[{"body":"On August 11, 2026, Elena Nikulina was released from prison. A 57-year-old believer from Saransk spent more than three years in a penal colony in the village of Yavas for talking about the Bible, which the investigation qualified as participation in extremist activities. She served her term in full.\nElena has been held in the women\u0026#39;s penal colony since March 2023, and before that she was in a pre-trial detention center for about five months. Her husband Georgiy, convicted in the same case, was released in December 2025. Due to court restrictions, he could not visit Elena in the colony.\nThe first months in the colony were the most difficult for Elena. Several times during the formation, the woman lost consciousness, in six months she lost 20 kg. The doctor diagnosed the believer with angina pectoris, exhaustion and dehydration and sent her to a medical correctional facility for 20 days. After that, Nikulina underwent planned treatment in the hospital once a year. By the time of her release, her weight had returned to normal, but there are still problems with her teeth—the believer is in dire need of dental care.\nElena is a professional seamstress and worked in a sewing workshop throughout her imprisonment: at first, directly on a sewing machine, later she was transferred to interoperational control. Her responsibilities included checking the quality of tailoring, correcting mistakes, as well as teaching others how to sew on professional equipment. Physically, the work was difficult for her. There was a period when shifts lasted 12 hours with one day off every two weeks. Due to heavy loads, Elena\u0026#39;s eyesight dropped greatly and her hand became numb.\nElena was deeply upset by the atmosphere in which she had to live: rudeness, shouting and humiliation of human dignity. But she herself remained sympathetic and retained her humanity. Elena often helped others in everyday matters, and also morally supported those who were not visited and who were not cared for by relatives and friends. Some prisoners warmly called her Aunt Lenochka.\nIt took Elena time to get used to the conditions of the colony physically and emotionally. Over time, she began to look at her situation differently. \u0026quot;Sometimes it seemed to me that I was suffering a lot,\u0026quot; Elena related. \u0026quot;But then I began to think: after all, I have everything here—a full bowl. They take care of me, they don\u0026#39;t torture me.\u0026quot; Although letters almost did not reach Elena, friends and her sister took care of her, visited her, sent parcels with everything she needed. Such care did not go unnoticed by the staff and other prisoners.\nA criminal case against the Nikulin couple was opened in February 2019 after mass searches in the homes of believers in Saransk. The investigation regarded the conversations about the Bible as participation in the activities of an extremist organization and involvement in it. In August 2022, the Lenin District Court of Saransk sentenced Elena and Georgiy Nikulin to 4 years and 2 months in prison each. The appeal left the verdict unchanged.\nElena became the fifth of six defendants in the criminal case to be released: Aleksandr Shevchuk was released in November 2023, Aleksandr Korolev and Denis Antonov in June 2024, Georgy Nikulin in December 2025. Vladimir Atryakhin\u0026#39;s term expires in March 2028.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2026-08-11T00:00:00Z","duration":"0:19","image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/08/130813/image_hu_781b4bd1fe6d73d2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/08/130813/image_hu_99710f9cfb0d29b2.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/08/130813/image_hu_47e7c8fdee47a396.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/08/130813/image_hu_38c2ae051fae7a2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/08/130813.html","regions":["mordovia"],"subtitle":"Her Husband was Also Serving Time","tags":["release","families"],"title":"Elena Nikulina Released from Mordovian Colony.","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 10, 2026, in Vladikavkaz, law enforcement officers conducted searches at several addresses and interrogated 16 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Three of them — Khetag Dzhanaev and the couple Zaur and Zarema Tavitov — ended up in a temporary detention facility. On July 12, the court placed them under house arrest.\nSearches began early in the morning simultaneously in several homes. One of them lasted more than 10 hours. Electronic and storage devices, including mobile phones and a camera, as well as personal notes, Bibles, and bank cards were seized from the believers.\nUpdate. Law enforcement officers pinned one of those whose home was searched against the wall, twisted his arms behind his back, then forced him face down onto the floor. According to the believer\u0026#39;s wife, law enforcement officers stepped on his legs. One of the officers demanded the password for his phone. He refused, after which rough force was used against him in an attempt to unlock his phone using facial recognition. They are not the first Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in the Republic who have faced criminal prosecution for their faith. Sabina Albegova from Vladikavkaz has been under investigation since October 2025 (her case is already under consideration in court), and since April 2026, Kristina Bazrova is in the same situation.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-07-10T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/police.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/07/141354.html","regions":["osetia"],"subtitle":"Three Believers Under House Arrest","tags":["search","interrogation","new-case","families","house-arrest","siloviks-violence"],"title":"Searches Carried out at Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Vladikavkaz as Part of New Criminal Case for Their Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"Text updated on July 20, 2026.\nOn June 29, 2026, the Rudnichniy District Court of Prokopyevsk convicted Irina Shishkina, 56, for participating in peaceful meetings for worship. The same court, in early June, sentenced her husband, Vasiliy, to imprisonment on similar charges. According to updated information, Irina received a four-year suspended sentence with a 2.5-year probation period.\n\u0026#39;How is a faith dangerous, if it makes a person honest, peaceful, law-abiding, and caring toward others?\u0026#39; Irina asked the court. In her final statement, she also stated her position regarding the charge: \u0026#39;I did not harm anyone, did not incite violence, did not disrupt public order. All I did was read the Bible, pray, speak about God, and try to live as Jesus Christ taught.\u0026#39;\nIrina\u0026#39;s and Vasiliy\u0026#39;s criminal cases developed in parallel: for about 2 years, their home was under surveillance and in January 2025, it was searched. At first, Irina was listed as a witness in her husband\u0026#39;s case, and because of this, they were forbidden to communicate — for almost 1.5 years, the couple was forced to live apart. A criminal case against Irina was initiated in December 2025.\nA similar strategy of prosecution — first, charges are brought against one family member, then against others — has already been used for several years in cases against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/07/011417/image_hu_bd3f20513d2934e4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/07/011417/image_hu_4247abd2afbb41bc.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/07/011417/image_hu_1cab0ff35e13922f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/07/011417/image_hu_64278875fe55e7c9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/07/011417.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":"Less Than a Month Ago Her Husband Was Sentenced to 6 Years in a Penal Colony","tags":["sentence","282.2-2","families","suspended"],"title":"Irina Shishkina from Prokopyevsk Given a Suspended Sentence.","type":"news"},{"body":"Tatyana Volkova was born in August 1977 in Balashov, Saratov Region. Her father worked as an electrician, and her mother was a laboratory assistant. As a child, Tatyana enjoyed biathlon and also liked making crafts. She studied at a music college, then at a medical college, and after that graduated from a pedagogical university and began working as a teacher-psychologist.\nIn 1999, Tatyana married Sergey. In the same year, she was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Tatyana recalls: \u0026quot;I found answers to the questions that interested me since childhood, one of them — what is the meaning of life.\u0026quot; Three years later, her husband also became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nOver time, Tatyana left her job and focused on her family. She enjoys growing flowers, learning new things, and reading books. Sergey is an engineer by profession. The family moved to Shchyolkovo because of his work. He enjoys playing chess and sports. Their older daughter works as a technologist, and their son, at the time of their parents\u0026#39; arrest, had finished school and was planning to enroll in college. In her spare time, the daughter enjoys making crafts, riding her bicycle, roller skating, skateboarding, and swimming. She also likes repairing the car with her mother. The son also likes swimming and riding his bicycle.\nEarly in the morning in June 2026, the Volkhov family was subjected to a search; afterwards, Sergey was placed in a pretrial detention center, and Tatyana was placed under house arrest.\n","date":"2026-08-13","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/volkova/photo_hu_baa708c36ab4fe40.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/volkova/photo_hu_9d28aa256bf8443c.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/volkova/photo_hu_d493499dd61d972c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/volkova/photo_hu_616b195a4be3d758.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/volkova.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Volkova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Sergey Volkov was born in February 1978 in Shchuchin, Belarus. His father, an army officer, served as deputy commander for political affairs, while his mother worked as a pediatrician. Sergey has an older brother. Their childhood was spent in Belarus and also in Germany, where the family moved due to his father\u0026#39;s military service. As a child, Sergey enjoyed chess and various sports and collected stamps and model cars.\nAfter finishing school, Sergey received a higher military aviation education and served as a military pilot. He later worked as an engineer at the company \u0026quot;Gazprom — Underground Gas Storage.\u0026quot;\nIn March 1999, Sergey married Tatyana. Soon after, both became Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: Tatyana in the same year, after finding in the Bible an answer to her long-standing question about the meaning of life; Sergey in 2002. Explaining what motivated him to become a Christian, he recalls: \u0026quot;I was convinced when I saw that the faith of these people is based on the Bible, and their words match their actions.\u0026quot;\nTatyana is a qualified school psychologist, but she is currently not working. She enjoys growing flowers. The Volkov family loves camping, traveling, and spending time with friends. Their daughter works as a process engineer, and at the time of Sergey\u0026#39;s arrest their son, had just finished school and was planning to enter a vocational college. The family lives in Shchelkovo, Moscow Region.\nThe Volkovs were subjected to a search of their home and interrogations in June 2026. During investigative actions, Sergey was threatened with the prospect that his entire family, including his minor son, would be taken into custody. Sergey was placed in a pretrial detention center, while Tatyana was placed under house arrest.\n","date":"2026-07-21","image":{"jpg":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","jpg2x":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","webp":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp","webp2x":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/volkovs.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Volkov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On June 24, 2026, the Birobidzhanskiy District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region gave Yelena Shestopalova, 60, a 2.5-year suspended sentence for participating in the activity of an organization that the state has declared extremist. The bottom line of the charge was that the believer read the Bible with her friends.\n\u0026quot;Persecution can even bring joy if you use the opportunity to endure with dignity. Being a Christian I see this as an honor,\u0026quot; Yelena concludes regarding the events of recent years. \u0026quot;My friends supported me... Once, they brought me gifts and handmade cards from children from a neighboring town. I remember the words: \u0026#39;Dreams have no expiration date. Don't give up!\u0026#39; It made me cry.\u0026quot;\nThe criminal case against Yelena was initiated by the FSB in October 2025. Shortly thereafter, her home was searched. \u0026quot;I wasn't afraid in the slightest. I tried to find a reason to praise the officers, for example, for their tact and politeness. I am a peaceful person,\u0026quot; the believer explained. Notably, law enforcement officers arrived at the very moment when Yelena was getting ready to attend a court hearing in the case of her daughter, Vladlena Kukavitsa. Her daughter had already been given a 4.5-year suspended sentence, but numerous appeal hearings lay ahead. \u0026quot;I was more worried about Vladlena than myself. We try to support each other and also be a reliable help for others,\u0026quot; Yelena says.\nThe trial against Yelena began in April 2026. At the earliest hearings, the prosecutor read out a large volume of written materials unrelated to Yelena: documents dating from 2015, which fell outside the period of the charges, as well as materials from the case of another defendant, Oleg Postnikov, including search protocols and lists of items seized from him.\nYelena considers the charge unlawful and unfounded. \u0026quot;I am not the only one who has faced criminal prosecution. In our city, several other people who have done no harm to anyone are also under criminal prosecution. Like me, they are decent members of society,\u0026quot; the believer mentioned in her final statement. In Birobidzhan, 32 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have faced prosecution.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-06-24T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/06/251558/image_hu_97d3aaca837d043d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/06/251558/image_hu_2d8f3253229fcb7b.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/06/251558/image_hu_125516f8b9ed0cfc.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/06/251558/image_hu_121e07087feed35b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/06/251558.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"Yelena Shestopalova Given Suspended Sentence","tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","elderly","families"],"title":"Another Verdict Against One of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan.","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 19, 2026, the Surgut City Court announced the verdict in one of two high-profile criminal cases against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in the city. Yuriy Khorikov, his son Roman, Valentina Alekseyeva, and Kirill Severinchik were found guilty under articles on \u0026quot;organizing\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;participating\u0026quot; in the activity of a banned organization. The proceedings against the believers dragged on for 7 years.\nJudge Aleksey Koryakin imposed suspended sentences: Yuriy Khorikov — 6.5 years, Roman Khorikov — 6 years and 4 months, Valentina Alekseyeva — 5 years and Kirill Severinchik — 4 years. In addition, the court ordered the Khorikovs to pay a total of 990,244 rubles.\nRoman Khorikov, 35, is an auto mechanic. In the past, Roman completed alternative civilian service on consciencious grounds. In his final statement, he addressed the court: \u0026quot;I am glad that we were able to show all participants in the proceedings that we are not extremists or religious fanatics, but ordinary people with our own interests, dreams, and hopes, only with a strong faith in our God Jehovah.\u0026quot;\nRoman\u0026#39;s father, Yuriy, 58, is a retired civil servant who worked for many years in the internal security department of a bank. After the search, his situation at work changed drastically: \u0026quot;The bank\u0026#39;s management started treating me with caution, even though I had a good reputation. Eventually, a corporate security officer recommended that I resign, which I did without regret.\u0026quot; In his final statement, he said: \u0026quot;There is no cruelty, no motives of religious hatred, intolerance, or enmity in our hearts.\u0026quot;\nValentina Alekseyeva, 67, is the oldest of those convicted. She is caring for her son, who is severely disabled — since childhood — and requires constant attention. There is no one to care for him besides his mother.\nKirill Severinchik, 29, works as an electromechanic for elevators. His father, Artur, was earlier convicted for his faith in the same city and also received a suspended sentence.\nThe criminal case was initiated in February 2019, following mass searches, during which 7 believers were subjected to torture. Kirill Severinchik was among those who were severely beaten.\nThe main evidence for the charges was the testimony of secret witness \u0026quot;Aleksey Mironov\u0026quot;. According to him, in 2018, he began interacting with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — out of curiosity — and later approached the FSB. At one hearing, Valentina Alekseyeva stated: \u0026quot;Mironov began studying the Bible on his own initiative; he came to my home without an invitation. On that basis, they are charging me with persuading (involving others) in the activity of a liquidated legal entity.\u0026quot;\nThe indictment amounted to almost 5,000 pages — an amount comparable to a dozen full-length books. The hearings were held behind closed doors. The essence of the charges was that the investigators categorized conversations about the Bible, joint prayers, and meetings for worship as extremist activity. At the same time, the case contains an expert study stating that the believers\u0026#39; words did not reveal \u0026quot;any signs of inciting hatred, promoting superiority, or encouraging acts of violence.\u0026quot;\nIn total, 27 believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area have faced prosecution for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-06-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_8be6be92406eabf4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_511d7a874ce2d005.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_6161b2c11a7400aa.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_64d9f2d425f06000.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/06/261135.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":"Trial Against Local Jehovah's Witnesses in Surgut Concludes","tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","suspended","families","elderly"],"title":"Suspended Sentences From 4 to 6.5 Years.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Major A. G. Koshel initiates a criminal case against Sergey and Tatyana Volkov and Natalya Krasnobaeva under articles for organizing the activity of a liquidated organization, participating in its activity, and involving others in it.\n","caseTitle":"The Volkov and Others Case in Shchyolkovo","date":"2026-06-18T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/shchelkovo/index.html#20260618","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["search","ivs","new-case","minors","families","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.2-1.1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 18, 2026, investigators, accompanied by law enforcement officers, carried out searches of the homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses at two addresses in Shchyolkovo, Moscow Region. Three believers — Sergey and Tatyana Volkov, as well as Natalya Krasnobayeva — are under arrest.\nBoth searches began early in the morning. Five armed officers in masks and another eight in civilian clothing came to the home of 50-year-old Natalya Krasnobayeva. At the time, the believer was at work; her daughter with her small child were at home. Hearing the doorbell, she looked through the peephole, but law enforcement officers pointed a laser beam at it. Then the fighters broke down the door and entered, pointing their weapons at her and her child. On seeing the armed men, the boy screamed in panic, \u0026quot;Don't!\u0026quot; and started vomiting. Bibles, a hard drive, a flash drive, a laptop, and a cell phone were seized from the apartment. When Natalya returned home later that evening, she was detained.\nA group of about five law enforcement officers conducted a search at the home of the Volkov family — Sergey and Tatyana, both 48, their daughter and underage son. The law enforcement officers immediately pointed their weapons at those in the apartment and demanded that they lie on the floor with their hands behind their heads. The search of the apartment and two cars lasted about 2 hours; they did not explain what they were looking for. Law enforcement officers did not allow the family to eat, drink, or use the bathroom and threatened them with pretrial detention. After the search, the entire family was taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee. The children were released around midnight.\nOn June 19, 2026, the court imposed preventive measures on the detained believers: Sergey Volkov was placed in a pretrial detention center; his wife, Tatyana Volkova, and Natalya Krasnobayeva were placed under house arrest.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-06-18T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/prison.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/06/241550.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","interrogation","ivs","sizo","house-arrest","minors","families"],"title":"Searches and Detentions in Shchyolkovo: Three Believers Arrested","type":"news"},{"body":"Repeated attempts to deliver Bibles to Ruslan and Roza — both through parcel deliveries and by mail — were unsuccessful. At the same time, the administration of the detention facility informed the relatives of the Tazyrovs that enough Bibles were available in the institution. However, their distribution is regulated by a special procedure: it is necessary to file an application to meet with a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, after which a decision is made regarding the provision of Bibles.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Tazyrov and Others in Ufa","date":"2026-06-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/ufa2/index.html#20260610","regions":["bashkortostan"],"tags":["sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The defense comments on the indictment, drawing attention to the fact that the defendants are charged with invoking Article 51 of the RF Constitution during interrogation. In the opinion of the lawyers, this is discrimination.\nThe prosecutor reads from four volumes of the case materials (reports, expert conclusions, protocols, and other documents) and completes the presentation of written evidence.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Kosovs in Cherkessk","date":"2026-06-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/cherkessk6/index.html#20260604","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families","first-instance"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 4, 2026, Judge Yelena Zarubina of the Rudnichniy District Court handed down a guilty verdict against Vasiliy Shishkin, 54. The prosecutor had requested 8.5 years in a penal colony. The believer was taken into custody.\n\"I plead not guilty of extremism — not out of stubbornness, pride, or unwillingness to repent, but because serving God cannot be a crime,\" Vasiliy explained in his final statement.\nAccording to Vasiliy, the only thing established in court was that he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses, while no evidence was provided of any actual crime being committed. Vasiliy's younger brother, who does not share his religious beliefs, testified in court in his support — he described his brother as a peaceful person.\nFor 2 years, Vasiliy and Irina Shishkin\u0026#39;s apartment was secretly bugged — law enforcement officers listened to their daily life and how they discussed the Holy Scriptures. In the case materials, these discussions were labeled as organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Later, criminal cases were initiated against the couple. Irina is also being tried in the same court for participating in \"extremist activity.\"\nVasiliy has a number of medical conditions that make living alone extremely difficult; he regularly takes prescribed medication — this information was available to the court and investigators. Nevertheless, for about 1.5 years prior to the verdict, Vasiliy was held under house arrest. During this entire period, the Shishkins were forbidden to live together, since Irina is also a witness in her husband's case. To distract himself from his condition, Vasiliy tried to stay busy: he did work around the apartment, read books, wrote poems, and exercised when he could.\n\"I try not to be afraid of prison. Many of the fears are only in our heads and never actually happen,\" Vasiliy Shishkin said earlier.\nThe verdict will be appealed. Until it enters into force, the believer will be held in a pretrial detention center.\nIn the Kemerovo Region, 20 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — men and women between the ages of 34 to 76 — have already become defendants in criminal cases on charges of extremism.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-06-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/06/041340/image_hu_dbc6c47d4ddb5db.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/06/041340/image_hu_946595242c18830d.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/06/041340/image_hu_cab8d0dd65290fab.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/06/041340/image_hu_e5167de14a94f142.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/06/041340.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"Jehovah's Witness from Prokopyevsk Sentenced to 6 Years in Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"The prosecutor is requesting actual prison terms for the believers: Yuriy Khorikov — 8 years, Roman Khorikov — 7.5 years, Kirill Severinchik — 6 years, and for 68-year-old Valentina Alekseeva — 5 years in a general regime penal colony. The woman has a son with a disability from childhood, who requires constant care and is dependent on her; there is no one else to look after him. For Yuriy, the prosecutor is also requesting an additional fine of 900,000 rubles.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Khorikov and Others in Surgut","date":"2026-06-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut2/index.html#20260603","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["punishment-request","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","282.2-3","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"\n","date":"2026-05-05T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ursua/photo_hu_a73d83300fcf64c0.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ursua/photo_hu_9ce6dba5e7b3ac9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ursua/photo_hu_432478a07e45da23.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ursua/photo_hu_12cd28c155edb9bc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ursua.html","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Ursu","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Aleksandr Ursu, a resident of Dzhankoy, Crimea, has faced religious repression for almost his entire life: childhood spent in exile, a series of searches in recent years, and the arrest of his son Viktor. On April 28, 2026, law enforcement officers once again searched Aleksandr\u0026#39;s home. This time, a criminal case was initiated against him.\nThe operation was conducted by Investigator Anna Romanova, accompanied by attesting witnesses and an FSB officer. Family members report that the latter behaved rudely; it later emerged that he had previously taken part in investigative actions in Viktor\u0026#39;s case. Officers seized personal notes, mobile phones, an internet router, and flash drives. In addition, they took the elderly couple\u0026#39;s personal savings — about 100,000 rubles.\nAleksandr has encountered similar actions by law enforcement officers on several occasions. During a search in 2018, officers used force against him: they knocked him to the ground and twisted his arms behind his back, leaving him with abrasions and bruises. At the time, Aleksandr was 78 years old. Officers came again 5 years later — this time arresting Aleksandr\u0026#39;s son. Viktor Ursu is currently serving a 6‑year prison sentence imposed by the court.\nIn early April 2026, the 75th anniversary of Operation North was marked; the international community remembered the repression under Stalin and the deportation of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to Siberia. Today, Russian law enforcement agencies have subjected nearly 1,000 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to criminal prosecution, at least 37 of them in Crimea.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-05-01T10:41:45+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/05/011041/image_hu_387efc86f385a4d9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/05/011041/image_hu_3d4aee97c58508b7.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/05/011041/image_hu_f875ec4e139af90e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/05/011041/image_hu_5a5f2dcc93078ac5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/05/011041.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","elderly","families","new-case"],"title":"Lifetime of Repression: 86‑Year‑Old Aleksandr Ursu Faces Criminal Prosecution for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Major of Justice Daniil Grankov, Deputy Head of the Investigative Department, initiates a criminal case on suspicion of organizing the activity of an extremist organization.\nApart from Aleksandr Ursu, the searches affected two more believers from Dzhankoy. Force was used against them in order to gain access to their electronic devices.\nDuring the interrogation, Aleksandr Ursu uses his right to not testify against himself and his relatives.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Aleksandr Ursu in Dzhankoy","date":"2026-04-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/dzhankoy3/index.html#20260428","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","search","interrogation","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Anna and Yevgeniy Bochko are known as sincere, kind-hearted people. Anna was born in July 1985 in Korenovsk (Krasnodar Territory); she was a beloved and wanted child. She was named after her paternal grandmother. Anna says about her family: \u0026quot;Dad was a professional photographer; he photographed weddings and other events. He loved mum very much — this was evident from the huge number of photographs. My mother learned to be a dressmaker and sewed the most beautiful dresses for me and my younger sisters.