Pankratov Stepan

Name: Pankratov Stepan Viktorovich
Date of Birth: December 29, 1995
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 122 day in a pre-trial detention, 74 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 6 years with serving in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a term of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: Detention Center No.1 for Voronezh Region

Pankratov Stepan Viktorovich, born 1995, Detention Center No.1 for Voronezh Region, ul. Zhelyabova, 56, Voronezh, Voronezh Region, 394030

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the F-pismo system. To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

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

Biography

Stepan Pankratov became one of 10 Jehovah's Witnesses sent to a detention center after a large-scale raid on Voronezh Jehovah's Witnesses in the summer of 2020. After 5.5 years of criminal prosecution, the court sent the believer to a penal colony for 6 years, considering his guilt in extremism proven.

Stepan expressed his opinion about this at the final stage of the trial: "All that has been proven is that I am a believer, a Jehovah's Witness. Only no one hid it, I openly spoke about it on the day when they came to me with a search, when a restriction measure was being chosen. I do not hide the fact that I adhere to the views of Jehovah's Witnesses, known for their peacefulness throughout the world."

Stepan was born in 1995 in Voronezh in a large family. He has a sister and three brothers. Stepan is the youngest of the children. Since childhood, he has been fond of various sports such as volleyball, basketball, and tennis.

From a young age, when he was in high school, Stepan started working as a part-time employee. He mastered the profession of plastering and tiling. Due to his peaceful views, the young man underwent alternative civilian service, working as an orderly in a psychoneurological dispensary. He remained on friendly terms with all his colleagues. They still remember Stepan with warm words.

From early childhood, the young man heard about God from his parents. The biblical knowledge he received prompted him to make a serious independent decision in the future—to take the Christian path.

Stepan met his future wife Darya in his hometown. She is a design engineer by profession. The spouses love to play sports together and spend time with friends and relatives.

Relatives and friends consider the oppression of a peaceful person unfair.

Case History

On a single day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in seven localities of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported being tortured by law enforcement officers. The Investigative Committee charged 10 men (then aged 24 to 56) with organizing extremist activity and sent them to pretrial detention, where most remained for nearly 5 months. The events in Voronezh sparked widespread public outcry: EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and dismay over what had happened. The believers deny any guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their faith in accordance with their constitutional rights. The trial began in December 2021. Nearly 4 years later, the believers were given various punishments — ranging from a 6-year suspended sentence to 7 years in a penal colony.
Timeline
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