Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Zhiltsov Petr Alekseyevich
Date of Birth: August 19, 1987
Current status: Defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 387 day in a pre-trial detention, 346 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: Prohibition of certain actions

Biography

Petr Zhiltsov was a witness in a criminal case against his fellow believer Taras Kuzo. However, later Petr himself came to the attention of law enforcement officers: in July 2021, he was detained and sent to a detention center because of his religion.

Petr was born in August 1987 in Yalta (Crimea). He has an older sister. His mother worked throughout her life in construction; she is now retired.

As a child, Petr was fond of football. After finishing 11 classes, the young man got a job in a carpentry shop, later worked as a handyman at a music school. Until the criminal prosecution, he worked as a repairman in the Yalta heating suppliers.

Petr believed in God from childhood and during his studies at school he could not agree with the theory of evolution. He says: “The first thing I liked about the Bible were God's wonderful promises and prophecies that I saw fulfilled”. When he began to communicate with Jehovah's Witnesses, he noticed that they treated each other with genuine love. At meetings for worship, he met many of his old acquaintances who used to lead an antisocial life, but with the help of the Bible they were able to change completely. This convinced Petr of the practicality of Bible principles. At 18, he decided to become a Christian.

Petr loves going to the forest and the sea. Being under house arrest, he could not go out and because of this all the worry of earning a living fell on the shoulders of his mother. This additional burden undermined her health. Some relatives who do not share Petr's religious beliefs are upset that because of his religion he ended up in prison, and his mother lost his care and support.

Case History

In March 2021, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Taras Kuzo from Yalta, a father of two young children, suspecting him of financing the activities of an extremist organization. After a series of searches in the homes of believers, Kuzo ended up in a temporary detention facility. In July of the same year, a criminal case was opened against his wife, Darya, as well as Petr Zhiltsov, Sergey Lyulin and Tadevos Manukyan. Later, Manukyan’s case was separated into separate proceedings. Lyulin spent more than six months in a pre-trial detention center and more than 4 months under house arrest. Zhiltsov and Kuzo were under house arrest for 11 and 16 months, respectively. In March 2022, the case of the believers went to court. A year later, the court sentenced Taras Kuzo to 6.5 years in prison, Petro Zhiltsov to 6 years and 1 month, Sergey Lyulin to 6 years in prison, and Darya Kuzo to 3 years of suspended sentence. The men were taken into custody. On March 22, 2024, the appeal overturned the verdict and sent the case back for a new trial.