\u0026quot;\nLater, the parents divorced; Anna remembers being very close to her stepfather: \u0026quot;He was an excellent father, he loved my mother and us very much, helped with our homework and taught us various skills in his free time. This has been useful for me and my husband.\u0026quot; In total, there were six children in the family — a boy and five girls.\nWhen Anna was 10, her father died. \u0026quot;My dream of seeing my dad again collapsed,\u0026quot; she recalls. \u0026quot;The only thing that comforted me at that time was a good thought from the Bible about the resurrection of the dead, which I learned about from Bible-based broadcasts on the radio. It was a breath of fresh air and gave me hope for future joy!\u0026quot; Anna\u0026#39;s attitude to the Bible was greatly influenced by her great-grandfather, who instilled in her respect for the Holy Scriptures — in his youth he studied at a church school.\nSince childhood, Anna loved outdoor games and crosswords; during her school years she played volleyball. Animals played a special role in Anna\u0026#39;s life: she treated those who needed help and dreamed of becoming a vet.\nAfter finishing school, she trained to be a pastry chef, but could not work in her profession due to her health. Then Anna became a landscape gardener and worked in a shopping entertainment center in Krasnodar.\nAt 18, Anna's mother invited her to a meeting for worship of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. At that time, she was thinking about the meaning of life: is it really only to get married, have children, work, grow old and die? \u0026quot;I decided: I\u0026#39;ll go, see, listen — maybe this is what I\u0026#39;m looking for?\u0026quot; Anna recalls. \u0026quot;I said that I would agree if the Bible really teaches the resurrection of the dead.\u0026quot; At the age of 21, she was baptized, and a few years later so was her mother.\nIn 2009, Anna married Yevgeniy Bochko. For a while, the couple lived in Marks, Saratov Region, but later returned home due to the deterioration of her husband\u0026#39;s health. Yevgeniy is an electromechanic. In their free time, the couple likes going for walks. Although Anna did not become a vet, she still loves animals, especially dogs, and trains them. She also likes sports, as well as growing unusual plants and enjoys cooking new dishes.\nIn 2022, the Bochko's house was searched. After that, some of the neighbors cooled toward them: \u0026quot;People with whom we were on very good terms suddenly began to provoke us, trying to start quarrels and record what was happening on video. But we decided not to fall for it but keep the peace as much as possible.\u0026quot; Others, on the contrary, express support and consider the prosecution for our faith in God unacceptable.\nIn the same year, the home of Anna\u0026#39;s mother was searched. Due to being under a recognizance agreement, Anna cannot visit her mother-in-law, who is often sick. The elderly woman considers this situation \u0026quot;madness and a violation of human rights.\u0026quot; Anna\u0026#39;s sisters wonder: \u0026quot;How can you prosecute a person for their faith?\u0026quot;\n","date":"2026-05-14","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bochkoan/photo_hu_6a3403bc5c50e176.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bochkoan/photo_hu_a8e2382088d938b2.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bochkoan/photo_hu_c304e19c11ae5dfe.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bochkoan/photo_hu_382e3ddb9b8c1d2c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bochkoan.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anna Bochko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Lyudmila Shchekoldina, a 49-year-old prisoner of conscience from Pavlovskaya, spent 3 years and 11 months behind bars. On April 15, 2026, she was released from penal colony No. 28 in the Volgograd Region; on her release she was met by her siblings, nephew and friends.\nLyudmila had to defend her right to read the Bible not only in court but also while in the penal colony. For some time, she was forbidden to use her personal copy of the Holy Scriptures. A Bible she had from the prison library was also confiscated, because it lacked an official stamp from the church. For the same reason, a book containing parts of the Bible, obtained from a local parish, was taken from her. However, shortly before her release her persistence was rewarded and she was finally given a Bible.\nAt the time of her arrest, Lyudmila suffered from serious health problems, including with her internal organs, arthritis, and severe spinal pain. Her conviction disrupted a scheduled surgery: she was sentenced to 4 years and 1 month in a penal colony and taken into custody immediately. It took more than a year before she finally received the medical care she needed. Until then, despite her condition, she was required to work in the sewing workshop and perform other duties.\nHer treatment took place under guard: two separate hospital rooms were allocated for Lyudmila and her five escorts. Shchekoldina spoke positively about the hospital staff, especially the head physician, who postponed her vacation to perform the surgery. The recovery period was marked by further emotional trauma: her brother lost his wife, and Lyudmila\u0026#39;s nephew, Aleksandr Davydenko, was placed in pretrial detention because of his faith.\n\u0026quot;I felt that people around the world were praying for me. I had the strength to keep going, I didn\u0026#39;t lose heart, and I maintained my joy,\u0026quot; Lyudmila said, explaining what helped her endure.\nMore than 240 women in Russia have faced repression for being Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. As of today, 15 of them remain in pretrial detention centers, penal colonies, or correctional facilities across the country.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2026-04-15T14:22:27+03:00","duration":"0:40","image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/04/151422/image_hu_5e4bfdaaef7ea267.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/04/151422/image_hu_bc625bce4d6a8e0b.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/04/151422/image_hu_2b591aafcef522fa.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/04/151422/image_hu_ba5e5146e08c8649.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/04/151422.html","regions":["krasnodar","volgograd"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families"],"title":"Lyudmila Shchekoldina, Jehovah’s Witness from Kuban, Released from Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"The FSB Directorate for the Jewish Autonomous Region continues to prosecute families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. On April 15, 2026, a search was conducted at the home of Marina Shulyarenko. Her husband, Sergey, a prisoner of conscience, has been behind bars since December 2022.\nEarly in the morning, as usual, Marina Shulyarenko left home for work. She was unexpectedly stopped by an FSB officer who introduced himself as Denis Sergeyevich Krupetskiy. He showed her a court order authorizing operational‑investigative measures at her home address. After that, a search was carried out, during which law enforcement officers seized mobile phones, personal notes, a Bible, and electronic storage devices.\nMarina remembered: \u0026quot;I was introduced to the testifying witnesses as a member of the extremist organization of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, whose husband has already been convicted for organizing its activity.\u0026quot; Marina and Sergey Shulyarenko have been married since September 2023. Their wedding took place at penal colony No. 8 in the Amur Region, where Sergey remains.\nAccording to Marina, FSB officer Krupetskiy made offensive remarks toward her and stated that she \u0026quot;could say goodbye to her job\u0026quot; and that she would \u0026quot;soon end up in prison.\u0026quot; A search was also conducted at Marina\u0026#39;s workplace, but without testifying witnesses present.\nIn Birobidzhan, a town with a population of fewer than 70,000 people, more than 30 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already faced criminal prosecution for their faith. Among them are at least six married couples.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-04-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/police.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/04/200948.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"Search in Birobidzhan Сonducted at Home of Wife of Convicted Jehovah’s Witness","tags":["search","families"],"title":"“I was Introduced to Testifying Witnesses as Member of an Extremist Organization.”","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Bogdanov brings in Sergey Protasov, Mikhail Popov, Aleksandr and Vera Bondur as defendants.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the couple Bondur and others in Vilyuchinsk","date":"2026-04-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vilyuchinsk2/index.html#20260408","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["282.2-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"\n","date":"2026-04-08T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bondur/photo_hu_3738df978cbda3bd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bondur/photo_hu_77c7eb6c2e7d9b0.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bondur/photo_hu_e7e18afa62267208.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bondur/photo_hu_c5a19f3b3dfcecf9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bondur.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Bondur","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\n","date":"2026-04-08T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bondurve/photo_hu_8e3bd50dc3ac0b71.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bondurve/photo_hu_f59495fdb3666135.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bondurve/photo_hu_716d3ba7bc71d2f2.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bondurve/photo_hu_5385f4ff479545e0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bondurve.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vera Bondur","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On April 7, 2026, 30-year-old Danil Suvorov was released from a penal colony in Mordovia. He spent more than 4.5 years behind bars. The believer served his sentence 1,500 kilometers from home, far from family and friends. Many people traveled from afar to meet him on that day.\nBefore the criminal prosecution, Danil worked as a sales assistant in a tool store. In August 2021, his home was searched, and he was charged with extremism for conversations on Bible topics. In the summer of 2023, the court sentenced him to 6 years imprisonment. For almost 3 of those years, Danil was kept in a special block of a pretrial detention center — without visits. He was then transferred to a penal colony, where he remained until his release. There he worked in the sewing workshop and had a reputation as a conscientious worker. According to Danil, one of the prisoners said about Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: \u0026quot;You are the kind of people who definitely shouldn\u0026#39;t be here.\u0026quot;\nEvery 3 months, Danil\u0026#39;s mother visited him in the penal colony. Friends wrote to him regularly: \u0026quot;Through letters they encouraged me, and I encouraged others,\u0026quot; he said. \u0026quot;It helped me to live, not lose heart, and stay occupied. [...] I sent tons of letters home.\u0026quot;\nDanil warmly thanked everyone who helped him, including those he does not know personally. \u0026quot;Free outside, it\u0026#39;s a small thing, but in prison even a little candy means a lot,\u0026quot; he said, adding: \u0026quot;Without my friends\u0026#39; help, I basically wouldn\u0026#39;t have had anything to eat.\u0026quot;\nAfter returning to Sochi, Suvorov\u0026#39;s freedom will remain restricted for another 1.5 years.\nAt present, seven Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses under the age of 30 remain in custody.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2026-04-07T16:07:24+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/04/071607/image_hu_e2f5cf1fb528837b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/04/071607/image_hu_c4b0df85c3018330.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/04/071607/image_hu_effa52568596d060.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/04/071607/image_hu_1cff91b56da97765.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/04/071607.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families"],"title":"“You Shouldn’t Be Here” — Danil Suvorov Released","type":"news"},{"body":"“To be expelled forever... 2 hours to pack.” This is how Operation North, the largest deportation based on religion in the history of the USSR, began 75 years ago, on April 1, 1951. The fatal words, signed by Stalin, echoed in the homes of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Today in Russia, their children and grandchildren are being persecuted for their faith. Growing up they heard reports about night raids, inhumane conditions in freight cars, and the uninhabited Siberian wilderness. For today’s prisoners of conscience, those stories are not merely family heritage — it is their reality.\nJehovah’s Witnesses — to the North Documents, lists and testimonies of those who survived deportation, and information on the reasons for and the course of Operation North are available at 1951deport.org. In the early 1940s, Soviet authorities accused Jehovah’s Witnesses of “anti-Soviet activity,” the trigger being their refusal to compromise Christian principles and to give unconditional support to party ideology.\nBelievers, deported from the Ukrainian SSR, gathered near their new home, barracks. Up to six families could live in a single room. They slept on bunks and took turns cooking on a stove in the middle. Dunayka settlement, Irkutsk Region. 1951. Persecution came in waves. Between 1947 and 1950, at least 1,000 Witnesses were sentenced to lengthy terms in labor camps, and hundreds were deported beyond the Urals. The peak came in 1951. On April 1, the deportation of Jehovah’s Witnesses from the Belorussian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Moldavian, and Estonian SSRs began. A week later, on April 8, they came for believers in the Ukrainian SSR. In just a few days, 9,793 Jehovah’s Witnesses were deported from these regions. Young and old, families with children — all were deported to the Tomsk and Irkutsk Regions and Krasnoyarsk Territory.\nTo date, Russian authorities have groundlessly charged more than 940 Jehovah’s Witnesses with extremism, for “undermining the constitutional order and posing a threat to public security.” About a dozen and a half of them are descendants of these same deportees.\n“So many in authority refuse to acknowledge the obvious” In June 2022, Yevgeniy Zinich, 59, from Krasnoyarsk was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment for his faith. He is serving his sentence in the Siberian city of Surgut. As children, the believer’s parents — also Jehovah’s Witnesses — were deported from the Lviv Region to Khakassia under Operation North.\nDeported women and girls performed heavy labor in logging camps. Bikhtuil settlement, Tomsk Region. 1956. “Neither my mother nor her parents harbored any anger toward their oppressors... Within the family they spoke about the cruel treatment they endured, but without hatred or a desire for revenge,” Yevgeniy told the court shortly before sentencing. “It deeply saddens my mother... that so many in authority refuse to acknowledge the obvious — that my faith excludes extremism. She [who will turn 87 in April] very much hopes to live to see the day I am acquitted.”\nYevgeniy’s wife, Mariya, will not see it. “According to doctors, the stress caused by my criminal prosecution was one of the reasons for her premature death,” Yevgeniy says. Mariya’s parents also survived deportation.\n“It’s like we’ve taken up the baton” The exiles were deported in freight cars that were not adapted for transporting people. Cases have been documented when there were more than 50 people in one car. The journey to the destination took 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes more. Aleksandr and Mikhail Shevchuk — brothers from Saransk — are fourth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses. Criminal cases were initiated against both a few years apart, resulting in prison terms: Aleksandr served 2 years, while Mikhail, sentenced to 6.5 years, is being held in a pretrial detention center, awaiting appeal. Repression in their family dates back to the 1940s.\n“First, our great grandfathers — back when they lived in Western Ukraine — were sentenced to 10 years in a colony merely for practicing the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Aleksandr Shevchuk recalls. “Then in 1951 their wives and children were deported to Siberia. In the 1970s, both grandfathers were sent to a colony simply for being Jehovah’s Witnesses. Later, our father was sentenced for refusing military service.”\nAccording to Mikhail, their family’s history of steadfastness helped him face the persecution directed at him personally with dignity. “Grandfather even called me and joked: ‘Well, it’s your turn now,’” Mikhail recalls. “It’s like we’ve taken up the baton.”\n“I want to keep walking in my parents’ footsteps” Aleksandr Ursu in exile with his family. Aleksandr Ursu is already 86. As a child, he was deported from Moldova together with his parents and other relatives. He recalls: “It was July 6, 1949. I was nine and a half. It was still dark when the soldiers woke us up. They came in and read out that we were being sent into permanent exile. Two soldiers began to tear things from the walls and packing them: take them, they will be useful to you... They took us to the border of the Kurgan and Tyumen Regions. To the middle of nowhere.”\nAleksandr now lives in Crimea. On November 18, 2018, a special forces unit burst into the home where he lived with his wife and his son’s family. Force was used against elderly Aleksandr.\nViktor Ursu, Aleksandr’s 60 year old son, is currently imprisoned. He was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony for his religious beliefs. His address to the court before sentencing drew numerous historical parallels: “Lacking the ability — or the desire — to convict the believers for their beliefs, they pinned labels on them: Bolshevists, imperialists, spies... Now they are trying to pin the label of extremism on me.”\n“I want to keep walking in the footsteps of my parents, grandmothers and grandfathers, and many dear to me,” Viktor concluded. “They were willing to hold on to what they knew to be true, no matter the cost.”\n“Renounce your faith in exchange for an end to criminal prosecution” As in Soviet times, modern day believers can avoid prosecution if they sign a document stating that they are no longer Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yaroslav Kalin, born in exile and a fourth generation Jehovah’s Witness, described the circumstances of his arrest in the fall of 2021 while addressing the court: “When I was taken to the police station, I was given the opportunity to renounce my faith in exchange for ending the criminal prosecution. The investigator confirmed that my ‘guilt’ wasn’t about having committed any actual crime.” Children of deported Jehovah’s Witnesses. Bottom row, second from the left — Yaroslav’s father, Vasiliy Kalin. Iskra settlement, Irkutsk Region, 1954 In March 2024, Yaroslav and eight of his fellow believers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Kalin received 7 years. Before sentencing, he spent more than 2 years in solitary confinement. “I spent 840 days in ‘solitary’ — in the worst, inhumane conditions. I thank Jehovah that he allowed me not to lose my mind, that I stand before you alive and healthy,” he said during the court hearings.\nIn court, Yaroslav thanked not only God. He expressed gratitude to court staff and to the prosecutor for their respectful treatment.\n“Suffering repression, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not become embittered and do not stop being Christians. There are no handcuffs or bars that can shackle genuine faith,” commented Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Those who have faced repression — then and now — are often among the first to hurry to help new prisoners of conscience.”\n“I received letters of support from children and grandchildren of victims of repression,” said Yekaterina Pegasheva of Yoshkar Ola in court. “They were among the very first to support me when I was held in a pretrial detention center because they know and understand what it’s like.”\nFive years ago, shortly after the 70th anniversary of Operation North, the court gave Yekaterina a suspended sentence of 6.5 years.\n“Guided by a sense of repentance” A partial list of descendants of repressed believers who are being persecuted in contemporary Russia and Crimea: Yevgenіy Zinich, Aleksandr Shevchuk, Mikhail Shevchuk, Roman Ostapenko, Yaroslav Kalin, Ivan Shulyuk, Aleksandr and Anastasiya Gaytur, Viktor Ursu, Adam Svarichevskіy, Roman Gumenyuk. On March 14, 1996, the President of the Russian Federation signed Decree No. 378, “On Measures to Rehabilitate Clergy and Believers Who Have Become Victims of Unjustified Repression.” “In order to restore justice and the lawful rights of citizens of Russia to freedom of conscience and religion, guided by a sense of repentance,” the Russian state recognized that the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses had been unjustified. Many families still keep certificates identifying them as victims of repression and receive benefits on that basis.\n","category":"analytics","date":"2026-04-01T15:59:06+03:00","duration":"9:26","image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/04/011559/image_hu_569f3512f4a7b128.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/04/011559/image_hu_e12b0da5f9a75a53.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/04/011559/image_hu_ad14f4b16215c112.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/04/011559/image_hu_f0f52e29919fc4d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/04/011559.html","regions":[],"subtitle":null,"tags":["ussr","deportation","families","search","siloviks-violence","1951deport"],"title":"75 Years Since Operation North — Descendants of Deported Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Persecuted Just Like Their Predecessors","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator N. V. Pashchenko opens a criminal case against Anna Bochko, a resident of the village of Buzinovskaya.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Bochko in Vyselki","date":"2026-03-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki15/index.html#20260327","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The head of the investigation department, Major Vladislav Bogdanov, opened a criminal case.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the couple Bondur and others in Vilyuchinsk","date":"2026-03-25T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vilyuchinsk2/index.html#20260325","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"\u0026quot;For a couple of days after the search, every knock at the door made me panic. I couldn\u0026#39;t stay home alone, and I had to take sedatives to fall asleep,\u0026quot; Svetlana Arefeva recalls the events of spring 2026. At that time, a criminal case was initiated against her for participating in the activity of an extremist organization.\nSvetlana was born in 2004 in Darasun, about 100 kilometers from Chita. Her mother, a preschool educator, worked for many years as a kindergarten teacher. Until his retirement, her father served as a guard at a penal colony for the Federal Penitentiary Service; he now works at a fire station. Svetlana has an older sister, Anastasiya, who, together with her husband Vitaliy, has also faced criminal prosecution for her religious beliefs.\nFrom an early age, Svetlana was an energetic and outgoing child. She particularly enjoyed playing ball games. \u0026quot;I remember that when I was little, if young people gathered to play volleyball, I was always right there,\u0026quot; she says.\nAfter finishing school, Svetlana moved to Chita, where she trained as a hairdresser and now works in her profession. In her free time, she continues to prefer active leisure: outdoor games and travel. \u0026quot;A change of scenery and new experiences bring me a lot of joy,\u0026quot; Svetlana says.\nSvetlana\u0026#39;s mother was the first in the Arefev family to begin studying the Bible, when Svetlana was still very young. Both she and her older sister Anastasiya have been familiar with Bible teachings since childhood. Later, both made a conscious personal decision to pursue a Christian way of life.\nSvetlana\u0026#39;s father does not share the religious beliefs of his wife and daughters, but he respects their choice. News of the searches and the criminal prosecution of both daughters and his son‑in‑law deeply shook him.\n","date":"2026-04-24","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/arefeva/photo_hu_8535043dcd588ff1.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/arefeva/photo_hu_f7b0d37bcd673f61.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/arefeva/photo_hu_561dfa57b8c6a5ff.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/arefeva/photo_hu_51175540df376c86.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/arefeva.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Svetlana Arefeva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\u0026quot;I have always been searching for God,\u0026quot; said Vitaliy Astakhov, a resident of Chita. Spiritual things played an important role in his life from childhood. In March 2026, he and his wife Anastasiya became defendants in a criminal case for their religious beliefs.\nVitaliy was born in Chita. He was an only child. He was raised by his mother and grandmother.\nVitaliy was creative from a young age. He wrote and continues to write poems, songs, and stories. Sports play a significant role in his daily life: he regularly goes to the gym, which, according to him, helps him to \u0026quot;keep in good shape and stay healthy.\u0026quot;\nAfter finishing school, he immediately started working. He trained as a hairdresser and later became a barber. He opened a salon with his wife where they work together.\nSince childhood, Vitaliy has been interested in Bible teachings. He discussed the questions that arose with his grandmother\u0026#39;s sister. In time, he began to study the Bible with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. According to Vitaliy, this book had a noticeable impact on his life and personality: \u0026quot;I stopped fighting, swearing, being lazy; it has become easier to deal with stuttering, which I've had since childhood. Studying the Bible helped me develop only positive qualities, but did not push me to extremism at all.\u0026quot; In September 2014, Vitaliy Astakhov was baptized.\nIn 2021, he married Anastasiya. His wife shares the same values.\nIn March 2026, a criminal case was initiated against the Astakhovs. \u0026quot;During the search, they forced me to tell the password, pressed their knees on my face, slammed me against the wall four times,\u0026quot; said Vitaliy. The experience affected the whole family: due to the stress, his grandmother had a stroke; her left arm was paralyzed.\n","date":"2026-04-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/astakhov/photo_hu_28fff3c528a69337.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/astakhov/photo_hu_74143da05335bffa.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/astakhov/photo_hu_a032fcb64715d67a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/astakhov/photo_hu_6c88286b1a661170.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/astakhov.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["families","siloviks-violence"],"title":"Vitaliy Astakhov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Criminal prosecution for faith affected three members of the same family at once. Anastasiya Astakhova, a hairdresser from Chita, her husband and sister became defendants in the same case.\nAnastasiya was born in Dayakon (Trans-Baikal Territory). When she was about 2, the family moved to Tyrgetui, located about 100 kilometers from Chita. She remembers how much effort her mother put into her ubringing: she taught her to read before school, did a lot of creative things together, made time for games and conversations. Anastasiya\u0026#39;s father died when she was very little. Later, her mother remarried and had another daughter, Svetlana.\nAnastasiya grew up as a cheerful and creative child. She attended a theater club, as well as a knitting and embroidery club. Anastasiya recalls: \u0026quot;Every evening I knitted to make gifts for my family and friends and, not being able to buy something, I gave everyone knitted napkins, potholders and toys.\u0026quot;\nAfter school, she moved to Chita to be trained in a profession. She studied at a hairdressing school during the day, attended web design courses in the evening, and worked at the same time to support herself. Anastasiya became a hairdresser. She loves her job very much: she likes talking to customers and seeing that they are happy with the result of her work.\nQuestions about God have interested Anastasiya since childhood. \u0026quot;I asked everyone to talk to me about God, angels and what happens after death. I asked my grandmother to teach me how to pray,\u0026quot; she said. In 2005, Anastasiya\u0026#39;s mother began to read the Bible and her daughter joined her. Anastasiya was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in 2008.\nToday, Anastasiya still lives in Chita; she got married in 2021. The couple have their own hairdressing salon, where they both work. They like to do everything together: work, visit the theater, go for walks in the countryside. As Anastasiya says, \u0026quot;we are best friends.\u0026quot;\nThe criminal prosecution became a serious test for Anastasiya and her loved ones. Relatives have taken what has happened hard. Even those who do not share their beliefs are perplexed by the charges and consider it unfair.\n","date":"2026-04-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/astakhova/photo_hu_5291f501ea38c2.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/astakhova/photo_hu_65366f8ca2ea86e3.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/astakhova/photo_hu_17caccce2996c03f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/astakhova/photo_hu_f19b746e43936d03.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/astakhova.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Astakhova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\u0026quot;When people found out what our family was like, they would say, \u0026#39;Oh, four sons and one lovely daughter — just like in a fairy tale!\u0026#39;\u0026quot; Anna Gyseva recalls with a smile as she speaks about her childhood. She was born in Kvitok, Irkutsk Region. Her father worked on the railroad and her mother was a housewife. Both are now pensioners. The family enjoys farming and keeps animals.\nAnna, her older brothers, and parents loved doing things together. \u0026quot;We often got together to play musical instruments, watch TV shows, or play board games,\u0026quot; she remembers. \u0026quot;I understood that this atmosphere existed because we lived according to the Bible.