Feliks Makhammadiyev

Name: Makhammadiyev Feliks Khasanovich

Date of Birth: December 14, 1984

Current status: who has served the main sentence

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)

Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 463 day in a pre-trial detention, 377 day in prison

Sentence: punishment in the form of 3 years of imprisonment to be served in a penal colony of general regime; with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to management and participation in the work of public organizations for a period of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year

Released: December 30, 2020

Biography

Felix Makhammadiev was born in 1984 in the city of Karshi (Uzbekistan) in a family of law enforcement officers. Since childhood, Felix loves to draw, write poems and songs, and program. In his youth, he was seriously involved in sports and played KVN. For many years he worked as a hairdresser, conducted seminars on hairdressing, was the art director of a beauty salon.

Felix's parents divorced early, and in 2002 he and his mother moved to Saratov. There Felix became acquainted with the teachings of the Bible. He was keenly interested in the doctrine that God wants to put an end to evil and injustice. In 2011 he got married, his wife Eugenia shares his love for painting. Together they also learn foreign languages and participate in cycling trips.

Felix's family and friends, who do not even share his Christian beliefs, are shocked that such a meek man was labeled an extremist.

In September 2019, the Leninsky District Court of Saratov sentenced Felix Makhammadiyev to 3 years in prison. The unfair decision of the court, as well as the prosecution itself, hurt the well-being of the family - Felix's wife Evgenia was left without a beloved husband and a reliable defender.

On December 31, 2020, Felix served his sentence, but was immediately placed in a deportation center due to his lack of Russian citizenship. On January 21, 2021, he was reunited with his wife in Tashkent.

Case History

In September 2019, Judge Dmitry Larin immediately sent 6 Saratov residents to prison for a term of 2 to 3.5 years just for reading the Bible, singing songs and praying. Since 2017, security forces have been conducting covert surveillance of believers. In the summer of 2018, their homes were searched with banned literature planted. While the investigation was underway, they had to go to a pre-trial detention center, under house arrest and under recognizance not to leave. A year later, despite the absence of victims in the case, the believers were found guilty. Upon arrival at the Orenburg colony, 5 out of 6 convicted believers were beaten by the staff of the institution. Mahammadiev was hospitalized, and the rest were placed in a punishment cell for a while. Saratov prisoners of conscience have mastered various professions in prison. In May 2020, Mahammadiev and Bazhenov were stripped of their Russian citizenship and, after their release, deported from Russia. All 6 believers have already served their sentences. In September 2022, the cassation court dismissed the complaint, and the verdict and the appellate ruling were unchanged.

Timeline