuriy often thought about the meaning of life. His views changed after his acquaintance with the Bible. According to him, it was then that he felt peace and tranquility in his heart. In 2004, he followed his wife on the Christian path.

The coronavirus affected Yuriy's health, and the criminal prosecution and dismissal in connection with it added to the worries. The family tries not to lose optimism and support each other during this difficult time.

Case History

In February 2019, after a series of searches in Surgut, accompanied by torture and beatings, Yevgeny Kozak became a defendant in a criminal case for his faith. He was accused of participating in and financing the activities of an extremist organization. Later, as part of the criminal case, law enforcement officers conducted several more searches in the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In July 2023, Valentina Alekseyeva and Kirill Severinchik were also prosecuted under the article on participation in the activities of a banned community, and Yuriy and Roman Khorikov were accused of organizing its activities and financing.