\u0026quot;\nFour generations of the Gysev family value and love the Bible. They were prosecuted both in the Soviet Union and in modern-day Russia because they are Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. In the 1940s, Anna\u0026#39;s great-grandmother was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment; later, her grandfather and uncle were also convicted. In 2024, Anna\u0026#39;s cousin Ivan Puyda received a suspended sentence. In March 2026, Anna herself faced prosecution for her faith.\nAnna studied well at school. She received many certificates and awards for taking part in academic competitions. But she describes her main achievements this way: \u0026quot;The Bible taught me and my family many good principles — that money is not the most important thing, that life has a purpose, and that we should enjoy life and love other people.\u0026quot;\nIn her senior school years, Anna began working in her free time and during holidays. She enjoyed helping with cleaning the school, assisting in the library, and restoring books. After finishing school, she moved to Chita. She has experience working as a senior barista and as a café manager. Currently, she works as a barista and regularly takes professional development courses.\nAnna enjoys learning new things. She reads a lot and dreams of visiting different countries. She has learned sign language and is now working to improve her skills as an interpreter. She loves singing and accompanies herself on the guitar; she plays volleyball.\nIn the spring of 2026, in the middle of a workday, law enforcement officers took Anna directly from the café. She experienced great stress: they threatened to cut her finger off if she did not reveal the password to her smartphone. Anna\u0026#39;s wedding in Irkutsk had been scheduled for June 14. \u0026quot;The saddest and most tragic consequence for me is that the prosecution and the travel restrictions have jeopardized my plans to marry the person I love,\u0026quot; the believer says.\nAnna explains: \u0026quot;We wanted to go on our honeymoon to another country. Unfortunately, with the current situation, that will be impossible. We spent a whole year planning everything and saving money. We had already invited friends; some of them were planning to come from abroad. This has had a very strong emotional impact on me and on my future partner.\u0026quot;\nThe believer\u0026#39;s parents, her older brothers and their wives, as well as her friends, are concerned for her. Anna\u0026#39;s employer was even moved to tears upon learning what her family is going through.\n","date":"2026-04-24","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gyseva/photo_hu_2985c37bb757f2bd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gyseva/photo_hu_f71de5fd8ce1f84d.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gyseva/photo_hu_23c76253bbcc9887.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gyseva/photo_hu_e3518126f0d6ee32.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gyseva.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anna Gyseva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On March 17, 2026, searches were conducted in Nizhny Novgorod and the surrounding area at 10 homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. In total 16 people from 5 families were affected. Among them were Sergey and Viktoriya Verkhoturov, who had served sentences for their faith several years earlier.\nOn the day of the searches, the court ordered four men — Sergey Verkhoturov, Maksim Kalinin, Anatoliy Chepkasov, and Yevgeniy Konkov — to be placed in a pretrial detention center.\nThe raid was carried out as part of a new criminal case for participating in the activity of an extremist organization, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated on March 5, 2026, against unidentified persons. The searches were initiated by Investigator A. E. Stifeyev.\nThe Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Nizhny Novgorod Region has initiated 12 out of 13 criminal cases against 26 believers.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/prison.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/03/191523.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","sizo","families","new-case","282.2-2"],"title":"Searches at Homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nizhny Novgorod: Four Believers in Pretrial Detention","type":"news"},{"body":"Aleksandr Vakarev is a surgeon from Uyar with more than 26 years of experience. Local residents know and respect him. Due to the search and the criminal case against the head of the family and his younger son, Zakhar, the usual life of the Vakarevs stopped.\nAleksandr was born in 1968 in Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory. He has a younger brother. Their father worked as an electrician, and their mother was a cook. She is retired; their father is no longer alive.\nAs a child and teenager, Aleksandr enjoyed fishing, soccer, and ice hockey. After finishing school, he attended medical college and then entered medical university. He worked in his field — as a surgeon and endoscopist, and most recently, as a surgeon in an outpatient clinic.\nIn 1997, Aleksandr married Olga, who is also a medical professional. Shortly after the wedding, their son was born. In 2000, the family moved from Krasnoyarsk to Uyar, where their younger son, Zakhar, was born. Aleksandr enjoys cooking and reading; he also has a small collection of antique wall clocks. Olga likes to sing, dance, and write poems. As a family, the Vakarevs enjoy listening to music, watching movies and cartoons, and spending time outdoors.\nIn 2005, Olga was the first in the family to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses; a year later, Aleksandr also was baptized. He was impressed by the reliability of Bible prophecies and the wisdom of its advice. \u0026quot;It saved our marriage,\u0026quot; the believer recalls. \u0026quot;I stopped smoking, swearing, and getting drunk. My wife and I are always and everywhere together.\u0026quot; Studying the Bible helped the couple raise their children decently. Aleksandr said: \u0026quot;Teachers at school said they had never had parents who cared so much about educating and ensuring the well-being of their children. The children grew up obedient and received several letters of commendation.\u0026quot;\nAleksandr has recurring cancer and is registered as disabled. Due to the criminal prosecution, it is difficult for him to receive treatment in Krasnoyarsk. He also cannot visit his elderly mother in another city. The prosecution of her husband and son has further worsened Olga\u0026#39;s already fragile health. However, the difficulties have not broken the family — the Vakarevs are certain that they have committed no crime.\n","date":"2026-06-18","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/vakarev/photo_hu_f48322a47abac9fe.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/vakarev/photo_hu_fa8c6f2e50eb8d6a.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/vakarev/photo_hu_15ec375686c46459.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/vakarev/photo_hu_5734a831d05db198.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/vakarev.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"tags":["disability","families"],"title":"Aleksandr Vakarev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Zakhar Vakarev was born in August 2002 in the small Siberian town of Uyar (Krasnoyarsk Territory) into a family of doctors. During his school years, he played volleyball and took part in sports events. He was also interested in computers and information technology. This interest influenced his choice of work: after finishing school, he trained as a programmer and found a job in that field. In his free time, Zakhar enjoys enduro motorcycling.\nZakhar’s parents played an important role in shaping his views — from childhood they discussed Bible accounts with him. Over time, Zakhar became convinced that Bible principles help him make wise decisions in life. In 2019, he was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.\nThe Vakarev family’s usual way of life was disrupted in February 2026, when father and son became defendants in a criminal case because of their faith.\n","date":"2026-06-18","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/vakarevz/photo_hu_2272b597830a66d9.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/vakarevz/photo_hu_b1e53b24b71b09fc.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/vakarevz/photo_hu_b0453e1e6d5d9e7a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/vakarevz/photo_hu_433e2d524819c50b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/vakarevz.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Zakhar Vakarev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\u0026quot;I was separated from my husband, we have not been able to see each other for more than a year,\u0026quot; said Irina Shishkina, who was placed under a recognizance agreement, while her husband is under house arrest due to criminal prosecution for their faith.\nIrina was born in the small village of Karalda, Kemerovo Region. In the family were five children — Irina and her 4 brothers. Their father worked as a chief accountant in a factory for 45 years, and then served in the tax inspectorate; their mother worked as a nanny in a kindergarten and in a store, but she devoted most of her time to her family. Her parents and one of her brothers are no longer alive.\nFrom childhood, Irina loved outdoor games and hiking; she helped her parents with the housework, learned to knit, sew and embroider. During her school years, she became interested in sports — volleyball, basketball, running, skiing — and participated in competitions.\nAfter finishing school, she entered the Novokuznetsk Agricultural College, where she trained as an accountant. She worked in a branch of a bank as the head, and later in retail. In 2024, she qualified as a pharmacist and got a job in a pharmacy.\nIrina\u0026#39;s father was the first in the family to meet Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and in the 1990s he was baptized. A few years later, Irina became interested in the Bible. She recalls: \u0026quot;In the Bible, I found answers to many questions and my life gained purpose. I became a better person.\u0026quot; In 2010, Irina became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nAfter the death of her mother, the believer began to take care of her father, after he had suffered a stroke, until his death. In 2013, Irina married Vasiliy Shishkin. They are united by a love of nature, walking, cycling,hiking and camping.\nDespite the criminal prosecution, those around them have not turned their backs on the Shishkins: colleagues and neighbors respect and try to support Irina, relatives and friends remain a reliable support.\n","date":"2026-03-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shishkina/photo_hu_a48720cfa07b8c5d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shishkina/photo_hu_d8424b1ad1a62f50.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shishkina/photo_hu_901154aedfb68d8c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shishkina/photo_hu_cbfc7089fbc6c73b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shishkina.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Irina Shishkina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In February 2026, Ruslan and Roza Tazýrov were placed in pretrial detention because of their faith in Jehovah God. What happened shocked not only their relatives: colleagues and acquaintances also openly express their bewilderment. \u0026quot;They are religious people, but you can\u0026#39;t take away someone\u0026#39;s freedom for that,\u0026quot; one colleague said.\nRuslan was born in December 1974 in the village of Usmanovo, Kunashaksky District, Chelyabinsk Region. There were three sons in the family: one brother is 9 years younger than Ruslan and his older brother has passed away. His mother worked her entire life as a construction worker at a Sovkhoz — a state-owned agricultural enterprise during the Soviet era. She is known for her hospitality. Now she has retired. Ruslan\u0026#39;s father was highly regarded at the same farm, where he worked as a combine operator and driver. Thanks to his parents\u0026#39; upbringing, Ruslan grew up to be a kind, cheerful, and hospitable person; he developed a liking for working with machinery and wood.\nAs a child, Ruslan took care of animals and often went fishing with his dog. He was also interested in martial arts and ice hockey. During his teenage years, he gained a reputation as a troublemaker — he got drunk, smoked, and got into fights.\nWhile studying in secondary school, Ruslan trained as a tractor driver and machine operator. Immediately after graduation, he began working as a combine operator at the state farm, fulfilling his dream, since combine harvesters were his favorite type of machinery. Later, he worked as a tinsmith and a janitor.\nIn 1996, Ruslan married Roza. The couple have two adult children and a grandson. Roza works in the cleaning sector. She enjoys cooking homemade food, especially pancakes, dumplings, and pies. In the summer, the couple goes mushroom picking, camping and fishing. During these trips, Ruslan lights a charcoal-fired samovar.\nOver the years the family lived in various places: the city of Miass, the village of Uyskoye in the Chelyabinsk Region, Kamensk-Uralsky in the Sverdlovsk Region and Ufa.\nRoza was the first to begin studying the Bible with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Later, Ruslan joined her, aiming to strengthen their family. In 2003, they were baptized together.\nRelatives and friends are concerned not only about the unjust criminal prosecution of Ruslan and Roza, but also for their health. During these events, Ruslan\u0026#39;s hypertension has worsened, and he frequently suffers from severe headaches. Roza\u0026#39;s sister and her family have also been subjected to searches and interrogations.\n","date":"2026-04-13","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/tazyrov/photo_hu_cf15fb4354712bdb.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/tazyrov/photo_hu_b9377333a756454d.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/tazyrov/photo_hu_4276951dd5a0d006.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/tazyrov/photo_hu_2c91e81eed67a6d3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/tazyrov.html","regions":["bashkortostan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Ruslan Tazyrov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Bashkir families are often described as close-knit and hospitable. Their values include respect for the elderly, care for the younger ones, and a high regard for marriage. Roza Tazyrova was raised in such a family — and later had such a family of her own. For many years, she and her husband have been living by Christian principles and passed them on to their children. But in 2026, the Tazyrovs were placed in a pretrial detention center and charged with extremism because of their beliefs.\nRoza was born in 1978 in the town of Uchaly (Bashkortostan). She has an older sister and a younger brother. Guests were often welcomed in their home. Until retirement, her father worked as a truck driver and mechanic, while her mother did various jobs and worked as a forklift driver at a factory. In their youth, they took part in the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline.\nAs a child, Roza trained in a skiing club, competed, and won prizes, but a heart condition forced her to give up sports. In her teenage years, she became interested in street dancing.\nAfter finishing school, Roza trained as a programmer. She worked as a social worker, an overnight childcare worker, and a cleaner. She married at 18. When Roza began learning Bible teachings, Ruslan joined her. It helped him give up bad habits, change his lifestyle, and strengthen their marriage. In 2003, the Tazyrovs were baptized as Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nThe couple raised a son and a daughter; in time, they also welcomed a grandson. In summer, the family enjoys spending time outdoors — picking berries and mushrooms, fishing, and camping. Roza likes cooking, especially blini, pelmeni, manty, and pies, and Ruslan shares this passion. A warm family tradition of the Tazyrovs is treating guests to tea brewed in a charcoal-heated samovar.\nThe criminal prosecution has radically changed the Tazyrovs\u0026#39; lives. The search and arrest have had a negative impact on their health.\n","date":"2026-04-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/tazyrova/photo_hu_992231cec29b57f8.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/tazyrova/photo_hu_90d08892b6d106a3.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/tazyrova/photo_hu_8d7829e16369878.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/tazyrova/photo_hu_99dbec70dffb8d69.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/tazyrova.html","regions":["bashkortostan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Roza Tazyrova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Judge Vasilina Bezotecheskikh of the Birobidzhan District Court announced the verdict against Oleg Postnikov on February 12, 2026 — 6 years and 2 months in a penal colony. Earlier, the same court had given Oleg and his wife, Agnessa, suspended sentences on similar charges.\nThe Postnikovs have lived in Birobidzhan since the late 1980s. Oleg has several trades and has worked as a plumber for more than 15 years. In his youth — before becoming one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — he became involved with a gang and ended up in a penal colony. According to Oleg, it was studying the Bible that helped him abandon his destructive lifestyle for good.\nExactly 6 years ago, on February 12, 2020, criminal charges were brought against Oleg and his wife for their faith. Years of investigation and multiple rounds of court proceedings ended in a guilty verdict. Just a few months after the sentence entered into force, their home was searched. The following year it happened again, another criminal case against Oleg was initiated and he was placed in a detention center.\n\u0026quot;Since I remain one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, I understand that the court may well refuse to protect me,\u0026quot; Oleg said in his final statement. Anticipating a harsh sentence, he also shared his personal concerns: \u0026quot;It pains me that simply because I believe in God differently than others, my dear wife — my companion for 36 years — may be separated from me for many years.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution\u0026#39;s main evidence consisted of video recordings of meetings for worship. \u0026quot;After almost a full year of covert filming, the FSB managed to select only a handful of meetings they considered the most \u0026#39;extremist,\u0026#39; which rather show that we are ordinary people who respect everyone without exception,\u0026quot; Oleg said. He paid special attention to one recording included in the case file: \u0026quot;A telling example is the closing prayer in which those present ask for strength to endure the hardships caused by persecution. There is no request for punishment or harm to our persecutors. Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses would never wish such a thing on anyone.\u0026quot;\nBoth criminal cases against Postnikov were initiated by investigator Dmitriy Yankin, known for his conveyor‑belt approach to prosecuting believers. He has already brought more than 20 cases against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Recalling the recent wave of repression in Birobidzhan, Oleg noted in court: \u0026quot;The case files contain orders to initiate criminal proceedings against six citizens. Who are they? Ordinary people: raising children, kept their families together, conscientious workers, they have no enemies, well‑regarded by everyone around them. Exactly the same, identical, as it was with me.\u0026quot;\nIn total, 32 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already faced criminal prosecution for their faith in the Jewish Autonomous Region.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-02-12T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/02/121440/image_hu_7f8512125bcbcf6d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/02/121440/image_hu_e6eabd4c5b412fcf.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/02/121440/image_hu_42bcb0f3a84452a7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/02/121440/image_hu_54077bd73004a618.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/02/121440.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","elderly","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1"],"title":"“Ordinary People”: Oleg Postnikov — One of Jehovah’s Witnesses — Sent to Penal Colony in Second Case for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge Sergey Maksimov of the Leninskiy District Court of Ulyanovsk issues a court order on selecting a preventive measure for Igor Balashov and Igor Popov — house arrest. Aleksandr and Irina Elizarov are sent to the pretrial detention center by the court.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Balashov and Others in Dimitrovgrad","date":"2026-02-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/dimitrovgrad/index.html#20260205","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"tags":["house-arrest","sizo","liberty-deprivation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Aleksandr and Irina Elizarov are charged under Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC; both are being questioned as defendants.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Balashov and Others in Dimitrovgrad","date":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/dimitrovgrad/index.html#20260204","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"tags":["282.2-2","interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Lieutenant D. B. Alushin, investigator of the Federal Security Service Directorate for the Ulyanovsk Region, initiates a criminal case. Igor Balashov is suspected of organizing the activity of an extremist organization; Igor Popov, Aleksandr and Irina Elizarov are suspected of participating in it. According to the investigator, the illicit actions were expressed in \"assembling clandestine meetings, organizing religious talks and meetings for worship.\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Balashov and Others in Dimitrovgrad","date":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/dimitrovgrad/index.html#20260202","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On Monday, February 3, 2026, law enforcement officers detained Uyar residents Sergey Soroka, Ivan Starikov, and Aleksandr Murlin. They were placed in a pretrial detention center 2 days later. On Thursday, two more believers — Aleksandr and Zakhar Vakarev, father and son — were detained at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. The FSB had declared them wanted the day before.\nCases involving Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Uyar are being handled by Aleksandra Tkachenko, an investigator with the local branch of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia. A few months earlier, she had authorized the arrests of two other Uyar residents — Viktor Kononov and Aflatun Safarov.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/prison.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/02/121442.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","families"],"title":"Five More Jehovah’s Witnesses from Uyar Detained","type":"news"},{"body":"Vladlena Kukavitsa, 35, has been defending her right to freedom of religion for 2 years, the last 7 months — at the retrial in the Birobidzhan District Court. Judge Olga Klyuchikova made the final decision on January 22, 2026.\nThe first verdict (6 years suspended) was overturned by the court of appeal. Vladlena was charged with involving others in the activity of an extremist organization and participating in it. The case of the believer, like dozens of similar ones throughout the country, was based on the testimony of an informant. Vladlena says that there were no expressions of extremism in her conversations with Zhukova-Suvorova, who turned out to be a secret agent. The conversations were friendly and focused on discussing Bible teachings, God\u0026#39;s qualities, and prayer. The videos that were viewed in court showed how Vladlena encouraged the woman to show love to others, forgive and not hold a grudge.\nAfter the liquidation of religious organizations and the beginning of actual persecution against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia, Vladlena became anxious. \u0026quot;At first, it was difficult. I heard the news: in one place after another, law enforcement officers break into houses, conduct searches and arrest people,\u0026quot; she says. \u0026quot;Sadly, some ended up behind bars. But I saw how they overcame it all. This strengthened me.\u0026quot;\nStill, the stress in connection with the criminal prosecution left its mark. \u0026quot;I needed to seek medical help repeatedly because the criminal prosecution affected my health. Now I am constantly taking medication,\u0026quot; she said at one of the court hearings.\nVladlena expressed special gratitude to her mother for her support: \u0026quot;She is always by my side. She herself has had to go through searches and interrogation; she always accompanied me when I went to the investigator and waited on the street next to the FSB building while I was there.\u0026quot; In October 2025, a criminal case was also initiated against Kukavitsa\u0026#39;s mother, Yelena Shestopalova.\nThe family of Vladlena Kukavitsa is not the first to be in the focus of law enforcement officers. In Birobidzhan, alreadyeight families are being prosecuted for their faith in Jehovah God. This trend has been going on for years.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-01-22T14:34:53+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/01/221434/image_hu_cf774470a0673708.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/01/221434/image_hu_7bb46e70ddda3c92.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/01/221434/image_hu_230523dafd3ae34a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/01/221434/image_hu_5d9954150d9e33b3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/01/221434.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"This Time — 4.5 Years Suspended","tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","families"],"title":"Vladlena Kukavitsa From Birobidzhan Again Convicted for Her Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Platonova interrogates Irina Shishkina. The woman uses Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. It turns out that the believer is in the status of a suspect in a criminal case.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Shishkina in Prokopyevsk","date":"2026-01-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/prokopyevsk5/index.html#20260114","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"\u0026quot;They imprison less, but more severely\u0026quot; — that was the headline of a similar review a year ago, when statistics gave hope that the repression against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia if not subsiding, was at least losing intensity. A year later, it is clear that this is not the case. In 2025, the number of raids, new criminal defendants, and incidents of unprovoked violence against believers has increased. In more than 8 years of persecution, the total prison terms handed down have exceeded 1,000 years. This article looks at the human stories which are masked by the dry reports of \u0026quot;crusaders against extremism\u0026quot; — extremism that has never been proven — and at what Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia have faced during the past year.\nMillennium of Incarceration Aleksey Lelikov has devoted nearly his entire life to music. For many years, he taught piano and, in 1994, even reached the finals of the \u0026quot;Teacher of the Year\u0026quot; competition in Krasnodar. Around the same time, Aleksey became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. He had never had any trouble with the law. Yet in February 2025, on indiscriminate charges of extremism, a court sentenced the disabled 64-year-old believer to 6.5 years imprisonment.\nAleksey is just one among 906 individuals whose lives have been irrevocably changed by prosecution for their faith. During 8.5 years of persecution, more than 500 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — men and women — have served time behind bars, and 179 remain imprisoned to this day. Verdicts have been issued against 665 believers. Of these, 215 people (32%) received prison sentences — 146 of them (68%) were sentenced to 5 years or more. The combined length of prison terms totals 1,128 years.\nIn 2025, 107 searches (5 more than the previous year) were conducted, bringing the total to 2,268 — on average 1 search every 30 hours. The number of new defendants also rose compared to 2024: 61 as opposed to 53. During the past year, 125 believers were convicted. Of these 38 were sentenced to prison, with the overwhelming majority — 30 (nearly 80%) — receiving more than 5 years. The harshest sentence that year — 7 years in a penal colony — was handed down to four believers: Yevgeniy Sokolov from Voronezh, Samvel Babayan from Samara, Ivan Neverov from Saransk, and Igor Lonchakov from Vladivostok. Yevgeniy and Samvel suffer from serious illnesses and Igor is disabled.\nSuspended sentences were given to 49 people (39%), and 37 were fined amounts ranging from 250,000 to 650,000 rubles.\nLast year 16 believers completed their prison terms and were released. Among them was Aleksandr Seredkin, 71. He was freed only after it was discovered he has advanced cancer. \u0026quot;I\u0026#39;m still young,\u0026quot; he joked, adding: \u0026quot;I want to recover and finish the Christian race to the end.\u0026quot;\nTorture, Violence, and Real Victims Search and arrest. Illustrative photo. In 2025, there were at least eight cases of unprovoked violence and cruel treatment against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — including incidents that meet the definition of torture under the UN Convention.\nDuring more than 8 years of persecution, already over 70 believers have suffered such abuse. None of these crimes have been properly investigated, and none of the perpetrators have faced the punishment prescribed by law.\nDuring the year, three elderly believers who were criminally prosecuted passed away: Liliya Dolinina, Lyudmila Shut, and Valeriy Baylo. Valeriy died in the actual detention center, never having received the medical care he needed. In total, the number of deaths in connection wtih the criminal prosecution has reached 16.\n\u0026quot;I Wish You Many Happy Years in Your Loving Family Home...\u0026quot; Disabled Anatoliy Yevtushenko says goodbye to his family after being sentenced to 2 years in a penal colony. Krasnodar, December 2025. At least 81 prosecuted individuals have documented serious health conditions, 34 are officially disabled. Today, 36 seriously ill believers are held in penal colonies and pretrial detention centers, where access to proper medical care is often impossible.\nThe disability of Boris Andreyev, 74, was recognized when he was already in the penal colony. The court sentenced him to 6 years, fully aware of his serious illness — already during the preliminary investigation a precancerous condition requiring regular medical monitoring was identified. Boris was unable to obtain a full medical examination for more than a year in detention and his condition worsened. Only in 2025 did a medical commission confirm the diagnosis — cancer. Boris underwent a course of treatment.