Biography
Zaurbek Tavitov was born in 1972 in Vladikavkaz. He has a younger brother. Their father worked as a driver and their mother as an accountant. From childhood, Zaurbek played sports — wrestling, karate, and football. He devoted a lot of his life to military service, and after his discharge from the army, he became a fitness trainer.
"My mother instilled in me faith in God," Zaurbek recalls. "She often talked about him and prayed constantly." Subsequently, he began to study the Bible and in July 2010 was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. "Everything I learned was logical," he says. "My life has changed dramatically. I got rid of bad habits, became more balanced and a kinder person. I used to spend all my free time with my friends. After learning the truth, I began to devote more time to my family."
In May 2008, Zaurbek married Zarema, whom he met at his friend's wedding. They have two adult children: the son works as a programmer; the daughter is a rehabilitation therapist.
The couple loves going to the country side with the whole family and spending time with friends. The Tavitovs have good relations with their neighbors: when the need arose, they readily gave positive character references to the court.
Zaurbek and Zarema are being prosecuted for their faith — in the summer of 2026, their homes were searched, after which the couple were placed in a temporary detention facility, and later under house arrest. Their daughter was brought in as a witness in her parents' cases. "My family considers all this to be the highest degree of injustice," said Zaurbek.