Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Reshetnikov Yevgeniy Borisovich
Date of Birth: August 16, 1974
Current status: Defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 240 day in a pre-trial detention, 123 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: Recognizance agreement
Currently held in: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 241 days in a pre-trial detention center, 123 days under house arrest
Address for correspondence: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 241 days in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Lipetsk region, 123 days under house arrest

Biography

Yevgeniy Reshetnikov has been living in the town of Gryazi for over 20 years and has been a convinced Christian for most of his life. However, in November 2020, he ended up in jail only for his faith in Jehovah God. This law-abiding man is accused of extremist activities.

Yevgeniy was born in 1974 in the south of Kazakhstan, in Shymkent, the third most populous city in the republic. He was the only child in the family. Since childhood, the boy was fond of photography and radio engineering. After school he graduated from electrician courses and worked in this specialty.

At 22, Yevgeniy moved to Lipetsk, and a year later - to Gryazi, a town on the Matyr River, 20 kilometers from the administrative center. In 1998, the young man met Marina, a girl who shared his religious views, and a few years later they got married.

From a young age, Yevgeniy was outraged by injustice. He even wanted to write a book about it and turned to a teacher for advice, from whom he learned that a book on justice had already been written - this is the Bible. The young man did not believe that God is a person, but the theory of evolution also seemed unconvincing to him. He decided to research the Holy Scriptures, and in 1993 he consciously became a Christian. Biblical knowledge helps Yevgeniy to remain confident that the Creator will surely restore justice soon.

Case History

In November 2020, officers of the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on extremism, and the next day, accompanied by riot police, conducted a series of searches at 9 addresses of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the town of Gryazi. Five peaceful believers, including two pensioners, were detained and sent to a temporary detention facility. Natalia Perekatiy, Tatyana Morlang and Svetlana Vyrezkova were released 2 days later on their own recognizance, and Yevgeny Reshetnikov and Sergey Kretov were sent to a pre-trial detention center. In June 2021, two more believers were detained as part of the same criminal case: Aleksandr Popras and Valeriy Khmil. No preventive measure was chosen against Popras, and Khmil was placed under house arrest for 57 days. Kretov and Reshetnikov spent about 8 months in a pre-trial detention center and 4 months under house arrest. In November 2023, the court began considering the case.