\nCongratulatory Certificate from the Mayor of Moscow to the Marunov family on their anniversary Anatoliy Marunov, 72, is serving a 6.5-year sentence in a penal colony. Even before his imprisonment, he had suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with heart failure, hypertension, and a prostate tumor. When his wife visited him in the penal colony in the Tambov Region and saw his condition, she was alarmed. \u0026quot;I was terrified,\u0026quot; Alfia said. \u0026quot;He was covered in tubes, catheters, bags... It\u0026#39;s no longer a person, but a living corpse...\u0026quot; In January 2025, Anatoliy needed surgery, but it could not be performed in that region. The court refused to reduce his sentence despite doctors\u0026#39; conclusions that his life was at risk. In October, he was hospitalized, and in December, a medical commission confirmed his disability. Meanwhile, the court of cassation upheld the verdict, refusing to attach documents about his condition to the case. Today, Anatoliy receives only limited medical care. In bitter irony, Moscow City Hall recently sent the separated Marunov family a congratulatory letter on their 50th wedding anniversary. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin praised the elderly couple as an example for young people and wished them \u0026quot;many happy years in their loving family home.\u0026quot;\nAlmost one-third of those prosecuted for their faith (266 people) are over 60. The same proportion applies to new defendants in 2025 (19 out of 60). Currently, 37 elderly believers remain behind bars. Samvel Babayan, 53, from Samara was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. At the time of his arrest, he was preparing for major surgery, but treatment was canceled. Soon after, his chronical illnesses of his internal organs, including a tumor, worsened. He suffers constant spinal pain, has lost 15 kilograms and hearing in one ear. For more than a year, Samvel remained in pretrial detention without proper medical care. He now awaits transfer to a penal colony, where adequate treatment is impossible. Severe pain plagued him even during court hearings. The defense requested fewer sessions, but the court refused. At one hearing, Samvel lost consciousness and an ambulance was called — yet the trial was not postponed.\nSecret \u0026quot;Pastor\u0026quot; Across the country, law enforcement agencies spy on believers, including using agents who feign an interest in the Bible. For months — sometimes years — they secretly record conversations and later testify in court as anonymous witnesses.\nAt least 30 criminal cases have been built on false testimony from such informants. One agent, Yekaterina Petrova, spied on a group of 17 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, including elderly people. Her testimony led to prison sentences of up to 8 years. Another example: nearly all criminal cases in the village of Vyselki, Krasnodar Territory, were fabricated through the efforts of an agent known in court under the pseudonym \u0026quot;Pastor\u0026quot;.\nThe cases of Viktor Spirichev (left) and Sergey Dvurechenskiy (right) are based on testimony from \u0026quot;Pastor.\u0026quot; Both were sentenced on the same day: 2 years suspended. Vyselki, December 2025. All that the testimony of these spies managed to prove was that the believers discussed the Bible and prayed to Jehovah. During hearings, often the agents end up giving testimony in favor of the defense during hearings. \u0026quot;I, for example, never heard the defendant say that other religions are bad,\u0026quot; Pastor admitted at Spirichev\u0026#39;s trial, where Viktor was later given a suspended sentence. Sergey Dvurechenskiy said about this witness: \u0026quot;He\u0026#39;s doing this for some reason — resentment or something else. That\u0026#39;s his business. It's not for me to judge... There\u0026#39;s still some hope that he\u0026#39;ll come to his senses.\u0026quot;\n\u0026quot;The KGB used exactly the same tactics during the Soviet-era ban on Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. It\u0026#39;s all in the archives and repeatedly documented by historians,\u0026quot; says Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. \u0026quot;What did these spies uncover? The same as now: Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are not enemies of society or the state. In 1991, a law was passed to rehabilitate victims of repression, and in 1996, a presidential decree explicitly instructed the Prosecutor General\u0026#39;s Office, FSB, and Interior Ministry to ensure rehabilitation of citizens harmed by terror. Today\u0026#39;s authorities cannot claim ignorance of this.\u0026quot;\nGold Mine Yevgeniy and Tatyana Dodolin. They have been in pretrial detention since spring 2025. \u0026quot;It seems that for law enforcement agnecies, the tactic of targeting entire families has become a gold mine: why go after real criminals? That\u0026#39;s dangerous. It\u0026#39;s much easier to go after the relatives of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses who are already under investigation. Most believers have strong family ties, so chances are — husband, wife, son, daughter — they also read and discuss the Bible. It really looks like that\u0026#39;s exactly what investigators are doing,\u0026quot; commented one lawyer who has helped defend the rights of believers in numerous criminal cases.\nIn 2025, criminal cases were initiated against four married couples: Nikolay and Larisa Kosov from Cherkessk (under travel restrictions), as well as Tomsk residents Yevgeniy and Tatyana Dodolin, Yevgeniy and Yana Abramov, Aysulu Tastaybekova and Vladimir Pushkov (all currently in pretrial detention). The numbers of believers prosecuted after their family members grew to include Yelena Shestopalova (mother of Vladlena Kukavitsa) and Mariya Pankova (wife of Sergey Tolokonnikov).\nAt least 172 Jehovah's Witnesses who have been prosecuted have one or more relatives who faced similar circumstances. Moscow resident Sergey Tolokonnikov hugs his wife after his release. The court found her guilty for her faith 5 months later. June 2025. \u0026quot;I was getting ready to attend the trial of my daughter Vladlena,\u0026quot; Yelena Shestopalova recalled the events in October. \u0026quot;An early ring at the door surprised me: \u0026#39;Could it really be a search on the very day of the trial?\u0026#39; I had already gone through one search. I understood they could come again and initiate a case — it was only a matter of time.\u0026quot; She added: \u0026quot;My life has changed a lot, but I never lost my joy and always believed that Jehovah would not abandon me during my troubles.\u0026quot;\nCases in an Endless Cycle Trials against many Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have become an endless cycle: cases are sent back to the prosecutor\u0026#39;s office, then the trial starts over; appeals overturn decisions, judges recuse themselves, the wait for a verdict drags on for years. This has happened in at least 33 criminal cases.\nAnother extreme: after securing a conviction, law enforcement agencies initiate yet another criminal case against the same believer. Some become defendants again while serving suspended sentences (such as Aleksandr Serebryakov or Oleg Postnikov). Others face new charges while already in a penal colony.\nDmitriy Terebilov at one of the hearings. January 2022. A telling example is Dmitriy Terebilov: he was prosecuted for answering a cellmate\u0026#39;s questions about faith. In addition to the 3 years he had already served in a penal colony, the prosecutor requested another 10. \u0026quot;What\u0026#39;s criminal about sharing your thoughts about God, discussing a passage from the Bible, or some scientific or historical fact?\u0026quot; he expressed his bewilderment during one of the hearings.\nCurrently, the maximum prison term handed down to one of Jehovah's Witnesses is 8 years — there are six such prisoners of conscience today. In reality, unjust punishment doesn\u0026#39;t end even after release from a penal colony — believers continue to face additional restrictions. As a result, the actual duration of repression can exceed 20 years. For example, the prosecution of Dmitriy Barmakin began in July 2018. After lengthy investigations and numerous court hearings, he was sent to a penal colony, from which he should be released in November 2029. After that, he will be under restriction of freedom for another year, followed by 10 years of administrative oversight. In total, if nothing changes, the persecution of Dmitriy and his family will stretch to 22 years.\nLife on Hold Losing their freedom is not the only hardship faced by Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses who are being persecuted. The state employs numerous methods to infringe upon their rights. For example, before a verdict is reached, defendants are almost always subjected to some form of preventive measure: they are often forbidden to leave their homes (even briefly) without official permission, to use communication devices, and sometimes even to speak with family members.\nRead more about repressive measures in criminal prosecution in the article: What Restrictions Are Faced by Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia? Suspended sentences are the most common form of punishment for Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — since 2017, 331 believers have been given such sentences. This type of verdict always includes a probation period ranging from 6 months to 5 years, during which the individual must \u0026quot;prove his correction\u0026quot; by exemplary behavior. If law enforcement agencies deem that the believer has committed any serious violations, the court can easily replace the suspended sentence with actual imprisonment.\nAleksey and Yuliya Pasynkov Such restrictions inevitably affect the families of those being prosecuted. Aleksey and Yuliya Pasynkov were both given suspended sentences in 2025. They are raising a son with a severe disability. \u0026quot;Even before the prosecution began, we had planned trips to doctors in Moscow and St. Petersburg — all of this has now been delayed for several years. Now we are limited as to how we can move forward with his treatment,\u0026quot; Aleksey said before his wife\u0026#39;s verdict was announced.\nBoth parents have been added to the so-called list of terrorists and extremists by Rosfinmonitoring. At various times, this list has included the names of 741 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and 570 remain on it today. For those on the list, even simple everyday tasks become significantly harder. People in poor health and the elderly are especially vulnerable — they may face difficulties paying for medical services or receiving social assistance.\n\u0026quot;To collect my salary, I have to go to the bank twice a month. Sometimes I have to endure humiliation, explaining to the staff that I\u0026#39;m not an extremist,\u0026quot; explained Maksim Beltikov, a father of three. He served 2 years in a penal colony but still feels the consequences of the unjust prosecution.\n\u0026quot;They Will Deport Him — What About His Family?\u0026quot; A new trend that has been gaining momentum over the past year is revoking the citizenship of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses under prosecution. The procedure is simple: if a convicted believer\u0026#39;s citizenship had been acquired, it is simply annulled shortly after the verdict takes effect. At least 12 people have faced this situation.\nWhat does this mean in practice for believers and their families? Some again risk religious discrimination now in their country of birth; others face indefinite separation from loved ones; some may even become stateless due to bureaucratic hurdles.\nRustam Diarov is one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses whose citizenship was revoked. Upon his release he faces deportation, to where — still unknown. Rustam\u0026#39;s wife and elderly mother are Russian citizens. His wife is disabled and depends on state-provided medication.\nMikhail Moysh with his wife and oldest son. A similar decision was made regarding Mikhail Moysh\u0026#39;s citizenship. He has been in custody since October 2021. Mikhail has two children; the younger was only a few months old when he was arrested. Since then, he has barely seen his sons. A deportation order could prolong this separation even further. Here\u0026#39;s how Moysh\u0026#39;s lawyer described the social dilemma:\n\u0026quot;One of his children was born here in Russia. And now, they will deport Moysh... What about his family? Do they have to leave too? And to where, if one child has almost finished school here and the other is still very young and an RF citizen by birth...\u0026quot;\n\u0026quot;These are just a few examples of the human drama hidden behind dry numbers,\u0026quot; says Yaroslav Sivulskiy. \u0026quot;History and today\u0026#39;s persecution prove only one thing: Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are being targeted without cause. But repression has not crushed their faith. So, we can be sure that, as the Bible says, \u0026#39;it will turn out well for those who fear the true God.\u0026#39;\u0026quot;\nNikolay Saparov, who was tortured during his arrest in spring 2022, has been behind bars for nearly 4 years. March 2025. Anatoliy Yevtushenko watches his friends and family as bailiffs lead him away in handcuffs from the courtroom. December 2025. Oksana Chausova, with tears of joy, shared her first moments of freedom with friends. September 2025. Dance of a free man. Artur Putintsev. April 2025. ","category":"analytics","date":"2026-01-08T08:21:40+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/01/071621/image_hu_4bf0f98c2051e909.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/01/071621/image_hu_99493c21d2de81cf.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/01/071621/image_hu_fd04654bdfaa2c3d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/01/071621/image_hu_21372a74e581e94e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/01/071621.html","regions":[],"subtitle":null,"tags":["review","search","torture","elderly","disability","prison-treatment","life-in-prison","minors","families","secret-witness","strict-conditions","health-risk","died"],"title":"A Thousand Years for Their Faith: Repression Against Jehovah’s Witnesses — 2025 Review","type":"news"},{"body":"Oksana Mikholap shares a cell with another prisoner. Previously, this woman was kept in the same cell with Anastasia Anufrieva, and then with Alyona Chernobaeva. According to her, only with them she feels calmer in prison.\nAndrei Mikholap is still in a double cell with another prisoner. It is spacious, warm, and has hot water.\nLetters in electronic form are received by the couple regularly, and in paper form they began to come only recently, after the censor returned from vacation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Anufriev and Others in Kstovo","date":"2026-01-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kstovo/index.html#20260106","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On December 30, 2025, Georgiy Nikulin, 62, left penal colony No. 3 for the Republic of Mari El, having served his sentence in full. The believer was met by his friends. His wife, Elena, could not be with him to share his joy of being released — she is still imprisoned.\nIn August 2022 the Nikulins, and four of their fellow believers, were convicted for their faith. Georgiy and Elena were sent to a pretrial detention center, and after the decision of the court of appeal, they were transferred to penal colonies in different regions. For a long time, they could not communicate: visits were impossible, and only after 1.5 years of being separated, the couple obtained permission to correspond.\nIn prison, Georgiy first worked in the sewing workshop, but due to problems with his sight, he was transferred to assembling electrical sockets. According to Georgiy, thanks to his faith, he endured difficult prison conditions, perhaps even easier than other prisoners. \u0026quot;I had high blood pressure. It reached 230, which shocked the medical team,\u0026quot; said the believer and added: \u0026quot;I constantly felt God\u0026#39;s support. Without his help, everything would have been completely different...\u0026quot;\nElena Nikulina is due to be released in August 2026. Three other defendants have already been released, and the sentence of Vladimir Atryakhin, father of two young children, ends in March 2028.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2025-12-30T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/12/310831/image_hu_a265198b85f3ff18.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/12/310831/image_hu_14a07bafb54814fd.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/12/310831/image_hu_fa233d900499df0b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/12/310831/image_hu_a42dd51e26a50106.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/12/310831.html","regions":["mordovia","mari-el"],"subtitle":"His Wife Still Serving Term for Her Faith","tags":["release","elderly","families"],"title":"Another Jehovah's Witness From Saransk Released.","type":"news"},{"body":"Mariya Ogoreva makes her final statement.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Mariya Ogoreva in Mednogorskiy","date":"2025-12-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy6/index.html#20251229","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["final-statement","sentence","suspended","families","elderly","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"\u0026quot;I am guilty not of committing a socially dangerous act but of remaining a believer,\u0026quot; said Mariya Ogoreva, 64. On December 29, 2025, Melek Bayramkulova, judge of the Karachayevskiy District Court of the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic gave her a 2-year suspended sentence.\nMariya is a widow. She and her husband were married for 38 years and raised three children. For many years she worked as a nanny in a kindergarten. In 2023-2024, 6 months apart, criminal cases were initiated against Mariya and her daughter Svetlana, based on the suspicion of participating in the activity of an extremist organization. Before that, several searches took place in their home — first as witnesses in the Pasynkov case, and then as suspects. During one of them, Mariya needed medical help.\nThe hearings for the believer\u0026#39;s case were held 80 kilometers from her home, as two judges from the local district court recused themselves. Friends supported Mariya: they came to the hearings, helped around the house, and called to encourage her. Mariya noted: \u0026quot;In this ordeal, we are not alone; they surrounded us with love.\u0026quot;\nOn October 1, 2025, the court gave Svetlana a 3-year suspended sentence. The basis for the criminal prosecution of the Ogorevs was their religious beliefs and participation in peaceful meetings for worship. In court, Mariya emphasized that in her case there is \u0026quot;not a single statement of an extremist nature, not a single call to hatred or enmity, not a single quote from literature that was declared extremist.\u0026quot;\nThe Ogorevs and Pasynkovs are prosecuted according to a similar pattern: first, one family member is made a suspect, and then his relatives.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-12-29T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/12/301627/image_hu_1f6f1b65bd23f577.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/12/301627/image_hu_3c6e6c59e4068c54.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/12/301627/image_hu_ea4eaf7da7b8330e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/12/301627/image_hu_7c4804510c5bcb69.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/12/301627.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"subtitle":"Earlier, Her Daughter, Also One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Was Convicted","tags":["final-statement","sentence","suspended","families","elderly","282.2-2"],"title":"Pensioner From Mednogorskiy Given Suspended Sentence.","type":"news"},{"body":"The Supreme Court of the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic upholds the verdict handed down earlier to Yulia Pasynkova — a 5-year suspended sentence.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Yuliya Pasynkova in Mednogorskiy","date":"2025-12-16T16:00:57+02:00","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy4/index.html#20251216","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["appeal","suspended","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Ruslan Teplukhin, judge of the Vyselkovskiy District Court, announced his decision in the case of Sergey Spirichev on December 9, 2025. On the same day, a sentence was also handed down to his fellow believer, Sergey Dvurechenskiy. Both were given identical suspended sentences for reading the Bible and discussing it with friends.\n\u0026quot;For me, extremism is unacceptable. I believe that violence breeds even more injustice. The Bible teaches not to repay evil with evil, but to overcome evil with good,\u0026quot; Viktor said at the final hearing of the trial, which had lasted 2 years. \u0026quot;I feel grateful for the prayers of my brothers and sisters in faith, but most of all I am thankful to Jehovah God for helping me remain steadfast and not become embittered,\u0026quot; Spirichev said.\nThe criminal case against Viktor was initiated by the Investigative Committee in May 2023 — a year after his home was searched. Due to the prosecution, he faced financial restrictions imposed by Rosfinmonitoring and was under a recognizance agreement until the verdict. \u0026quot;There are those I must care for: my wife Larisa (who has a disability), my father-in-law (Vladimir Kolesnikov, a widower, who is also being tried for his faith), and my parents. I am their only child left; my older brother died in 2018. These responsibilities are the cause of my concerns,\u0026quot; Viktor explained.\nIn the Krasnodar Territory, 38 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses aged 28 to 79 are facing criminal prosecution for holding joint meetings for worship, which, according to the ruling by the Plenum of the RF Supreme Court, is not a crime.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-12-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/12/101356/image_hu_62e9f516882395d2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/12/101356/image_hu_827b9fc6ae48cfea.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/12/101356/image_hu_dec45aeb15a2670c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/12/101356/image_hu_d53474bcd952138.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/12/101356.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","282.2-2"],"title":"Believer in Kuban Given 2-Year Suspended Sentence. Court Convicts Viktor Spirichev","type":"news"},{"body":"Five months ago, Mariya Pankova, 51, from Moscow, met her husband, Sergey Tolokonnikov, at the gates of the penal colony where he had served a sentence for his faith. Now she has been penalized — a fine of 500,000 rubles. This decision was announced by the Savelovskiy District Court of Moscow on November 26, 2025.\n\u0026quot;When my trial started and I said, that I didn't understand the charges against me at all, [the prosecutor] replied that, if anything was unclear my lawyer could explain it to me. But the lawyer asked the same thing... No answer was given; we never received one,\u0026quot; Mariya said in her final statement. The prosecutor requested that the believer be sent to a penal colony for 2.5 years for attending Christian meetings for worship.\nMariya and Sergey\u0026#39;s family has been living under prosecution for more than 4 years. Sergey spent most of that time in custody. The believer described what she felt: \u0026quot;We lived together for 27 years, and then I was alone... I felt like a little railroad car that had been moving smoothly and happily along the track of life behind an engine for many years — it was suddenly taken away. And now the car must move the entire load along a difficult track by itself — sometimes pushing, sometimes dragging, and sometimes helplessly crying by the wheels.\u0026quot; During that period, Mariya had to care on her own for her 78-year-old disabled mother and her mother-in-law.\nThe investigation against Pankova began 2 months before her husband\u0026#39;s release. \u0026quot;I have serious health problems,\u0026quot; the believer said, \u0026quot; which worsened once the criminal case was initiated.\u0026quot; The situation became even more difficult on the eve of the verdict: Mariya developed severe spinal pain and for several days could neither stand nor sit. During the same period, her mother-in-law passed away.\n\u0026quot;When I was separated from my husband, my trust in God, like an anchor, kept me from falling into despair and panic,\u0026quot; Mariya recalls. \u0026quot;When the criminal prosecution affected me personally, I realized I needed to develop even greater trust.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution of couples and multiple members of one family has already become a \u0026quot;hallmark\u0026quot; of Russian law enforcement agencies. Mariya\u0026#39;s words reflect the feelings of many believers in similar circumstances: \u0026quot;Criminal prosecution for faith and acts of mercy in today\u0026#39;s world makes no sense to me.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-11-26T14:52:12+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/11/261452/image_hu_34d0785023a9be90.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/11/261452/image_hu_84af692287aa951e.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/11/261452/image_hu_faf77373efa3f87a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/11/261452/image_hu_15a941f921a0b7ac.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/11/261452.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":"Wife of Convicted Jehovah's Witness Fined in Moscow","tags":["sentence","fine","families","282.2-2"],"title":"\"Criminal Prosecution for Acts of Mercy Makes No Sense to Me\".","type":"news"},{"body":"Yelena Shestopalova is a loving grandmother, mother and wife. Throughout her life she has tried to help others. In the fall of 2025, following her daughter Vladlena, she was prosecuted for her faith in Jehovah God. \u0026quot;I have to learn to trust people again,\u0026quot; she said.\nYelena was born in the summer of 1965 in the city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinskiy, located on the west coast of Sakhalin Island. She is the second of three sisters. Even though their parents adhered to different beliefs, the family was close-knit. Her father worked as a driver all his life, and her mother worked at a local fish factory. According to Yelena\u0026#39;s recollections, her father was respected for his willingness to help, and when he died, his obituary was published in the local newspaper.\nHer parents taught the girls to help people. \u0026quot;Mom sent me with gifts to elderly neighbors,\u0026quot; Yelena recalls. \u0026quot;We treated them to homebred meat and bacon. We washed dishes and floors, when they needed help. My mother would always say never take money for help. We could only accept a candy or cookie.\u0026quot;\nYelena was a sporty child. In summer, she loved swimming and cycling, and in winter skiing, regularly taking part in competitions. She also liked knitting. After school, she enrolled as an external student at the agronomy faculty of the Ussuri Agricultural Institute (now the Perm State Agricultural Academy). She was actively involved in student life: she supported classmates who struggled academically and served as the group leader.\nAt the institute, Yelena met her future husband Nikolay, who was studying at the zoological faculty. They got married in 1987 and moved to Nikolay\u0026#39;s hometown — Birobidzhan. The couple raised two daughters who already have their own families. Yelena and Nikolay love hiking and boating. She enjoys admiring the beauty of nature, bird watching, taking pictures and videos. She still likes to visit her hometown on Sakhalin and walk along the seashore.\nYelena has retired. During her life, she worked as an assistant in a biology laboratory, a social worker, as well as an agronomist in the Birobidzhan Youth Detention Center. Yelena helped her husband in his business, and for the last few years before retirement she worked as a cleaner for the Jewish Autonomous Region Authority.\nShe remembers when she first thought about God: \u0026quot;Around 1985, during a class on the basics of scientific atheism, the teacher gave us advice: \u0026#39;If believers come up to you and talk about God, don\u0026#39;t listen to them because they will definitely convince you that God exists.\u0026#39; From that time on, I wanted to find out: Does God really exist?\u0026quot; Thanks to a former colleague, she met Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, began to study the Bible, and was baptized in the summer of 1995.\n\u0026quot;Studying the Bible has become like a second higher education for me,\u0026quot; Yelena said. \u0026quot;The knowledge from this book helped me overcome negative character traits. I remember my husband saying to his sister: \u0026#39;Study the Bible with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Yelena has become wiser and calmer.\u0026#39; Applying Bible knowledge has helped me preserve and strengthen our marriage. I was also able to raise wise and kind children.\u0026quot;\nThe criminal prosecution has changed the usual way of life of Yelena and her loved ones. \u0026quot;My husband, who does not share my religious views, experienced severe stress... and so did my children, as well as relatives and friends. They are very worried about me,\u0026quot; she said. Yelena developed problems with blood pressure; she had to seek medical help due to anxiety and insomnia.\n","date":"2025-10-30","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shestopalova/photo_hu_27b887083c87cba6.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shestopalova/photo_hu_9c7644fb36a31385.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shestopalova/photo_hu_e79aa8f888b18f16.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shestopalova/photo_hu_e079779d1ef7c4e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shestopalova.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Yelena Shestopalova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"A 2-year suspended sentence was given to Irina Zinina, 37, on October 21, 2025 by the Vyselkovskiy District Court. She was found guilty of extremism for discussing the Bible with friends. In June, the court made a similar decision in the case of her mother, Lyudmila, a pensioner with serious illnesses.\n\u0026quot;Due to the application of this law [on extremism — ed.] many people are getting the wrong impression of me,\u0026quot; Irina addressed the court on the eve of the announcement of the verdict. \u0026quot;Still, there are a lot of sympathetic people who are outraged by the fact that they unfairly initiate criminal cases against law-abiding, decent people. It is sad that this law is applied to peaceful residents of different ages... among them are disabled, seriously ill, and some have even died under investigation.\u0026quot;\nBack in February 2022, the homes of Irina and Lyudmila Zinina were searched. Police officers searched them for the addresses of other believers, as well as books and notes with the name of God. More than a year later, criminal proceedings were initiated against both women.\n\u0026quot;Practical advice from the Bible has helped me for as long as I remember, for example: to always be a kind and decent person, to conscientiously do my job and carry out duties assigned to me,\u0026quot; said Irina, expressing her disagreement with the charge of extremism. She added: \u0026quot;In my role as a caregiver, I look after people from different backgrounds, statuses and religions, and they are all happy... People turn to me for mending and sewing clothes, for help with cleaning and for construction repairs. I carry out these tasks with willingness and diligence.