Name: Tolmazov Valeriy Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: December 22, 1954
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: recognizance agreement

Biography

In June 2023, a pensioner from the Tver region was prosecuted because of his religion—a criminal case was opened against Valeriy Tolmazov.

Valeriy was born in December 1954 in the urban-type settlement of Novozavidovsky, Konakovo District, Kalinin (now Tver) Region. He has a younger brother and sister. When they were little, and Valeriy was not even 18, their father died. The elderly mother is currently in need of constant help.

As a child, Valeriy was fond of athletics: he was engaged in running and high jumping. After school, he graduated from the Kalinin Industrial Technical School, where he acquired the specialty "repair and maintenance of electrical equipment at the enterprise". The man worked in this profession almost all his life.

In July 1977, Valeriy married Olga, whom he had known since childhood. Olga is a master of industrial training by profession. The couple raised a daughter who already has her own family. The Tolmazovs have a grandson.

In 2000, Valeriy began to study the Bible. He was convinced that this book was true by the fulfilled prophecies in it. The knowledge he had acquired prompted him to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses a year later.

Over the years, the family lived in Novozavidovsky, in Dzerzhinsk in the Gorky region and in Odintsovo in the Moscow region. Later, the couple decided to return to their native village to take care of their elderly parents.

The Tolmazovs are retired. Radio electronics has been Valeriy's hobby for a long time, and he continues to be fond of it. At the same time, he loves to learn something new and is mastering programming little by little. Olga likes to grow vegetables. Although Valeriy and Olga have different religious views, they live amicably. The criminal prosecution of her husband is a source of concern for the woman.

Case History

In the summer of 2023, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Jehovah’s Witnesses from Tver: Aleksandr Kostyuk, Maksim Barbazyuk, and pensioner Valeriy Tolmazov. Their homes were searched, after that the men were interrogated until late in the evening. The believers were accused of holding joint discussions of the Bible, which the investigation equated to extremist activity. In July 2024, the case went to court.