Verhoturova Viktoriya

Updated: December 8, 2023
Name: Verhoturova Viktoriya Leonidovna
Date of Birth: March 23, 1976
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Current restrictions: Suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 4 years, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to participation in the work of religious associations and organizations for a term of 4 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 6 months; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

Viktoriya Verhoturova and her husband Sergey did not even suspect that because of their faith in God, law enforcement agencies would consider them "dangerous criminals." For a long time phones had been tapped in the family and hidden video had been filmed. During the search, the operatives intimidated Viktoriya because of her refusal to help the investigation.

Victoria was born in 1976 in Uzbekistan. She is the youngest of three daughters. As a child, Victoria was a very energetic child, she was fond of puppet theater, sports, loved to go to the mountains. After school, Victoria learned to be a nurse and to this day she works in her specialty. In his free time, he is actively involved in sports, loves to swim.

From the very childhood, Viktoriya could not accept the fact that life is so fleeting. The very thought of death frightened her and seemed unnatural. As an adult, she saw an illustration of paradise and read the biblical assurance that there would be no more death. Viktoriya realized that this was exactly what she had been looking for for so long. Studying the Bible, she became convinced that this was the word of God, and this book could be trusted. This prompted the woman to become a Christian.

In 2001, Viktoriya married Sergey, who shared her Christian views. Now they live in Nizhny Novgorod. The spouses love to chat with friends, receive guests and walk together in the park.

Viktoriya and her husband experienced severe stress in connection with the criminal prosecution. Due to the preventive measure chosen by the court, the spouses cannot fully communicate with family and friends, and this has always served as a great support for them. Viktoriya’s parents and her elder sisters are very worried about the situation.

Case history

Viktoriya and Sergey Verkhoturov from Nizhny Novgorod were victims of religious persecution when armed security forces broke into their homes in the summer of 2019. During the search, they threatened Viktoria with “terrible conditions in prison, where her psyche would suffer.” Earlier, the special services installed a hidden video camera in the believers’ apartment and listened to Sergey’s telephone conversations in order to prove that the couple continued to discuss the Bible with others. As a result, the investigation opened two criminal cases: in June 2019, Sergey became accused under the “extremist” article, and in March 2020, Victoria. The accusation was based on the recordings of worship services and the perjury of the secret witness “Sidorova”. In November 2020, Victoria’s case was submitted to the Prioksky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod. A year later, judge Viktor Yakovlev sentenced the believer to 4 years of suspended sentence. In May 2022, the appeal upheld the verdict of the believer.
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