\u0026quot;\nIrina and Lyudmila try not to lose optimism, despite the difficulties. Friends have supported them during this time: \u0026quot;They send drawings, videos, and encouraging thoughts; come to court hearings and try to support us there,\u0026quot; says Irina. \u0026quot;At first, it was hard to accept help, because usually you help yourself, but here...\u0026quot;\nIn total, 15 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already been prosecuted for their faith in the village of Vyselki. In three instances, law enforcement officers initiated cases against several family members.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-10-21T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/221336/image_hu_713f11ae1a3bcd6d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/221336/image_hu_25e97da1110f2370.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/221336/image_hu_16560cac9657fd4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/221336/image_hu_c620b9834f316497.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/221336.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":"Two People Already Convicted for Their Faith in This Family","tags":["suspended","families","282.2-2"],"title":"Court Considered Irina Zinina from Vyselki to Be An Extremist.","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 16, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights considered the applications of 5 women and 23 men who faced prosecution because of their faith. The court declared searches, arrests, restriction of freedom, confiscation of property and charges of extremism for peaceful religious activity illegal.\nHaving considered the case of Markin and Others v. Russia, the ECHR stressed that the prosecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses is \u0026quot;based on the impermissibly broad formulation and application of the extremism legislation.\u0026quot; \u0026quot;Since the authorities failed to demonstrate that the applicants were involved in any socially dangerous activities of an extremist nature, their prosecution and conviction for peacefully practising the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in community with others... did not pursue any legitimate aim or \u0026quot;pressing social need\u0026quot;,\u0026quot; the judgment reads (paragraph 11).\nGroundless persecution brought severe hardships to the lives of the applicants: some were imprisoned for years, despite their old age or disability, some were separated from their families, and the health of many with serious illnesses worsened. For example, the court sent Valentina Baranovskaya, 70, to a penal colony shortly after a stroke; Yuriy Savelyev, at the age of 66, ended up behind bars and spent almost 5 years there (9 months of which were in strict conditions); Sergey Britvin, who is disabled, was imprisoned for 4 years; Stanislav Kim and Nikolay Polevodov were convicted twice. At the time of the ECHR decision, some applicants were still in penal colonies: father of 4 Sergey Filatov, Aleksandr Ivshin, 68, Artem Gerasimov and Roman Baranovsky.\nThe case of Markin and Others v. Russia included 14 applications, initially filed separately between 2018 and 2022, but due to the similarity of circumstances, were combined into one. The applicants were: Roman Markin and Viktor Trofimov from Polyarny (Murmansk Region); Ivan Puyda, Konstantin Petrov, Sergey Yerkin and Yevgeniy Zyablov from Magadan; Sergey Britvin and Vadim Levchuk from Berezovsky (Kemerovo Region); Nataliya Sorokina and Mariya Troshina from Sychevka (Smolensk Region); Andrzej Oniszczuk, Maksim Khalturin, Vladimir Korobeynikov, Andrey and Yevgeniy Suvorkov from Kirov; Sergey Skrynnikov from Oryol; Igor Ivashin from Lensk(Yakutia); Sergey Filatov, Artem Gerasimov from Crimea; Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim from Khabarovsk; the Alushkin couple and Galiya Olkhova from Penza; Yuriy Savelyev from Novosibirsk; Aleksandr Ivshin from Kholmskaya (Krasnodar Territory); mother and son Valentina Baranovskaya and Roman Baranovskiy from Abakan.\nThe decision issued in October echoes other ECHR judgments defending Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026#39; practicing their faith. This time, the believers were awarded compensation totaling EUR 430,000. Taking into account the previous judgments, Russia is obliged to pay more than EUR 4,000,000 to the prosecuted Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses as compensation for non-pecuniary damage.\n","category":"victory","date":"2025-10-16T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/221539/image_hu_95b089cb438c545f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/221539/image_hu_7528f5b05d9b6b65.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/221539/image_hu_5304f7c3a18e0ba7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/221539/image_hu_b500f32d9a08b1a6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/221539.html","regions":["eu","sakha","crimea","khakassia","murmansk","magadan","smolensk","kemerovo","kirov","oryol","khabarovsk","penza","novosibirsk","krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["echr","compensation","families","elderly"],"title":"\"Unlawfully Prosecuted\". ECHR Found Violation of Rights of 28 More Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 15, 2025, Aslanbek Tuarshev, judge of the Khabezskiy District Court, gave 60-year-old Tatyana Pasynkova a 4-year suspended sentence for participating in the activity of an extremist organization. Following her son Aleksey and his wife Yuliya, Tatyana was convicted for her religious beliefs.\nTatyana is a retired plant breeder. She raised three sons on her own. \u0026quot;Have fundamental [Bible] principles really become outdated or suddenly radical and extremist? Life depends on them! They are the moral benchmark, they have withstood the test of time... I never abandoned my children; I also never abandoned my parents, but I cared for them and loved them until they died. And is that what I\u0026#39;m being judged for?.. For raising my sons as worthy members of society despite having lived a difficult life?\u0026quot; said Tatyana Pasynkova in her final statement.\nShe has been under the close attention of law enforcement officers since 2021 — her home was searched five times. One of the searches she remembers especially well: \u0026quot;I opened the door wearing my nightdress and slippers. There were eight masked people in the courtyard. They had machine guns, pistols, a grenade hung on one side, handcuffs on the other. I was confused: \u0026quot;Oh, so many of you!\u0026quot; I asked them to put their weapons away.\u0026quot; She felt unwell — was having difficulty breathing and started shaking. She had to call an ambulance. Tatyana has serious problems with her heart and other internal organs. The stress caused by the prosecution affected her health \u0026quot;not in the best way\u0026quot; she said.\nTatyana often noticed that she and her family were under surveillance by her informant neighbors. \u0026quot;They looked through the fence into the windows, brazenly took photos and videos, for example, me walking with my grandson... It was both appalling and ridiculous when an informant drove a car around his garden and filmed us planting potatoes,\u0026quot; she recalls.\nAt the same time, Tatyana is not afraid to tell others about her prosecution: \u0026quot;I say directly: a criminal case has been initiated against me, a trial is underway, I am being tried for reading the Bible, for being one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\u0026quot; People\u0026#39;s reaction, she said, was often surprise: \u0026quot;How can you prosecute someone for his faith?\u0026quot;\nDuring these difficult times, Tatyana felt the love and support of people who care. When a hailstorm damaged the roof and windows of the Pasynkovs\u0026#39; house, friends came to the rescue: a couple from Krasnodar helped to repair the roof, another, from St. Petersburg, to replace the windows.\nTatyana considers any trials temporary: \u0026quot;I taught my sons that you don\u0026#39;t need to run away from difficulties, you need to overcome them. Hope is my lifeline. I look forward to the time when my grandson Timofey, who has a disability, will start talking, and we will have a heartfelt conversation with him.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution of Tatyana Pasynkova and her family is not the only case in today's Russia when Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses of different generations find themselves in the dock.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-10-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/161318/image_hu_5dff5976bb216fb1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/161318/image_hu_dbd68025360b3259.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/161318/image_hu_a6e725d07a04dee.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/161318/image_hu_25e2336b6dc4f28c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/161318.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"subtitle":"Pensioner From Karachayevo-Circassia Given Suspended Sentence","tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"\"Have Bible Principles Really Become Extremist?\"","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 15, 2025, Yelizaveta Proskuryakova, judge of the Vyselkovskiy District Court, gave Yelena Rumyantseva, 53, a 2-year suspended sentence with 6 months restriction of freedom based on charges of extremism. Shortly before that, her daughter, Vasilina Penskaya, was given a suspended sentence. Both women are Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn recent years, Yelena has gone through a lot — the sudden death of her husband in 2019, the illness and death of her father in 2021; her mother had a stroke and still needs constant care. In 2022, Yelena\u0026#39;s house was searched, her daughter Vasilina was prosecuted, and after a while the Investigative Committee also initiated a case against Yelena. A month later, Rosfinmonitoring blocked her accounts, which caused difficulties with her work.\n\u0026quot;I tried to stay strong after the search,\u0026quot; the believer recalls. \u0026quot;It seemed as if I was tough enough to handle it. But that only lasted for so long. Then I had an emotional breakdown. After all we\u0026#39;re not made of steel.\u0026quot; The support of friends and other people who cared, helped Yelena cope with what was happening. She said: \u0026quot;People you don\u0026#39;t know make many sacrifices, traveling from many kilometers to the courthouse just to be there with you. This is amazing and touching. They also help financially... I have everything I need and even more.\u0026quot;\nYelena\u0026#39;s case went to court at the same time as her daughter\u0026#39;s case, at the end of December 2023. Later, the judge in the case changed, and the trial began anew. During the hearings, the defense drew attention to numerous violations. The secret witness could not say anything specific about Rumyantseva except that she was present at the meetings for worship, and one of the expert studies had nothing to do with her. The investigator admitted that material evidence did not contain anything relevant to the case. The court also attached to the case file two certificates and a letter of thanks — from the management of the Berezanskaya Art School for many years of cooperation and support, from the administration of the Vyselkovskiy Municipality and from the Department of Consumer Affairs of the Krasnodar Territory for conscientious work.\n\u0026quot;Unfortunately, sincere faith is not always met with understanding,\u0026quot; the believer noted in her final statement. — \u0026quot;Fear, misunderstandings, or rumors can turn good deeds and simple religious meetings into something suspicious. But I want to be clear: my faith is based on love. It teaches me to be honest, kind and respectful to everyone. It has nothing to do with extremism.\u0026quot;\nThe case of Yelena Rumyantseva is one of 11 initiated by investigators against believers from Vyselki. In total, 38 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already been prosecuted in the Krasnodar Territory; one of them died in custody without having received the necessary medical care.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-10-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/160820/image_hu_10c4822dfad76c2b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/160820/image_hu_67ecb937d669ec4.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/160820/image_hu_6533193918e77402.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/160820/image_hu_b150e2122e7bb6ea.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/160820.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":"Earlier, Her Daughter Received Same Punishment","tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Court In Kuban Gave Yelena Rumyantseva Suspended Sentence for Her Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"Before the start of the court session, Vladlena Kukavitsa learns about the search in the house of her mother, Yelena Shestopalova, but continues to participate in the hearing. \"I understood that I needed to do what was in my power now — to concentrate on what was happening in court and defend myself,\" says Vladlena. Later, she learns that the search warrant was issued by the same judge who is considering her case.\nDuring the hearing, the prosecutor motions that witness V. E. Suvorova be interrogated via videoconferencing, citing her residence in Khabarovsk. Vladlena objects and explains that she needs to show Suvorova fragments of video recordings and ask questions about them, and the remote format does not allow this. She also reminds them that the witness has previously attended the court in person. The judge decides to summon Suvorova in person.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kukavitsa in Birobidzhan","date":"2025-10-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan20/index.html#20251009","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["retrial","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 9, 2025, law enforcement officers raided the homes of three female believers in Birobidzhan. One of them, Yelena Shestopalova, 60, is the mother of Vladlena Kukavitsa, who has been on trial for her faith for over a year.\nYelena was getting ready to go to her daughter\u0026#39;s trial when her house was searched. It happened at 7 a.m. Her husband, who was ill with SARS, was also in the apartment. Around the same time, searches took place at the homes of two other women and lasted from 1.5 to 3 hours. One of them was detained at her workplace. Electronic devices, Bibles, and personal notes were seized from the believers.\nIt turned out that a few days earlier, criminal cases had been initiated against Yelena Shestopalova, Olga Chebrak, 54, and Nataliya Kocheva, 63, on suspicion of participating in the activity of an extremist organization. The initiator was FSB investigator Dmitriy Yankin, who over the past 5 years has already initiated cases against at least 20 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Birobidzhan. The search warrant was issued by Olga Klyuchikova, the same judge who is handling the case of Yelena\u0026#39;s daughter.\nCurrently, the number of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses being prosecuted in Birobidzhan has reached 30.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2025-10-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/search.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/151414.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"Raid Affected Three Local Residents","tags":["search","new-case","282.2-2","families"],"title":"New Searches at Homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Birobidzhan.","type":"news"},{"body":"\"If my dad were alive, he would be proud of me, because I am not standing before the court for a bad case, but for my faith in God.\" Svetlana Ogoreva makes her final statement.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ogoreva in Mednogorskiy","date":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy/index.html#20251001","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["final-statement","families","sentence"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A 3-year suspended sentence — this punishment was imposed on Svetlana Ogoreva, 41, from Mednogorskiy by the Zelenchukskiy District Court on October 1, 2025. Attending peaceful meetings for worship and talking about her faith was enough to find her guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization.\nIn her final statement before Judge Fatima Borlakova, Svetlana said: \u0026quot;Although my health has suffered greatly from this unfair and unlawful criminal prosecution, I feel the support of my God and friends and I am sure that whatever the outcome of this case, I will continue to feel this support. [...] And I\u0026#39;m sure if my dad were alive, he would be proud of me. After all, I am not standing before the court for a bad deed, but for my faith in God.\u0026quot;\nAfter the death of her father, Svetlana moved to live with her widowed mother. In November 2021, the family\u0026#39;s home was searched, followed by a second search 2 years later. At first, Svetlana was a witness in the case of Aleksey Pasynkov, but then the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against her.\nDue to the stress experienced, Svetlana started having heart problems. Another cause of anxiety was the criminal case against her elderly mother, Mariya, who is also on trial for her faith. She has to attend hearings at a court which is located 80 kilometers from their home. Svetlana said that friends help them cope with difficulties. For example, one of the friends calls regularly, and others, who live in St. Petersburg, have sent a parcel with treats.\nSvetlana categorically disagrees with the charges for extremism. \u0026quot;As to associating with fellow believers, from the standpoint of the Bible, religion cannot be chaotic; believers cannot be apart from each other or act separately. Otherwise, divisions will develop, and the religion itself, that is, a particular denomination, will cease to exist,\u0026quot; she said.\nNeighbors spoke in support of Svetlana, providing the court with positive character references. According to them, she is kind to others and leads a healthy lifestyle. One of the neighbors said that Svetlana worked for her as a nanny. \u0026quot;I have known her since childhood as a very friendly girl, not looking for trouble, kind and without bad habits. She is approachable, polite, sociable,\u0026quot; the woman said. Another neighbor wrote: \u0026quot;My children love her very much. She organizes contests and games for the children.\u0026quot;\nMednogorskiy is a small village in the Urupskiy District of the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic with a population of less than 5500 people. In addition to Svetlana and Mariya Ogoreva, four other believers have been prosecuted there.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/071612/image_hu_f0e2a0bcd8c712f8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/071612/image_hu_9a922a760b6b64af.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/071612/image_hu_3d89f0ace3b988e1.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/071612/image_hu_aebd685b6ecfde2d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/071612.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"subtitle":"Svetlana Ogoreva Given Suspended Sentence","tags":["sentence","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"Court Found One More Peaceful Believer From Karachayevo-Circassia Extremist.","type":"news"},{"body":"Vladimir Pushkov and his wife Aysulu are having a hard time being separated from each other. Reading the Bible and walks help them to stay positive. Vladimir does exercises and keeps his cell clean. Aysulu does breathing exercises and takes medications prescribed by the doctor, as she suffers from osteoporosis. She has pain in her hip and her spine. She is also allergic to tobacco smoke.\nAnton Novopashin is trying to keep in good physical shape. He has a Bible; he receives letters and parcels.\nYevgeniy Abramov caught a cold — it is cold in the special unit.\nTatyana Dodolina reads a lot; replies to letters. She has started studying a foreign language.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Pushkov and Others in Tomsk","date":"2025-09-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/tomsk3/index.html#20250927","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["sizo","families","letters"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On September 19, 2025, the court announced the decision in the case of Ivan Neverov and Mikhail Shevchuk, whose family of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were repressed in Soviet times. The court sentenced Ivan Neverov to 7 years in a penal colony and Mikhail Shevchuk to 6.5 years. They were taken into custody in the courtroom.\nBack in 2016, before the liquidation of the organization of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia, Neverov and Shevchuk were eyewitnesses to searches in a building for worship. \u0026quot;Riot police and officers of the Center for Counteracting Extremism came and again planted literature,\u0026quot; Ivan recalls.\nYears later, Shevchuk\u0026#39;s younger brother, Aleksandr, and Neverov\u0026#39;s half-brother, Vladimir Atryakhin, were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for their beliefs. Soon also the homes of the believers were searched. Ivan and Mikhail were charged with \u0026quot;organizing the activity of an extremist organization.\u0026quot;\nNot all relatives coped with the shock. Shevchuk\u0026#39;s wife, Yaroslavna, said: \u0026quot;My grandmother lived with us, she was nearly 91 years old. During the search she was very stressed. This knocked her off her feet. She could not calm down and eventually after 6 months she died... Her heart could not take it.\u0026quot;\nDuring the preliminary investigation, the believers spent 2.5 months in pretrial detention and more than 3 months under house arrest. At that point, it became evident that law enforcement officers had been bugging Neverov\u0026#39;s house. \u0026quot;The recordings spanned about two years,\u0026quot; Ivan said. \u0026quot;Someone had been listening into all our private life. That's so unpleasant.\u0026quot;\nThe Proletarskiy District Court has been considering the case for the last 6 months; the trial was fast-paced, with four sessions per week, despite repeated requests from the defense to change the schedule. Inevitably the pace adversely affected the life of the believers and their families. \u0026quot;I lost clients,\u0026quot; said Ivan Neverov, a highly skilled decorator. \u0026quot;I still have my reputation though, and friends put jobs my way. But the hearings, the preparation for them... it was good if I managed to work for 2-3 hours a week.\u0026quot;\nMikhail Shevchuk, a furniture maker and highly skilled handyman, added: \u0026quot;If, for example, there are 4 days of trial in a week, how much time is left? And when you go work, what state is your mind in...\u0026quot; As both men mentioned, thanks to the efforts of their wives and the support of friends, they lacked nothing.\nIvan and Mikhail believe that their innocence has been proven. At one of the hearings, Shevchuk and Neverov provided the court with a list of 39 inconsistencies that they had found in the witness testimonies. \u0026quot;Every time we asked the prosecution the question \u0026quot;where is extremism, where is at least one piece of evidence, at least one word or statement\u0026quot;, the officers who conducted the operational-investigative measures said that they had not heard any such thing. Obviously, the whole charge is false.\u0026quot; Despite this, the prosecutor\u0026#39;s office requested 8 years imprisonment for Mikhail and 9 for Ivan.\nMikhail Shevchuk is a fourth-generation Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness. Back in the 1940s, two of his great-grandfathers were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment with confiscation of property and subsequent exile to Siberia. The repressions of believers in Soviet times ended with their rehabilitation. In modern-day Russia, the prosecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses has resumed, despite condemnation from the world community.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-09-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/09/221327/image_hu_39267ee0c3e0d198.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/09/221327/image_hu_5dd7836297401826.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/09/221327/image_hu_265abe54fb2b1012.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/09/221327/image_hu_66095ac2d3b9aa8c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/09/221327.html","regions":["mordovia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","families"],"title":"Court in Saransk Sent Two More Jehovah's Witnesses to Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 16, 2025, the court gave Yuliya Pasynkova, 34, a 5-year suspended sentence. Her husband, Aleksey, is already serving a suspended sentence for his faith, and her mother-in-law, Tatyana, is also being tried. \u0026quot;Being prosecuted for your faith in God is unnatural,\u0026quot; the believer said.\nThe Pasynkovs are raising a son with a disability. His illness is incurable. \u0026quot;Timofey is deprived of a normal life. He cannot say what he thinks, what he feels or what he wants,\u0026quot; the believer told the court, \u0026quot;he cannot be left alone even for 5 minutes.\u0026quot; Yuliya had to travel 150 kilometers from home to the hearings, which made the trial even more exhausting for the whole family. She recalls: \u0026quot;Sometimes I only slept for 3 hours to get there by 10 in the morning. When I returned home, my son would hug me for hours. He could cry for hours in the morning, because he did not see me.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution concluded that Yuliya had no mitigating circumstances and requested a long suspended sentence with additional restrictions. Nariman Abdokov, a judge of the Khabez District Court, fully supported this position when sentencing her.\nThe Pasynkovs have been living under prosecution for nearly 4 years. During this period, their home was searched three times. At the same time, a tragedy occurred — Yuliya\u0026#39;s parents were hit by a car. \u0026quot;Caring for my mother, my father\u0026#39;s funeral, taking care of my son and other difficulties — I could not have gone through all this alone, without my husband,\u0026quot; the believer recalls.\nAleksey and Yuliya stated that the difficulties brought their family together. \u0026quot;We had a warm, close relationship before,\u0026quot; Aleksey said, \u0026quot;but the prosecution brought us even closer. We spend a lot of time together, trying to console each other, strengthen each other... Especially when we are physically and emotionally drained.\u0026quot;\nThe authorities often subject several family members to repression for their faith: at least 170 of prosecuted Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have at least one relative in similar circumstances.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-09-16T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/09/171124/image_hu_e9b23ebcaae27986.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/09/171124/image_hu_aed7f59ff8d8c4e5.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/09/171124/image_hu_682614714035b44c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/09/171124/image_hu_ab171f9669aa6cc2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/09/171124.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"subtitle":"Court Sentences Mother of Disabled Child for Talking on Bible Topics","tags":["families","282.2-2","suspended"],"title":"Following Husband’s Footsteps.","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 15, 2025, Judge Andrey Petrov found Anastasiya Gaytur, 29, guilty of extremism and fined her 300,000 rubles. \u0026quot;Faced with criminal prosecution for my faith, I feel that they artificially want to make me a criminal\u0026quot;, she said in the Kurgan City Court.\nAnastasiya argued her position as follows: \u0026quot;There is not a single negative aspect in the case, there are no people whose lives I would have ruined. Even the witnesses for the prosecution didn\u0026#39;t say anything bad about me.\u0026quot; According to the defense, during seven court sessions which took place over 3 months, only the religious affiliation of the believer was proved.\nAs a fourth-generation Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness, Anastasiya knows firsthand what repression for faith is: her relatives were deported from the Moldavian SSR to Siberia in the summer of 1949 as part of Operation South. The prosecution of Anastasiya began in 2024, a year after a criminal case was initiated against her father Aleksandr. Since then, she has faced a number of restrictions: a recognizance agreement, blocked accounts, loss of her job (she was a cleaner in the same court that considered her case).\nAnastasiya says: \u0026quot;It was difficult for my body to adapt to the new realities, it began to malfunction, so I had to go to the hospital.\u0026quot; Anastasiya was able to cope with all the difficulties thanks to the help of loved ones. \u0026quot;They know better than anyone else how my nerves and health were affected due to this unfair prosecution,\u0026quot; she said. She also spoke warmly of her friends who comforted her, showed love and care, and gave her gifts.\nThe criminal prosecution had an impact on Anastasiya\u0026#39;s view on life. \u0026quot;Although I have never been well-off and have always appreciated simple things, but with the prosecution,\u0026quot; she admitted,\u0026quot; I began to thank God more that, for example, I spend the night at home in my cozy room, and not in a pretrial detention center; I sleep on my comfortable sofa with clean bed linen without cockroaches; I can eat and sleep as much as necessary; breathe fresh air; see my family in person.\u0026quot; At the same time, Anastasiya remains true to her beliefs: \u0026quot;I will not give up the path I have chosen nor stop being who I am — a Christian.\u0026quot;\nIn present-day Russia, at least five families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, including Aleksandr Gaytur, Ivan Shulyuk, Viktor Ursu, Yevgeniy Zinich, Aleksandr, and Mikhail Shevchuk, have been prosecuted on the same grounds on which their relatives were exiled to Siberia during the Soviet era.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-09-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/09/160938/image_hu_e71ef4e0acd000ee.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/09/160938/image_hu_8a6015aa3467b41e.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/09/160938/image_hu_fe44b9e1491d95bd.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/09/160938/image_hu_e25a027e1a4c6b4d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/09/160938.html","regions":["kurgan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","fine","families","ussr"],"title":"\"I Will Not Stop Being A Christian\" — Anastasiya Gaytur, Descendant of Victims of Repression, Convicted for Her Beliefs","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 4, 2025, Irina Ushakova, 50, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, was given a 2-year suspended sentence. Irina has faced repression previously — at the age of 16 she was forced to leave Tajikistan due to ethnic discrimination. Now she has been convicted for her religious beliefs.