Kolesnichenko Andrey

Name: Kolesnichenko Andrey Vasiliyevich
Date of Birth: June 23, 1970
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 161 day in a pre-trial detention
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 activities related to the placement of appeals and other materials in information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, for a term of 5 years; with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year, the sentence of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

Andrey Kolesnichenko was detained by FSB officers right at his workplace, after which his home was searched. The reason for the criminal prosecution of the man was his faith in Jehovah God.

Andrey was born in June 1970 in the city of Seversk (Tomsk region). His father worked at the Siberian Chemical Combine, and his mother worked in the school cafeteria. Andrey has a younger brother. Their mother is no longer alive.

As a child, Andrey loved to draw and collect electrical circuits, attended a ship modeling circle, dreamed of becoming a pilot. After graduating from the Tomsk College of Information Technologies, he worked at a chemical plant, and for the last 14 years, together with his brother, they have been manufacturing cabinet furniture.

Andrey's future wife was introduced by her brother Yevgeniy Korotun, who is also persecuted for his faith in Jehovah. Young people got married in 1998. Oksana is a teacher by profession. She enjoys reading fiction and medical articles. The acquired knowledge and skills were useful to her in raising her son Kirill. He takes photographs, plays guitar and drums, studies history.

Andrey is a versatile person. He loves outdoor activities - he and his wife ride bicycles. He is also very fond of cooking.

Spouses have always been concerned with the questions: what happens after death and why does God allow suffering? The desire to find the truth prompted Andrey and Oksana to study the Bible. The logic and simplicity of the teachings of this ancient book prompted them to embark on the Christian path.

Due to criminal prosecution, Andrey lost a lot of weight, his sleep was disturbed. Andrey's father and brother are perplexed, for which the believer was convicted and thrown behind bars.

Case History

Andriy Kolesnichenko was accused of “participating in a closed secret meeting in the form of a collective religious service.” This is how the investigating authorities called the peaceful meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Seversk. In July 2020, FSB officers detained the believer right at his workplace, after which his house was searched. In March 2021, the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Tomsk Region opened a criminal case against Kolesnichenko for participating in the activities of an extremist organization. After 3 months, it was submitted to the Seversky City Court. The accusation was based on the testimony of an informant who pretended to be interested in the Bible, recorded the services on video and handed them over to the FSB. The prosecutor requested that the believer be sentenced to 5 years in prison. In January 2022, Judge Yalchin Badalov sentenced Andrey to 4 years in a general regime colony and 1 year of additional restriction of freedom. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. In June 2022, the appellate court commuted the sentence, replacing it with 4 years of suspended sentence.
Timeline
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