\nThe proceedings against Irina have been ongoing since February 2024. The criminal prosecution, however, has defined the life of her family for more than 3 years: during this time, the home of the Ushakovs was searched twice, and Vitaliy, the head of the family, ended up in a pretrial detention center for 7 months. \u0026quot;I missed his support,\u0026quot; Irina recalls. \u0026quot;I had to fight to get permission to visit my husband, and it took courage to approach the authorities.\u0026quot; Shortly before those events, she underwent a serious operation and a course of radiotherapy.\nIrina Ushakova in the courtroom on the day of the verdict Irina with her husband Vitaliy. July 4, 2025 Friends hug Irina at the courthouse The Vyselkovskiy District Court has been considering Irina\u0026#39;s case since October 2024. She was accused of \u0026quot;taking part in religious discussions.\u0026quot; She explained her position in court as follows: \u0026quot;I do this because it is the command of Jesus Christ, written in the Bible in the Gospels... Jesus wants all his followers to preach, which is what I do.\u0026quot;\nIrina and her husband Vitaliy are really thankful to all the kind-hearted people who have helped them. Vitaliy said: \u0026quot;We felt their support even in the smallest things: some attended the hearing, some came to the courthouse simply to say kind words. They brought flowers and small gifts to each hearing — all of this strengthened us.\u0026quot;\nIn Vyselki, 15 of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, both men and women, are being prosecuted on religious grounds.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-07-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/07/080914/image_hu_a4dbb9bae21a29d7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/07/080914/image_hu_c705dbfccb33c841.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/07/080914/image_hu_b9cfa591de9fa535.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/07/080914/image_hu_19bccc31b33e2e69.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/07/080914.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","disability","families"],"title":"Court in Vyselki Gives Yet Another Woman Suspended Sentence for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 27, 2025, the prison term of Sergey Tolokonnikov, 52, ended — 3 years in a pretrial detention center and 9 months in a penal colony. To the delight of the believer he was met by his wife and many friends on the day of his release.\n\u0026quot;I have mixed feelings... Although I knew that I was about to be released there was also the feeling of excitement. I knew that God would help me,\u0026quot; said Sergey. His wife, Mariya Pankova, added: \u0026quot;Although Sergey and I have not fully grasped what is happening, I am overjoyed!\u0026quot;\nSergey and his wife Mariya on the day of his release, June 27, 2025 Being separated was difficult for the couple. At first, the investigator banned visits for 8 months; later only brief meetings through glass and bars. \u0026quot;Life was on hold... I became like a bird missing one wing, unable to fly,\u0026quot; Mariya said. The couple were allowed an extended visit only a month before his release. \u0026quot;He looked like a youthful old man,\u0026quot; she recalls. \u0026quot;He lost more than 20 kilograms, had problems with his skin and indigestion.\u0026quot;\n\u0026quot;There were difficult moments,\u0026quot; Sergey agreed, \u0026quot;but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined.\u0026quot; According to the believer, a good attitude is half the battle; therefore, once behind bars, he tried to find at least five positive things in each day.\nA few months before his release, Tolokonnikov learned that a criminal case had also been initiated against Mariya. \u0026quot;I was very upset; I immediately started praying to God for help. Okay, it's one thing for me, but for Mariya — or anyone else — I don\u0026#39;t want that. It's a very serious test, since I know what she might be facing.\u0026quot;\nIn October 2024, another defendant in Sergey\u0026#39;s criminal case, Roman Mareyev, was released. Anatoliy Marunov, 71, continues to serve his sentence in a penal colony in the Tambov Region.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2025-06-27T00:00:00Z","duration":"0:34","image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/06/271836/image_hu_534795df4c8b501a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/06/271836/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/06/271836/image_hu_2332165a3df9972c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/06/271836/image_hu_fff67d144af76fe0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/06/271836.html","regions":["moscow","vladimir"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families"],"title":"Sergey Tolokonnikov from Moscow, Released from Penal Colony — But Now His Wife is Under Investigation for Her Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 11, 2025, Lidiya Koba, judge of the Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory, ruled in the case of Lyudmila Zinina: 2-year suspended sentence with 6 months restriction of freedom for reading the Bible with friends.\nLyudmila worked as a nurse in an operating room for many years. She has been married since 1973 — more than 50 years. They raised three children. In 2012, a tragedy happened in the family — their son died. \u0026quot;It was very difficult to get over his death,\u0026quot; Zinina recalls. \u0026quot;On top of that I started having problems with my health: heart and vascular diseases, osteoporosis and diabetes.\u0026quot; In addition, the believer\u0026#39;s daughter, Irina, is also being prosecuted.\nDue to problems with her legs and spine, Lyudmila can hardly move. \u0026quot;The hearings were held in a neighboring town. Public transport runs, but only twice a day. If it were not for the help of friends, I would not have been able to get there. They regularly took me to hearings, sacrificing their time and energy,\u0026quot; she said.\nFront: Lyudmila accompanied by her friend on a day of a hearing. Background: Lyudmila\u0026rsquo;s daughter, Irina, with a friend Shortly before the verdict, Zinina was diagnosed with cancer, but treatment has not yet been prescribed. According to her, during medical procedures, she encountered the bias of the medical staff — some medical workers spoke contemptuously about her because she was on trial for her faith. However, after a while, the attitude of some softened thanks to Lyudmila\u0026#39;s conduct.\nThe criminal prosecution of Lyudmila Zinina has been dragging on since February 2022. At that time, mass searches were carried out in the homes of believers in Kuban. Recalling those events, Lyudmila said: \u0026quot;When the law enforcement officers arrived, the neighbors were so outraged that they were ready to stand up for me, I even had to dissuade them.\u0026quot; Prior to the verdict, Lyudmila was under a recognizance agreement.\nIn Vyselki, trials are underway against 15 of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Lyudmila Zinina is the first of them to be sentenced for her faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-06-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/06/120836/image_hu_5ee73cae4daaa5d8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/06/120836/image_hu_96f37bce36c14a58.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/06/120836/image_hu_84acfcb748a6f21f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/06/120836/image_hu_88184cdff5603930.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/06/120836.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","suspended","elderly","families"],"title":"Court in Vyselki Gave Pensioner Lyudmila Zinina, 74, Suspended Sentence for Her Faith in God","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 26, 2025, the Kursk Regional Court reduced the sentences imposed on three Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: for Nikolay Kupriyanskiy to 4.5 years and the Chausovs to 1 year and 10 months. The verdict has entered into force. Dmitriy Chausov was released the same day, as he had already served his entire term in a pretrial detention center.\nThe prosecutor filed an appeal against the verdict of court of first instance, in which he requested the punishment to be toughened against the believers: Kupriyanskiy — 7 years in a penal colony, the Chausov couple — 3 years. The state prosecutor requested the same terms in the court of first instance.\nDmitriy Chausov after being released from the pretrial detention center. May 26, 2025 The defendants also appealed the court\u0026#39;s decision. They asked to be acquitted due to the absence of a crime under Article 282.2 of the RF CrC. One of the believers\u0026#39; lawyers stated that criminal prosecution for religious beliefs degrades human dignity: \u0026quot;The actions of the investigation and the court are aimed at intimidating the convicted person and his fellow believers and forcing them to renounce their faith. Such treatment is also considered inhumane and caused them deep physical and moral suffering.\u0026quot;\nThe trend of prosecuting entire families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses has continued for several years, and the case of the Chausovs is just one of many examples. All this is happening despite the ECHR\u0026#39;s demand to completely stop the prosecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-05-26T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/05/271325/image_hu_a7b25d3fa7391863.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/05/271325/image_hu_f40dfaac08880949.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/05/271325/image_hu_44cfced20ade8928.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/05/271325/image_hu_798fb195f0ca6dde.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/05/271325.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":"Dmitriy Chausov Released","tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Kursk Mitigated Punishment for Their Faith Against Nikolay Kupriyanskiy and the Chausovs.","type":"news"},{"body":"Dmitriy, Oksana and Nikolay were transferred to new cells. Dmitriy and Nikolai are now being held alone. Oksana shares a cell with another prisoner. The room was so dirty that the believer had to clean it for several days.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20250519","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Shortly before Sergey Tolokonnikov\u0026#39;s release from the penal colony where he was serving a sentence for his faith, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against his wife, Mariya Pankova. The reason was her practicing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nMariya was born in May 1974 in Moscow. She and her older sister grew up in an ordinary Soviet family, their parents were atheists. Her father died in 2009. As a child, Mariya liked swimming and music — she taught herself to play the guitar.\nAfter finishing school, Mariya qualified as an accountant and worked in this field for a long time. Later she worked as a cleaner. She is also a certified instructor in Nordic walking.\nIn 1995, Mariya met Sergey. At the time she was raising her son from her first marriage alone. In 2003, Mariya began studying the Bible because she wanted to learn more about Christian teachings. Later, Sergey joined her. The Bible prompted them to change their lifestyle: they registered their marriage; Mariya was able to quit smoking, although for 16 years she could not overcome this bad habit. She also made the difficult decision to leave a highly paid position, where she was required to act dishonestly. In 2005, the couple became Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. They like traveling together. Mariya loves animals.\nIn October 2021, the family\u0026#39;s life changed suddenly. Their home was searched, after which Sergey was taken into custody. Later he was sentenced to 5 years and 2 months imprisonment. All the hardships associated with Sergey\u0026#39;s imprisonment fell on the shoulders of Mariya. In April 2025, the couple\u0026#39;s apartment was searched again, and now she too was facing criminal prosecution. These events caused additional stress for the believer. Her elderly mother, who lives with Mariya, is especially worried about her daughter.\n","date":"2025-06-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/pankova/photo_hu_e191244427496a99.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/pankova/photo_hu_2bb26e71e1cdc256.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/pankova/photo_hu_b7b5b08c64e6c65.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/pankova/photo_hu_bdfdde1c2cbcba2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/pankova.html","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Mariya Pankova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Lieutenant of Justice Natalia Vikhareva, senior investigator of the Koptevsky Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Northern Administrative District of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow, initiates a criminal case against Maria Pankova under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Pankova in Moscow","date":"2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/moscow9/index.html#20250422","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On April 15, 2025, a resident of Blagoveshchensk, Dmitriy Golik, left Penal Colony No. 2 in the Amur Region ahead of schedule. Of the 6 years and 2 months imposed on him, the believer served about 4 years in prison, considering the time he spent in pretrial detention. Upon release, Dmitriy was met by his wife, family and friends.\nA criminal case against Dmitry Golik was initiated back in July 2018. After 3 years, the court found Dmitriy and his fellow believer, Aleksey Berchuk, guilty of extremism and sentenced them to long terms of imprisonment. Soon the believer was sent to a penal colony, and in the spring of 2023, he was transferred to another colony, located about 150 kilometers from Blagoveshchensk.\nDmitriy Golik leaving the colony Dmitriy embracing his wife Kristina Inmate ID tag The believer with his wife and parents after his release The Goliks surrounded by friends and family \u0026quot;My wife Kristina came to me every week for several years, despite such a distance,\u0026quot; the believer said after his release, expressing gratitude to his wife and everyone who supported him, including through letters. Kristina Golik herself was prosecuted for her faith: about a month before Dmitriy\u0026#39;s release, the court of appeal upheld the 2.5 years of forced labor imposed on her.\nAs a prisoner, Dmitriy worked six days a week at a foundry in Belogorsk, a 30-minute drive from the penal colony. His duties included manufacturing molds for pouring metal. Golik has a law degree, but before the verdict he worked in other fields, including as a translator from Chinese. During his imprisonment, his skills became useful unexpectedly: he was an interpreter for a delegation of business partners of a foundry from China.\nDmitriy has earned the reputation not only as a reliable worker, but also as a good person. For some time, the administration was prejudiced against him, but later some employees said: \u0026quot;Dima is the one they loved.\u0026quot;\n","category":"sentence","date":"2025-04-15T00:00:00Z","duration":"0:21","image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/04/171038/image_hu_95f32011244bab3b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/04/171038/image_hu_7ecf8021c79d40ee.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/04/171038/image_hu_5e750b03b8cb40ce.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/04/171038/image_hu_80ebae7207fca9c1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/04/171038.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["parole","families"],"title":"Dmitriy Golik, One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Blagoveshchensk, Released","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 9, 2025, Artur Putintsev, Vladimir Melnik and Vladimir Piskarev were released from colonies in the Oryol, Kirov and Kaluga regions, respectively. They served their sentences in full, having spent more than 3 years in pre-trial detention centers and more than a year in colonies. The believers were met by their relatives, as well as many friends.\nThree men ended up behind bars in December 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. For this reason, as well as due to the fact that the wives were witnesses in the case, there were problems with visits. Irina Melnik recalls: \"At first, they didn't give me a visit. They were gone for about 3 months. Then 2 times a month we saw each other on short dates... But it was at a distance of 1 meter through the glass and bars, by telephone. We were able to see each other and hug only in July 2024 on a long date.\" Vladimir Melnik and Artur Putintsev also experienced health problems during their imprisonment. In the pre-trial detention center, Vladimir Piskaryov's blood pressure problems worsened, he suffered a stroke and repeated hypertensive crises, as well as an acute attack of gastrointestinal disease, which caused him to be hospitalized.\nArtur Putintsev leaving the penal colony. April 9, 2025 Artur Putintsev embracing his wife, Lyudmila. April 9, 2025 Artur Putintsev\u0026#39;s inmate ID tag Artur and Lyudmila Putintsev. April 9, 2025 Vladimir Piskarev surrounded by Friends. April 9, 2025 Vladimir Piskarev meeting his wife, Tatyana, after his release. April 9, 2025 Vladimir Melnik at the penal colony\u0026#39;s checkpoint. April 9, 2025 Vladimir Melnik, his wife and two of their daughters. April 9, 2025 Vladimir Melnik with his wife Irina, April 9. 2025 Thanks to their exemplary behavior in the penal colony, the men earned a good reputation with the administration, as well as other prisoners. Out of respect for the believers, some of them stopped using abusive language and tried not to smoke in their presence. Artur Putintsev was nicknamed \"the hand of God\" in the penal colony for his generosity toward other prisoners.\nFriends and relatives supported the believers by sending them letters, and also provided material and practical assistance to their families. For example, Artur Putintsev's friends repaired the roof and fence of his house. Also, fellow believers drove the wives of the prisoners to courts and visits and helped making parcels.\nThe Oryol Region is the region where the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses began shortly after the ban on their legal entities in 2017. A total of 8 believers from this area became defendants in criminal cases for their faith. Four of them have already been released from the penal colony, and two continue to serve their sentences of forced labor.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/04/091111/image_hu_79858b7fdc0292a5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/04/091111/image_hu_9fbc64a22dd54b75.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/04/091111/image_hu_5ccc6225770975f5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/04/091111/image_hu_41ef2b732b00786.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/04/091111.html","regions":["oryol","kaluga","kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","elderly","families"],"title":"Three Jehovah's Witnesses from Oryol Were Released","type":"news"},{"body":"Kamchatka Regional Court (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 52 Leninskaya Street). Start: 14:00.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20250408","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["2-appeal","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On April 8, 2025, the Kamchatka Territory Court upheld the decision of the court of first instance against Yelena and Sergey Chechulin — a 6-year suspended sentence for organizing the activity of an extremist organization. This is how the court classified discussing the Bible with friends.\nThe court issued the first guilty verdict under the article on participating in the activity of a liquidated legal entity. The believers were given a 2-year suspended sentence. The prosecutor\u0026#39;s office sought to apply a more serious article, but the court of appeal did not toughen the sentence. However, the court of cassation returned the case for reconsideration to the court of first instance, which tripled the sentence, and the second court of appeal upheld this decision.\nThe Chechulins still consider themselves innocent of extremism. Sergey voiced his position in court as follows: \u0026quot;Neither I nor my wife want to harm the state or people.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/04/081347/image_hu_870cdede9e9904cf.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/04/081347/image_hu_692f199c4ea1cf05.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/04/081347/image_hu_bb9aa7349270c700.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/04/081347/image_hu_f3b7046e3a9621e1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/04/081347.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":"They Were Given Long Suspended Sentences","tags":["2-appeal","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Kamchatka Again Upheld Verdict Against Jehovah's Witness Couple.","type":"news"},{"body":"Tomsk law enforcement officers accused three married couples of extremism at once. Among them are Yevgeniy Dodolin and his wife Tatyana.\nYevgeniy was born in February 1984 in the small town of Kurtamysh (Kurgan region) in a large family—he has two brothers and a sister. Their father worked as a civil engineer, their mother as an accountant in the village administration. Parents worked hard all their lives, had their own household and instilled honesty and hard work in their children. Now they are retired. When Yevgeniy was 3, the family moved to the Kemerovo region.\nAs a child, Yevgeniy loved to assemble construction sets, in high school he became interested in electronics, radio engineering and programming. He also enjoyed playing volleyball and athletics. Yevgeniy graduated from the Tomsk State University of Management and Radio Engineering and completed postgraduate studies as a programmer. After graduation, he stayed in Tomsk and worked for a large oil company as an engineer in the technical information department.\nYevgeniy was looking for the meaning of life, was interested in various religious and philosophical teachings. Then he met Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. The Bible, he says, was what he was looking for. Imbued with her teachings, Yevgeniy began to lead a healthy lifestyle, became more restrained, patient and less touchy. He began to notice more good things in people, and this helped him to show them more attention and love. He became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in July 2015. His son was followed by his mother.\nIn 2019, Yevgeniy married Tatyana, who shares his religious views. Before her arrest, she worked in a dining room. In her free time, she enjoys reading and dancing. The couple loves to travel together.\nRelatives and friends consider the arrest of the Dodolins illegal.\n","date":"2025-04-16","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dodolin/photo_hu_bfcca6bb529c272c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dodolin/photo_hu_19869179c5e35d13.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dodolin/photo_hu_815f4227c4b3aeb7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dodolin/photo_hu_147d0c4c5c84cf39.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dodolin.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Dodolin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Tatyana Dodolina was the only child in the family. She was born in 1995 in Yugra (Kemerovo region). Her mother, a plasterer-painter, is now retired.\nAfter school, Tatyana learned to be a manicure master. Before her arrest, she worked for some time in a dining room. Tatyana is fond of reading and dancing and also loves to travel and spend time with friends.\nTatyana became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in 2008. \u0026quot;By learning more and more about Bible truth and applying its advice in my life, I was able to get through adolescence more easily and avoid many of the problems and mistakes that my peers made,\u0026quot; she said.\nIn 2019, Tatyana married Yevgeniy, who is also under investigation because of his faith. Relatives of the Dodolins worry about them and consider their arrest groundless.\n","date":"2025-04-16","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dodolina/photo_hu_1cf29c8663a5d8be.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dodolina/photo_hu_417731face3040ce.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dodolina/photo_hu_3d0ecb7c68a687d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dodolina/photo_hu_f2267379ea8b20af.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dodolina.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Dodolina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yevgeniy Abramov was born in 1976 in Osinniki, a small town in the south of the Kemerovo Region. He has two sisters, one older and one younger. Their father, who was a miner, and their mother, who was a midwife, are now retired.\nYevgeniy is a qualified biology teacher. He developed a love for this science in childhood: his family lived in the countryside, so he spent a lot of time growing plants and taking care of livestock. After school, he entered the Siberian State Medical University and then moved to the Tomsk State Pedagogical University. During his student years, he began to study the Bible with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and was baptized in 1996.\nAfter graduation, Yevgeniy got a job at a secondary school as a teacher of biology and life safety. Later, he changed his line of work — he worked at a construction site until his arrest — but he did not lose his love for nature: he still enjoyed gardening and beekeeping for some time. \u0026quot;I was always more fascinated by the process of growing fruits and observing plants rather than the final product,\u0026quot; he said.\nThis is not the first time Yevgeniy has defended his peaceful beliefs: having reached military age, he faced repeated pressure from the staff of the military registration and enlistment office, who were forcing him to do military service. \u0026quot;There were even instances when I was forcibly taken to the recruiting station at gunpoint,\u0026quot; the believer recalls. \u0026quot;But I always cited the Constitution and demanded alternative service. The military commissar was so irritated by this that he issued several illegal fines at once, which totaled a huge sum.\u0026quot; Yevgeniy appealed to the court, which in the end found these fines unlawful.\nSince 1999, the believer has been married. His wife, Yana, has also faced prosecution for her faith and, like her husband, ended up in a pretrial detention center after the search. Relatives consider what is happening to the Abramov family illegal.\n","date":"2025-04-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/abramov/photo_hu_524d9354548e3a56.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/abramov/photo_hu_96cc7608ffc2762a.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/abramov/photo_hu_89695c19c4219478.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/abramov/photo_hu_4642e3669ae1e338.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/abramov.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Abramov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the 1940s, Yana Abramova\u0026#39;s grandfather was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonent and lifelong exile to Siberia because of his religious beliefs. His granddaughter is being prosecuted 80 years later on the same grounds.\nYana is from Osinniki (Kemerovo Region). The oldest of six children, she was born in 1981. Her father worked in the mines and construction sites; now he is retired. The believer\u0026#39;s mother died in 2022 after a hard battle with cancer.\nAccording to Yana, the example of her mother, as well as the atmosphere of love in the family, motivated her to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. \u0026quot;Mom\u0026#39;s love for Jehovah and people was infectious,\u0026quot; she recalls. \u0026quot;We lived modestly, but we always had something to eat and share with others. We had many opportunities to see the happiness on Mom\u0026#39;s face as she spoke to others about God.\u0026quot;\nThe believer worked as a hairdresser. She also hand-painted clothes. Her hobbies include reading, drawing, cooking and gardening.\nYana\u0026#39;s husband, Yevgeniy, shares her views on life and after the search also ended up behind bars because of his faith. Their relatives consider the prosecution unlawful.\n","date":"2025-04-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/abramova/photo_hu_b564ce0ab3996f51.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/abramova/photo_hu_5af84e3d463a99b7.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/abramova/photo_hu_f301d78c2dd53006.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/abramova/photo_hu_6d75c7998fea3890.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/abramova.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yana Abramova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Nikolay Kosov and his wife Larisa first faced criminal prosecution back in 2019—then their house was searched, and the head of the family was summoned for interrogation. In 2025, law enforcement officers came to their house again as usual, and this time the couple became defendants in a criminal case.\nNikolay was born in July 1963 in the city of Kolomyia (Ukrainian SSR). He has an elder brother. His father left the family when Nikolay was five, and did not maintain relations with the children. His mother was a nurse in a kindergarten and raised her sons alone. She died in 1993 after a long battle with cancer.\nOver the years, Nikolay lived in Gorlovka, in the Stavropol Territory (in Nevinnomyssk), and since 2012 he has been living in Cherkessk, the capital of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.\nAs a child, Nikolay loved to read, he especially liked the genres of science fiction and adventure. He also drew and made toys from improvised and natural materials for himself and his friends. After school, the young man made his dream of the sea come true - he entered the department of operation of marine power plants in the city of Nevelsk (Sakhalin Region) and worked for some time as a ship engineer. Later, he returned to Ukraine to take care of his mother.\nNikolay was interested in the Bible from his youth. One day he bought the New Testament and the Psalter. He was so impressed by what he learned about Jesus Christ that he decided not to go to the polls anymore. He explained his position as follows: \u0026quot;I realized that no person who becomes the head of state can be like Jesus was—kind, caring, selfless, able to heal and resurrect.\u0026quot;\nThe man met Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses through his friends who were already studying the Bible. The first meeting for worship of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses that Nikolay attended was the Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. There he saw that all the negative things he had heard about these people were just rumors. About how the Bible influenced his life, the believer said: \u0026quot;The truth helped to get rid of prejudices and prejudices.\u0026quot; Nikolay became a Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness in 1996.\nNikolay met Larisa, his wife, in Cherkessk. The couple got married in September 2018. Nikolay has two adult daughters from his first marriage, Larisa also has a daughter. The spouses like to relax in nature, pick mushrooms, receive guests. Nikolay said: \u0026quot;We work together, we study the Bible together. And even a criminal case was opened for two.\u0026quot;\nNikolay\u0026#39;s relatives and friends are outraged that a kind and calm person with a good reputation is being persecuted for extremism.\n","date":"2025-04-24","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kosov/photo_hu_ac1839759c48b86b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kosov/photo_hu_31892007370602a6.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kosov/photo_hu_c2fd026b4eb706a9.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kosov/photo_hu_64265008c70ad80d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kosov.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Nikolay Kosov,","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Back in the spring of 2019, law enforcement officers detained Larisa Kosova\u0026#39;s husband, Nikolay. Six months later, the first search took place in their apartment, after which any knock on the door or voices behind the door caused her anxiety. In February 2025, a criminal case was initiated against Larisa and her husband. The stress associated with the second search and interrogation led to an exacerbation of her chronic illnesses.\nLarisa was born in May 1969 in the village of Bekeshevskaya, Stavropol Territory. She has two brothers: the elder and the younger. Their father worked all his life as a driver, and their mother worked as a plasterer-painter at a construction site.\nAs a child, Larisa loved to read and listen to music. At school, she participated in a drama club and loved to go hiking. The girl actively participated in the social life of the class and school, and over time she had a desire to become a teacher. She entered the Pedagogical Institute, and after 3 years she transferred to correspondence education and moved to Sevastopol, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher for several years. In 1993, Larisa received a diploma of a primary school teacher.\nSubsequently, Larisa worked as a salesperson, waitress, nanny, janitor, and for many years as a housekeeper. She had to work hard to raise her daughter from her first marriage. In 2008, Larisa had to move to Cherkessk to take care of her elderly parents, especially her mother, who suffered a stroke.\nLarisa first heard about Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from her friend, with whom she argued a lot about the Bible. However, after seeing how positively the Bible\u0026#39;s teachings affected the woman, Larisa changed her attitude. \u0026quot;I wanted to figure out for myself what kind of faith is it that changes a person so much,\u0026quot; she recalled. \u0026quot;From arrogant, my friend became calm, restrained and soft.\u0026quot; Therefore, Larisa began to study the Bible more deeply and in 2008 she was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Later, her daughter Mariya was also baptized.\nIn 2018, Larisa married Nikolay. Together they love to take long walks, trips to the sea and mountains, as well as pick mushrooms. Larisa loves to cook and invite guests.\nLarisa\u0026#39;s father and elder brother, although they do not share her religious beliefs, worry about her and try to support her. Friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues do not see any reasonable grounds in the persecution.\n","date":"2025-05-02","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kosova/photo_hu_b1d19b39d5d03f79.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kosova/photo_hu_58c4878218fe2237.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kosova/photo_hu_abe0aefe545de97d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kosova/photo_hu_2a049b794d544446.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kosova.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Larisa Kosova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In March 2025, a group of law enforcement officers broke into the house of peaceful believers from Tomsk, Vladimir Pushkov and his wife Aysulu. The security forces treated the man as a dangerous criminal: they laid him face down on the floor, handcuffed him, and searched his house. The couple was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. The reason was their faith in Jehovah God.\nVladimir was born in the city of Shymkent (Kazakhstan) in October 1975. He has two younger sisters. Their father has been an electrical engineer all his life and is now retired. Mother worked as an inspector in the sanitary and epidemiological station, was a social worker for some time, then retired. In 2014, she died from the consequences of cancer, which was a great shock for the whole family. For Vladimir and his sisters, my mother was an example of an honest and conscientious person who valued family ties.\nVladimir was a talented child: he learned to read early, quickly memorized information. Since childhood, the boy loved mathematics and poetry. He participated in school competitions in mathematics and physics, spoke at literary events. Vladimir graduated from the Polytechnic University in his hometown. Then he worked at the post office, later at a construction site.\nVladimir was in high school when his mother bought a Bible and began to study it thoroughly. The young man was also interested in this ancient book. He was struck by the logic and precision with which the Bible explains the events taking place in the world. According to him, he was convinced that the advice from it works and helps people become better. This prompted Vladimir to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Over time, about 50 of his relatives adopted these beliefs.\nIn 2005, Vladimir married Aysulu, with whom they had known for more than 10 years. \u0026quot;Aysulu loves to take care of her family, cook and create comfort in our house. Her hobby is to think about others and give gifts to make them happy,\u0026quot; the believer describes his wife. The couple loves to travel, spend time with friends, and try new dishes. Vladimir still enjoys solving mathematical problems, he also enjoys playing football and follows sports news.\nAccording to Vladimir, the criminal prosecution turned his life upside down: he was separated from his beloved wife, he cannot do what he loves, see his loved ones. Relatives are worried about Vladimir and his wife.\n","date":"2025-04-15","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/pushkov/photo_hu_2d8a00edac913312.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/pushkov/photo_hu_2d8a00edac913312.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/pushkov/photo_hu_a0ad8c0ecd13585b.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/pushkov/photo_hu_a0ad8c0ecd13585b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/pushkov.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vladimir Pushkov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Aysulu Tastaybekova was born in 1972 in Shardara (Kazakhstan). She is the youngest of 4 children. Their father, a hydraulic engineer, died of a heart attack when the girl was only 4. His mother was a teacher of Russian language and literature. She passed away in 2015.\nAysulu grew up in the village, so she spent a lot of time caring for pets. \u0026quot;I read a lot,\u0026quot; she shared, recalling that time. \u0026quot;I liked to help my mother check notebooks with works on the Russian language and identify mistakes.\u0026quot;\nAysulu has a secondary technical education with a degree in electronic computer operator. But she worked in other areas: she was a secretary and an au pair. Aysulu loves to read, as well as cook a variety of dishes, including confectionery.\n\u0026quot;The first time I came to a convention of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses was in 1992,\u0026quot; Aisulu said. \u0026quot;I was impressed by the friendly atmosphere among people of different nationalities, cultures and social backgrounds. I saw the sincere love that Christ taught and made reliable friends.\u0026quot; At this event, Aysulu met Vladimir Pushkov for the first time, who helped her in her Bible study. A year later, she was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2005, Vladimir and Aysulu got married. \u0026quot;He is a loving and caring husband,\u0026quot; the believer said. \u0026quot;It was difficult for my family to come to terms with the idea that my chosen one was of a different nationality. But with each passing year, they saw how, on the basis of faith in God, our marriage became stronger. Seeing me happy, my relatives, especially my mother, began to trust the Bible.\u0026quot; The common hobbies of the couple are traveling and hiking.\nThe criminal prosecution completely changed the way Aysulu and her husband lived: they were separated and taken into custody. Relatives consider what is happening to be a blatant injustice and are sure that the conscience of believers is clear before God and the state.\n","date":"2025-04-15","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/tastaybekova/photo_hu_cfade7f078be3354.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/tastaybekova/photo_hu_bc05507a0a2a708b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/tastaybekova/photo_hu_9bde65a50c3d8160.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/tastaybekova/photo_hu_ee2179ecbadaef6d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/tastaybekova.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aysulu Tastaybekova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Lieutenant of Justice V. Borisov dismisses the criminal case. According to the investigation, it has not been proven that the defendants were members or acted on behalf of the liquidated organization. No signs of hatred, enmity or involvement of other persons in prohibited activities were found in the actions of the believers.\n","caseTitle":"Second Case of Prianikov and Others in Karpinsk","date":"2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/karpinsk2/index.html#20250320","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["case-dismissed","families","disability"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses are searched in Tomsk, after which three married couples are detained.\nThe criminal case is initiated by the investigator for especially important cases of the second department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Tomsk Region, Captain of Justice Lebedev V. S.\nYevgeniy Dodolin reports that he was detained at 11:00, although the case was initiated and accepted for proceedings only at 16:00.\nVladimir Pushkov is accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and Aisulu Tastaibekova, Yevgeniy and Yana Abramovs, Yevgeniy and Tatyana Dodolins are accused of participating in the activities of this organization.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Pushkov and Others in Tomsk","date":"2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/tomsk3/index.html#20250320","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["new-case","ivs","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On March 20, 2025, searches were carried out in Tomsk at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses, at least at four addresses. Six people — three married couples — were placed in pretrial detention center No. 1 for the Tomsk Region.\nAfter the raid, the believers were initially sent to a temporary detention facility. There, one of the men was not allowed to eat or drink for 24 hours.\nThe day after the searches, on March 21, the Kirovskiy District Court of Tomsk imposed a preventive measure of pretrial detention for 2 months on all of them.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/handcuffs.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/03/251353.html","regions":["tomsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","sizo","families"],"title":"Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses Searched in Tomsk, 6 Believers Sent to Detention Center","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 10, 2025, the Amur Regional Court upheld the sentence against Yekaterina Olshevskaya, Mariya Myasnikova, Kristina Golik and Valentina Yermilova: forced labor for up to 2.5 years.\nThe court of first instance issued the verdict in December 2024. The believers pleaded not guilty, appealed and requested they be acquitted. In their appeals, they drew attention to the groundlessness of the charges and the absence of any socially dangerous consequences of their actions. The same was confirmed by witnesses questioned in the court of first instance. They said that believers gathered to associate and read the Bible, but there were never any calls to undermine the state system, or for hatred or violence. The prosecutor insisted on the legality of the verdict and requested it be upheld.\nDawid Bunikowski, visiting scholar at University of Eastern Finland\u0026#39;s School of Theology, academic associate at Cardiff School of Law and Politics\u0026#39; Centre for Law and Religion, said: \u0026quot;This is ridiculous that people are punished for worshipping in private.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/03/111049/image_hu_b791fe220deb95cd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/03/111049/image_hu_27fee08454da582e.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/03/111049/image_hu_97638fec9a67d91.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/03/111049/image_hu_1db22e3a831c95a4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/03/111049.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":"Court of Appeal Did Not Grant Their Appeals","tags":["appeal","labor","families","282.2-2"],"title":"In Blagoveshchensk Verdict Against Four Women — Jehovah's Witnesses — Entered Into Force.","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 21, 2025, the Court of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area upheld the verdict against a group of believers from Surgut. The panel of judges considered the case for more than 4 months. The suspended sentences imposed on the believers — from 3 years and 3 months to 7 years — entered into force.\nThe case against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Surgut is one of the biggest and longest of its kind: the criminal prosecution affected 18 people and has been going on for more than 6 years.\nThe verdict of the court of first instance, handed down at the end of 2023, was appealed by both sides: state prosecutor Larysa Oniskevich considered the punishment \u0026quot;excessively lenient\u0026quot;, and the defense sought to overturn the conviction. According to the lawyer, the decision of the court of first instance is unconstitutional. \u0026quot;The materials of the criminal case do not contain a single fact, not one single statement, not one single episode that would fit the criteria of extremist activity,\u0026quot; one of the convicted persons, Vyacheslav Boronos, echoed the lawyer's words during the closing arguments.\nAnother 9 believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area—Yugra faced criminal prosecution on similar grounds. Eric Patterson, executive vice president of the Religious Freedom Institute and former dean of Regent University\u0026#39;s Robertson School of Government, said, \u0026quot;Russia\u0026#39;s continuing persecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses as \u0026#39;extremists\u0026#39; who threaten Russia\u0026#39;s national security is unfair and unwise. It contributes to an atmosphere of fear and social stagnation.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-02-21T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_8837bffa5e66bebd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_9114f0455e7da91c.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_8e40446b24ebf024.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_45310bcaa4b39f9e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/02/251517.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":"In Khanty-Mansiysk, Appeal Hearings in the Case of Eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses From Surgut Have Ended","tags":["appeal","complaints","suspended","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"title":"Terms to be Upheld.","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 19, 2025, 10 months after the first verdict, the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City Court issued a new decision in the case of Sergey and Yelena Chechulin. They were found guilty of organizing extremist activity and their suspended sentence was tripled: instead of 2 years, they were given 6 years each.\nIn court, Sergey stressed that the prosecutor considered simple friendly conversations with fellow believers and meetings for worship, at which they talked about Jesus Christ and love for people, to be extremist activity. \u0026quot;Here there is no extremism,\u0026quot; Chechulin commented on the charge. \u0026quot;We cannot help but love people, because we love God. Neither I nor my wife have ever allowed and will never allow ourselves to make any extremist statements.\u0026quot; Yelena Chechulina also rejected the accusations of extremism: \u0026quot;All my actions were absolutely peaceful. I did not incite religious hatred or enmity, which is confirmed by the conclusions of all seven linguistic expert studies.\u0026quot;\nIt was the prosecutor\u0026#39;s office who sought a retrial of the Chechulins\u0026#39; case: the state prosecution considered the initial verdict inappropriate and initiated its reconsideration through the court of cassation. As a result, Judge Olga Obraztsova began a new trial in the court of first instance in December 2024.\nRussian law enforcement agencies often initiate criminal cases against multiple members of families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. As of 2024, the number of families where more than one person has been prosecuted for their faith has exceeded 80.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/02/201322/image_hu_3ebb71af7711d9dd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/02/201322/image_hu_636ff4628e08ab3a.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/02/201322/image_hu_d7680d236c8a3494.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/02/201322/image_hu_d69e39f31377e1be.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/02/201322.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","retrial","282.2-1","suspended","families"],"title":"Court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy Again Found Married Couple of Jehovah's Witnesses Guilty of Extremism and Toughened Their Punishment","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 13, 2025, Judge Andrey Nebogatikov of the Yoshkar-Ola City Court sentenced local believers to fines of 600,000 rubles for meetings for worship. One of them, Yevgeniy Plotnikov, 42, had his fine reduced to 500,000 rubles, considering the time he had spent in detention.\nIt took the court 4 months to find veteran of labor Eduard Kapitonov and his son Ilya, Sergey Kulikov and his son Aleksey, Igor Alekseyev, Vladimir Usenko, Denis Petrov, Ilya Buryi, Sergey Naymushin and Yevgeniy Plotnikov extremists. According to the prosecutor, the element of the crime consists of being organised in meetings for worship and participating in them. Based on this, the prosecution concluded that the men had recreated a legal entity liquidated by the court. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed at the appellate instance. The believers pleaded not guilty.\nIn his final statement, Yevgeniy Plotnikov emphasized: \u0026quot;The state prosecution demands harsh terms for us — 9 years in a penal colony. To tell the truth, such terms are not even requested for or given to real criminals, murderers and repeat offenders... The main mistake of the prosecution is not looking for extremism in my actions, otherwise all the charges would have been dropped long ago at the investigation stage, as there is no extremism. The prosecution only proves that I am a Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness, simply a believer, which I have never denied.\u0026quot;\nThe local FSB Directorate conducted the investigation for 2.5 years, during which time the number of defendants increased from one to ten. The youngest of them, Ilya Kapitonov, is 23; the oldest, Sergey Kulikov, is 71. Sergey\u0026#39;s wife developed a malignant tumor due to the stress, and as a result one of her kidneys had to be removed. His son Alexey, father of five, developed hypertension. The property of Eduard Kapitonov, 59, was seized.\nYevgeniy Plotnikov\u0026#39;s lawyer said in his closing arguments: \u0026quot;The position of the prosecution, which actually requires believers to practice their religion [chaotically] under the threat [of punishment], is nothing other than the authorities attempting to force Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to renounce their faith.\u0026quot;\nThe right of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to worship in an organized manner was mentioned back in 2021 in the response of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Irina Yakku, wife of one of the convicted Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Arkhangelsk: \u0026quot;Members of a liquidated organization can independently practice a religious cult, including as part of religious groups that do not require registration, on the understanding that this is not related to carrying out extremist activity.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-02-13T14:43:40+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/02/131443/image_hu_e7619c014b44fc42.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/02/131443/image_hu_8908e402416bc45b.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/02/131443/image_hu_51448f33efcc6c82.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/02/131443/image_hu_1da2bbcce8bc54ae.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/02/131443.html","regions":["mari-el"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","fine","282.2-1","disability","elderly","families"],"title":"Court Fined 10 Jehovah's Witnesses from Yoshkar-Ola for \"Convening and Participating in Meetings\"","type":"news"},{"body":"Major of Justice R. N. Tazhikenov, senior investigator of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, opened a criminal case against Nikolay and Larisa Kosov. They are accused of \"participation in the activities of a religious association, in respect of which the court made an enforceable decision to liquidate it in connection with the implementation of extremist activities.\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Kosovs in Cherkessk","date":"2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/cherkessk6/index.html#20250204","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["new-case","families","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 3, 2025, the Pervorechenskiy District Court sentenced Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Vladivostok to various terms, even up to 7 years imprisonment. Judge Galina Vasilkevich deemed peaceful religious activity to be extremism. Previously the husband of one of the defendants, Dmitriy Barmakin, was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony on similar charges.\nIgor Lonchakov was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, Yuriy Redozubov — to 6.5 years. The women were given suspended sentences: Yekaterina Treguba and Lyudviga Katanaeva — 3 years and 4 months each with a 3-year probation period; Yelena Barmakina, Yelena Tsorn and 65-year-old Nina Astvatsaturova — 3 years each with a 3-year probation period.\nThis case is one of the longest in the history of prosecuting Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in modern Russia. Back in the fall of 2017, undercover FSB agent, Yekaterina Petrova, began secretly recording meetings for worship. Yelena Barmakina was the first to be prosecuted. Later, her case was combined with cases against nine of her fellow believers.\nThe Investigative Committee charged Yuriy Redozubov and Igor Lonchakov with organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and Yelena Barmakina, Yelena Tsorn, Nina Astvatsaturova, Lyudviga Katanaeva, Yekaterina Treguba, Alibek Kartayganov and the couple Roman and Violetta Verigin with participating in its activity. In 2023, the consideration of the case against Kartayganov and the Verigins was paused.\nYelena Barmakina twice defended her right to freedom of religion in court. In 2020, the court returned her case to the prosecutor, and in 2022 she was brought to trial again along with the other believers. Speaking during the closing arguments, she said: \u0026quot;A new charge has been brought against me, but in fact its plot and description of the criminal act imputed to me have not changed. I am charged with all the same actions as before: reading and discussing texts from the Bible... participating in singing religious songs, praying and watching videos of talks.\u0026quot; Nina Astvatsaturova commented on the charges: \u0026quot;During these meetings, there were no extremist calls for illegal actions against anyone.\u0026quot;\nSimultaneously with the case of Yelena and her fellow believers, the Pervorechenskiy District Court considered the case of her husband, Dmitriy Barmakin, who was initially acquitted, but later sent to a penal colony. He is serving his sentence in the Samara Region, 7,500 kilometers from Vladivostok.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/02/051048/image_hu_c87337877e1a7d93.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/02/051048/image_hu_2b5c12fa1c6fef1a.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/02/051048/image_hu_41e56ff3dcba768b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/02/051048/image_hu_3ab868d891173c13.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/02/051048.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":"Two Men Received Prison Terms","tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","suspended","families"],"title":"Court in Vladivostok Passed Verdict in Case of Seven of Jehovah's Witnesses.","type":"news"},{"body":"Vasiliy Shishkin faced criminal prosecution in January 2025. He lost not only his freedom of movement, but also the opportunity to communicate with his own wife, Irina: the man was placed under house arrest, which is why the couple had to live separately. A year later, the believer\u0026#39;s wife was also accused of extremism.\nVasiliy was born in April 1972 in Prokopievsk (Kemerovo region). He has a younger brother. Their mother worked as a nurse and is no longer alive. His father is a miner, traveler and poet, professes Orthodoxy and lives in a secluded monastery.\nVasiliy\u0026#39;s parents divorced when he was 8, he was raised by his grandmother, and his younger brother grew up with his father and stepmother. Sometimes they tried to live together. As a child, Vasiliy was actively involved in sports: he went swimming, played hockey and football. His father took him rafting on mountain rivers and thus instilled in him a love for nature. He still enjoys cycling, hiking, fishing, and mushroom picking.\nAfter graduating from a mining technical school, Vasiliy worked in a mine for six months. Later he took courses as a carpenter and massage therapist. Throughout his life he worked in various fields: baker, locksmith, salesman, loader, meat cutter and janitor.\nIn his youth, Vasiliy, according to him, \u0026quot;often felt emptiness, meaninglessness, fear.\u0026quot; The reason for this was, among other things, the harsh upbringing of his father and family quarrels. Thanks to the Bible, the man learned the meaning of life and found hope. In 1998, he became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2013, Vasiliy married Irina. She was educated as accounter and pharmacist. She works in a pharmacy. Spouses are united by common values and views on life. They love to spend time in nature. Vasiliy also loves to draw, sometimes writes poetry.\nThe search, interrogation and arrest had a negative impact on Vasiliy\u0026#39;s emotional state. His loved ones support him and take care of his needs.\n","date":"2025-02-18","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shishkin/photo_hu_9ca0a40c37b3268c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shishkin/photo_hu_7003d48d5e444b9b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shishkin/photo_hu_c3d89d20cb0eac11.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shishkin/photo_hu_191becc776b9a1e0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shishkin.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vasiliy Shishkin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On January 20, 2025, Galina Yevsegneyeva, judge of the Urupskiy District Court of the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic, issued a verdict in the case of Aleksey Pasynkov: 6-year suspended sentence. The court considered reading the Bible with fellow believers to be extremist activity.\nAleksey does not agree with the decision and thinks that the court has not cited a single fact proving his guilt. He noted that the panel of experts did not find any signs of extremism in the material presented for their study. Witnesses for the prosecution are either not acquainted with the defendant or testify based on hearsay.\nThe Investigative Committee for the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic initiated a criminal case against Aleksey Pasynkov in December 2022, but the prosecution of the believer\u0026#39;s family began a year earlier, after the first search. Aleksey was placed under a recognizance agreement, and almost a year later his case went to court.\nInvestigator A. A. Ionov charged him with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Aleksey said: \u0026quot;In the charges, religious lectures, discussing religious topics, meetings for worship, discussing the Holy Scriptures, maintaining contact with fellow believers are listed as illegal actions imputed to me.\u0026quot; He noted that all these actions are not prohibited by law.\nThe life of the Pasynkovs was not easy anyway. \u0026quot;Our son has a disability, and he needs constant care, as he does not have the ability to care for himself,\u0026quot; said Aleksey at the trial. \u0026quot;And this takes a lot of energy from us.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution for his faith affected not only Aleksey, but also all his close relatives: law enforcement officers also initiated criminal cases against his wife and mother, and the homes of his brothers were searched.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-01-20T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/01/210912/image_hu_2fa3fdf302a3c8e5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/01/210912/image_hu_c215e3b7ee15446f.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/01/210912/image_hu_5dead93c8ab0e06d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/01/210912/image_hu_53b87a4b7fe6bc03.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/01/210912.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"Father of Child with Disability Given Suspended Sentence for his Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"When Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses knocked on Anatoliy Artamonov\u0026#39;s door in the early 1990s and told him about the biblical hope for a better future, he wanted to know more about it. 30 years later, the man was prosecuted for his love of the Bible.\nAnatoliy was born in 1952 in the resort village of Kuldur (Jewish Autonomous Region), famous for its hot springs. His father worked as a carpenter, and his mother was the commandant of a dormitory. The couple raised six children—four boys and two girls. Anatoliy was the third child in the family. When he was one, his parents moved to Komsomolsk-on-Amur and then settled in Birobidzhan. Now they are no longer alive.\nAfter school, Anatoliy entered a vocational school, where he received the specialty of a fitter. He served 2 years in the Soviet Army in the village of Ust-Kamchatsk. After demobilization, he returned to Birobidzhan, where he worked at various enterprises as a turbine driver, assembler, and welder. Recently he has been working as an electrician in a city hospital. From childhood to this day, the man is fond of fishing.\nAnatoliy is married to Lyudmila, with whom they raised two children. In 1994, they officially registered their marriage, and in 1995, together with their daughter Larisa, they became Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Later, they were joined by Anatoliy\u0026#39;s elder sister, his mother and grandson. The son of the believer does not share their beliefs, but they have a good relationship, the men work together.\nThe criminal prosecution affected not only Anatoliy, but also his daughter Larisa and grandson Yevgeniy. They have already served sentences on similar charges —2.5 years suspended. Relatives and friends are worried about Anatoliy and support his family during this difficult period of his life.\n","date":"2025-02-06","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/artamonov/photo_hu_688f0421ae920acf.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/artamonov/photo_hu_318ac2581e007049.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/artamonov/photo_hu_a7e0f7679d72c600.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/artamonov/photo_hu_64bff6cdee63203d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/artamonov.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Anatoliy Artamonov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Oksana, Dmitriy and Nikolay are being held in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Kursk. It is quite cold in Oksana and Dmitry's cells, and they have to wear outerwear all the time. Nikolai's cell is warm. There is another prisoner with Oksana, three with Dmitry, and two prisoners with Nikolai.\nBelievers maintain a positive attitude. Nikolai tries not to lose heart, despite the problems with sleep, which began even before his arrest. Dmitriy maintains his health by doing physical exercises.\nAll believers receive many letters, but so far they have been given only a few of them. Oksana and Dmytro have not yet been able to get Bibles from the library of the pre-trial detention center, and Nikolay's personal copy is being checked.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2024-12-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20241226","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["sizo","families","letters"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Courts continue to send Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to prison, and the sentence of three of them has set a new record for severity. There have been cases of violence and torture, the proportion of the elderly among the \u0026quot;prisoners of conscience\u0026quot; has increased, there are people with severe disabilities, one of whom died shortly after the verdict; the trend of prosecuting entire families continues. Read about these and other findings for 2024 in this article.\nYear in numbers Judges announce the decision in the case of five believers in Moscow As of December 16, 2024, since the beginning of the year, Russian security forces have conducted at least 96 searches in the homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — 17 in Crimea being the highest number. The total number of raids since the ban reached 2157.\nDuring 2024, 41 persons were made defendants in new criminal cases, of which 19 went through various types of detention, 15 of them are still behind bars. Last year, criminal cases were initiated against 100 believers.\nSentences were handed down to 116 believers. 43 of them (37%) were sentenced to imprisonment (It is noteworthy that this year nine people were sent to forced labor as a punishment). Terms of more than five years were given to 24 people (or almost 56% of those sentenced to imprisonment).\nSince 2017, 842 people have already been prosecuted; 450 of them have spent at least 1 day in custody. Currently, 147 prisoners of conscience are behind bars, either already convicted or awaiting sentencing. Of the 27 prisoners released from colonies, 8 were released this year. Although they have served their main sentence, most continue to experience numerous difficulties due to additional restrictions imposed by the court, which can last up to eight years or sometimes even more. \u0026quot;The cumulative numbers and severity of custodial sentences are increasing. To put it simply, during this year they imprisoned less, but more severely,\u0026quot; Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, commented on the statistics.\nIn 2024, the court handed down record-breaking sentences against three Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Khabarovsk residents Nikolay Polevodov, Vitaliy Zhuk and Stanislav Kim received eight years and six months, eight years and four months, eight years and two months in a penal colony, respectively. After about three months the court of appeal changed the punishment from imprisonment to a suspended sentence for shorter terms. Therefore, the longest term in 2024 was given to Alexander Chagan from Tolyatti — eight years in a penal colony. All in all, six believers have received such a harsh sentence since 2017.\nThe administration of the pretrial detention center forwarded 93 letters to Nikolay Polevodov, which arrived after his release from detention Over the seven years of mass persecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, the number of people sentenced has reached 543, and 186 believers have been imprisoned. Almost 61% of them (113 people) received terms of more than five years.\nIn 13 regions of Russia, the average term of imprisonment is 6 years or more. This is especially true with the southern territories — the Astrakhan, Rostov, Volgograd Regions, Crimea, and Sevastopol. For comparison: according to the official statistics of the Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of Russia for 2023, of the 1297 people convicted for intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, only 0.85% (11 people) were sentenced to terms of five to eight years. Most were sentenced to terms of two to three years. It seems that from the point of view of the Russian judicial system, Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are more dangerous than those who beat people to the point of disability. At the same time, hundreds of trials against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses accused of extremism have not confirmed a single fact of extremist activity on the part of the believers.\nHunting the Elderly Of the new defendants who appeared in 2024, eight are over 60 years old, the oldest is 74 (Nina Smirnova). In total, among those charged with extremism, 235 people (156 men and 79 women) belong to this age category — this is almost 28% of all those prosecuted. \u0026quot;Up until last December, this share was 26%, and it increased by 2% in 2024. It may not seem much, but there are real people behind the numbers, whose freedom, health and even life are under threat,\u0026quot; said Yaroslav Sivulskiy. \u0026quot;Unfortunately, during criminal proceedings, 9 elderly men and women have already died. One of them — Aleksandr Lubin who was seriously ill. He died a month after his verdict was announced.\u0026quot;\nDuring the court hearings, Lubin had to lie down on a bench to recover his breath \u0026quot;He was very anxious on the days of the court hearings. Afterwards he and his wife needed a couple of days to recover, he had to lie down almost all the time on these days,\u0026quot; Lubin\u0026#39;s lawyer said. \u0026quot;Over the course of the year, his illness progressed and in December he was hospitalized, where he stayed longer than usual. After discharge, his condition remained serious.\u0026quot;\nShortly before his death, Lubin said in court: \u0026quot;It was very painful for me to see how elderly witnesses were interrogated during court hearings in my case. The investigation seemed to deliberately select those who were over 80. They no longer see and hear well; they do not understand many words. Therefore, it gave the impression that the investigators drew up the interrogation protocols at their own discretion.\u0026quot;\nSince the beginning of the persecution, 13 believers have already died: 3 women and 10 men. As of the end of 2024, 27 believers over the age of 60 are being held in colonies, pretrial detention centers, and special detention centers for persons sentenced to forced labor. For example, Boris Andreyev, 73, who was sentenced to six years in a penal colony (he is suspected of having cancer), and Anatoliy Marunov, 71, who received six and a half years in a penal colony, remain behind bars. \u0026quot;The oldest of all the convicted Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses is Yuriy Yuskov. When the suspended sentence imposed on him ends, he will be 90 years old. The oldest defendant is Elena Zayshchuk, 90\u0026quot; said Yaroslav Sivulskiy.\nOne of the examples when the courts did not even try to create the appearance of legality of the process is the case of Tatyana Piskareva. She is 68 years old, and for the past few months she has been held in the correctional center at colony-settlement No 3 for the Oryol Region. In the spring of 2024, the court sentenced her to two and a half years of forced labor, a type of punishment that, as expressly stated in Article 53.1 of the Criminal Code, is not imposed on old-age pensioners. Tatyana mentioned this in her appeal. However, as said in the decision of the appeal court, \u0026quot;the requirements of Article 53.1 of the Criminal Code of Russian Federation were observed by the court.\u0026quot;\nAndrey Vlasov participates in the court hearing via video conferencing from the penal colony Andrey Vlasov, 56, who has a severe disability, has already been in prison for more than two and a half years. He was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony, and the courts deny him early release, despite his rapidly deteriorating health. He is practically unable to move his joints. He experiences constant pain, which is why even everyday tasks — for example, putting on underwear — are very difficult. Some tasks that are simple for a healthy person are completely beyond Vlasov\u0026#39;s strength. He has already fallen several times and could not get up on his own. According to the surgeon, Andrey needs an operation. Failure to do so will lead to an ischemic stroke of the spinal cord and paralysis of the limbs.\nMoreover, the Russian law enforcement system is not lenient to those who are younger, but whose health also requires a special approach. Vladimir Fomin, 44, who is disabled, has been in a pretrial detention center since the end of March 2024. According to his lawyer, Fomin\u0026#39;s condition is getting worse — his chronic illnesses have been exacerbated, and there is no proper treatment. During one of the hearings, he lost consciousness, an ambulance had to be called.\nTorture and Violence In 2024, four cases of violence by law enforcement officers became known. Also, one case of torture in a place of detention was recorded against convicted Rinat Kiramov of Akhtubinsk. The prisoners demanded that Rinat give the names of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses living in Akhtubinsk.\nRinat Kiramov speaks in court Rinat\u0026rsquo;s wife Galina is waiting in the corridor for the decision of the court of cassation Did the pressure achieve its goal? \u0026quot;After beatings and torture, Rinat does not feel that he is a victim. On the contrary, he feels great joy, because he endured everything with dignity, \u0026quot;said Kiramov\u0026#39;s wife Galina shortly after the events described.\nDuring raids in Omsk in March 2024, security forces beat Sergey Rygaev and Leonid Pyzhov.\nIn the same month, during a search in Tolyatti, Sergey Fedorov was beaten and detained. He is still behind bars.\nOn September 16, during raids in Samara, law enforcement officers had been using force against one of the believers for several hours. At some point, the man lost consciousness.\nOn December 5, during searches in Moscow, the security forces hit one believer on the head and abdomen, and broke his nose.\nProsecution of Families Vladimir and Anastasiya Anufriyev, as well as two other families involved in the case, can now only see each other during trials, in a special box for defendants The number of families where more than one person was prosecuted for their faith has exceeded 80. At least nine of them were added in 2024. In one of the cases, three married couples were made defendants at once — Vladimir and Anastasiya Anufriyev, Viktor and Alena Chernobaev, as well as Andrey Mikholap and his wife Oksana. All of them are in pretrial detention at the time of writing.\nIn December 2024 , Kristina Golik, Valentina Yermilova and Yekaterina Olshevskaya were sentenced to forced labor. Earlier, their husbands received long prison terms and are serving their sentences in a penal colony. Before the verdict was announced Yekaterina stated in court: \u0026quot;My husband and my father are imprisoned under the same article. I can see my husband only a few times a year. My son, who is four years old, misses his dad very much and is constantly worried that I will also be sent to prison. Every time he accompanies me to court, my young son asks: \u0026#39;Mom, will you return home today?\u0026#39;\u0026quot;\nIn January 2024, the court separated Aram Danielyan from his wife and young son. The believer was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony Similar concerns were expressed by Kristina Golik: \u0026quot;My husband will be released in 2027, after which his freedom will be restricted for another year, and he will have a further eight years of administrative supervision. If I am given a prison sentence, then I will have to serve it... The question is: after how many years will we be reunited? I\u0026#39;m scared to even think about it.\u0026quot;\nHowever, the issue of destroying the families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses turned out to be insignificant for the court — if the sentence enters into force, the believers will have to serve their sentences in a special institution for carrying out forced labor.\nRepressions Against Convicted Persons With the passage of time, law enforcement officers find new ways to put pressure on those who are imprisoned for their faith. For the first time since 2017, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses Viktor Stashevsky ended up in regular prison (not to confuse with a penal colony). Prior to that, he was held under strict detention conditions on the basis of penalties, most of which he was unaware of.\nDetention in strict conditions of imprisonment — placement in a punishment cell, CTF and SCTF — is a frequent practice in the cases of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. According to the rules, a prisoner should not be kept in such a room for more than 15 days, but in practice the punishment is extended, so that believers are kept in strict conditions for months. For example, Alam Aliyev, sentenced to six and a half years in a penal colony, has already been held for almost six months under strict detention conditions in IK-8 for the Amur Region. This is not compatible with the state of his health — he has diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, cardiac and neurological disorders.\nOften, the conditions for imprisoned Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are hardened on the basis of fabricated or far-fetched violations. The reason may be an unfastened button or the absence of a tag with the prisoner\u0026#39;s name on the cabinet. Sometimes the prisoner does not even know what violations he is charged with. Such penalties are used as grounds for denying believers visits from relatives and make it almost impossible for them to be released on parole. It happens that in a particular colony there is no room corresponding to the punishment. In this case, prisoners are transported to another (sometimes remote) region, to a colony where such a room exists. This limits the possibility to see relatives and receive parcels.\nConcerned people support those who are unjustly convicted with letters. However, censorship does not allow everything to pass through, cutting out or crossing out part of the text There are also specific methods of pressure — when believers are deprived of the opportunity to read the Bible. Often this is done under the pretext that the book does not have a stamp of approval from the Russian Orthodox Church. In the case of Andrey Danielyan and the abovementioned Rinat Kiramov, the FSIN officers went even further — personal copies of the Bible were seized not only from them, but also from all other prisoners. Kiramov\u0026#39;s relatives said that before that, other convicts lent Rinat their copies, but the colony staff forbade them to do so. Not only the Bible was confiscated from Danielyan, but also a personal notebook with quotes from this book.\nPracticing their religion can even result in a new term for a prisoner, as in the case of Dmitriy Terebilov from Kostroma. He became acquainted with the Bible many years ago in the penal colony. Thanks to his new knowledge, Dmitriy changed so much that the administration of the institution itself petitioned for his early release. After his release he became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Later, Dmitriy was convicted again, this time for his faith. On September 5, his term of imprisonment expired but he was not freed. A new criminal case was initiated against him for answering questions from a cellmate about the beliefs of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Now Dmitry is in a pretrial detention center and awaiting another trial. He faces an extension of his term from three to 10 years.\nNew Acquittal In 2024, Ruslan Atakuyev, judge of the Mayskiy District Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, found Kirill Gushchin not guilty of extremism. This decision withstood the courts of appeal and cassation, and the prosecutor\u0026#39;s office made an official apology. Since 2017, various courts have issued a total of 10 acquittals, but until that moment, only two of them were not overturned. In May 2021, the same Mayskiy District Court acquitted Yuriy Zalipayev.\nKabardino-Balkaria is the only region in Russia where Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have effectively been acquitted.\nKirill Gushchin leaves the courthouse after the announcement of his acquittal, he was greeted by a large support group International Support In the summer 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of 16 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses who were subjected to illegal searches, arrests, and convictions for their religion in Russia. Although Russia withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights back in 2022, the Russian Federation is still obliged to pay compensation assigned to believers.\nOn October 24, 2023, the UN Human Rights Committee issued two opinions in favor of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses regarding the rulings to liquidate the local religious organizations (LROs) in Abinsk and Elista. In Russia, these rulings became precedent for the beginning of religious persecution, and a former member of the Abinsk LRO, the elderly Aleksandr Ivshin, is serving time for his faith in a penal colony.\nThe UN Human Rights Committee emphasizes that there are no calls for violence or other information inciting hatred in the literature of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. In both cases, Russia violated the right of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses to \u0026quot;freedom of thought, conscience and religion\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;the right to freedom of assembly\u0026quot; (Articles 18.1 and 22.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights).\nThe Committee ordered Russia to reconsider the decisions on the ban and ordered it to \u0026quot;take all necessary steps to avoid similar violations in the future.\u0026quot; During 2024, hearings were held in Russia on this issue, but the Committee\u0026#39;s orders were never carried out. Moreover, after the publication of the Opinion of the Human Rights Committee on the liquidation of a religious organization in Abinsk, local security forces initiated a criminal case against Valeriy Baylo, 66 at that time, — for participating in the activity of the Abinsk LRO. The court sentenced the believer to two and a half years in a penal colony. Now he is in custody and is awaiting the decision of the court of appeal.\nAnd in June 2024, the Elista City Court found three women guilty of participating in the activity of the Elista LRO and gave Kishta Tutinova a three-year suspended sentence, and Yekaterina Menkova and Tsagan Khalgaeva two years suspended. The court of appeal toughened the sentence.\nNadezhda Korobochko Back in 2019, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Russian authorities to \u0026quot;drop the charges and release all those detained for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, as well as the right to peaceful assembly and association.\u0026quot; It is obvious that the demands of the international community have not been met. However, this pressure — imprisonment, risk to health and sometimes even life — does not deprive Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses of their courage. Nadezhda Korobochko, 80, speaking in court before the verdict was announced, expressed the attitude of the majority of those prosecuted for their faith: \u0026quot;As long as I am alive, I will study the Bible. As long as I am alive, I will share the knowledge of God with other people, and nothing can make me give up my faith in God.\u0026quot;\n","category":"analytics","date":"2024-12-23T08:27:03+02:00","duration":"2:13","image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/230900/cover_hu_f03b9c8adeb026a6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/230900/cover_hu_990bd52f1e0b72a9.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/230900/cover_hu_2b62cd40b10aba1b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/230900/cover_hu_588887d1ec686d5c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/230900.html","regions":[],"subtitle":null,"tags":["review","statistics","torture","search","siloviks-violence","torture-conditions","families","prison-treatment","shizo","strict-conditions","letters","acquittal","international","unhrc","echr","died","elderly","disability"],"title":"\"They imprison less, but more severely.\" Repressions against Jehovah's Witnesses: 2024 Overview","type":"video"},{"body":"The Chechulins' case is submitted for a new trial to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court and assigned to judge Olga Obraztsova.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-12-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20241217","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["retrial","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On December 6, 2024, the Blagoveshchensk City Court announced the verdict against four women - Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Judge Stanislav Stanishevskiy sentenced them to different terms of punishment for their faith: Kristina Golik and Valentina Yermilova — 2.5 years, and Mariya Myasnikova and Yekaterina Olshevskaya — 2 years and 2 months forced labor with 10% of the salary being paid to the state.\nSearches, interrogations, arrest of relatives and separation from them — according to the recollections of the believers, they went through a lot during the 6 years their families were being prosecuted. The husbands of Golik, Yermilova and Olshevskaya were sentenced to long terms for their faith. As well as her husband, Yekaterina\u0026#39;s father also faced such a punishment. \u0026quot;It\u0026#39;s incredibly hard for me to see my little son, who has just begun to speak, asking me where his dad is,\u0026quot; said Yekaterina Olshevskaya. \u0026quot;I was emotionally exhausted by the constant participation in court hearings related to the criminal cases of my father, my husband, and now my own.\u0026quot; The execution of Olshevskaya\u0026#39;s sentence has been deferred for about 10 years, until her son reaches the age of 14.\nThe FSB accused the women of participating in the activity of an extremist organization. The investigation considered holding meetings for worship, discussing the Bible with friends and meetings with friends in a café to be illegal actions. Valentina Yermilova commented on the charges as follows: \u0026quot;I do not have to justify myself. I didn\u0026#39;t hurt anyone in any way. There were no victims. I did not take part in extremist actions. In our country, everyone has the right to freedom of religion.\u0026quot; Mariya Myasnikova echoed her comments: \u0026quot;My faith is the complete opposite of extremism. It teaches you to love people, respect authority and be a peacemaker.\u0026quot;\nHearings in the case began in May 2023. During the entire period of the preliminary and judicial investigation, the believers were under recognizance agreements. Even while in the colony, the husbands of the defendants assured their wives of their love and support through letters. Friends also helped the believers. \u0026quot;Despite heat, rain or frost, they came to the courthouse, always with smiles and words of encouragement,\u0026quot; Yermilova said.\nIn the Amur Region, 24 of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already faced criminal prosecution. In at least 5 families of believers, several people were under investigation - couples, brother and sister, father and daughter. The trend of prosecuting relatives who are Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses has also been gaining momentum in other regions in recent years.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-12-06T09:14:18+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/060914/image_hu_5c0efde937c113a3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/060914/image_hu_46af2366093660e4.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/060914/image_hu_8c36d4e703065945.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/060914/image_hu_69a8cc6cf2945abf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/060914.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","labor","families"],"title":"Wives of Prisoners of Conscience from Blagoveshchensk Sentenced to Forced Labor","type":"news"},{"body":"The defendants make their final statement, emphasizing that they peacefully practiced their faith and their actions had nothing to do with extremism.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Golik and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2024-12-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk3/index.html#20241203","regions":["amur"],"tags":["final-statement","courtroom","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On December 2, 2024, Margarita Dyadyusheva, judge of the Leninskiy District Court of Kursk, sentenced three Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: Nikolay Kupriyanskiy received 6 years in a penal colony, Dmitriy and Oksana Chausov — 2.5 years. The believers were taken into custody in the courtroom.\nThe criminal prosecution of Kupriyanskiy and the Chausovs began with searches in the summer of 2023. They were led by Maksim Zaitsev, an investigator of the FSB Directorate for the Kursk Region, who had previously led a case against five other Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Kursk. Dmitriy Chausov was sent to a pretrial detention center, which interrupted the treatment he was having for a serious illness. At the same time, the couple lost their jobs. Six months later, the court placed Dmitriy under house arrest, but due to the ban on communicating with the defendants in the case, he was separated from his wife for more than a year. All three believers spent between 6 and 15 months under house arrest.\nIn June 2024, the case went to court. The guilty verdict was based, among other things, on the statement of a witness who testified in court in a similar case against five believers. For discussing the Bible among friends, the prosecutor requested 7 years in a penal colony for Kupriyanskiy and 3 years in a penal colony for the Chausovs. The defendants pleaded not guilty and can appeal the verdict.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-12-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/030813/image_hu_3cacf90d5ee54b17.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/030813/image_hu_158aedda656b7617.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/030813/image_hu_b3ad3a90dd561111.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/030813/image_hu_fadeeafdf870dd7f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/030813.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Another Sentence for Faith in Kursk: A Couple and Another Jehovah's Witness Sent to Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 30, 2024, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction took the side of the prosecutor regarding the verdict against Sergey and Yelena Chechulin and sent the case to the court of first instance for a new trial.\nYevgeniy Paul, Deputy Prosecutor of the Kamchatka Territory, considered that the court inappropriately mitigated the charge, reclassifying it from organizing the activity of an extremist organization (Article 282.2(1) of the RF CrC) to participating in it (Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC).\nThe Chechulins do not agree with the guilty verdict and maintain their innocence. Sergey, referring to the article of the RF Constitution on freedom of conscience, stated: \u0026quot;In fact, my wife and I were found guilty of practicing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\u0026quot;\n","category":"trial","date":"2024-10-30T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/10/311103/image_hu_9f53eb68d9330b51.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/10/311103/image_hu_1ab2cc5aee9c97b5.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/10/311103/image_hu_aded6b412322121.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/10/311103/image_hu_37e8412cef6f2ec2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/10/311103.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","282.2-2","families","retrial"],"title":"Reconsideration — Court of Cassation Overturns Verdict Against Chechulin Couple from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Mariya Ogoreva faced criminal prosecution following her daughter Svetlana. The pensioner was also accused of extremism because of her faith in Jehovah God.\nMariya was born in November 1961 in the village of Kardonikskaya (Karachay-Cherkessia). Her father and mother worked on a collective farm. Father died when the girl was 7. Mother, as well as his two elder brothers, are also no longer alive. As a child, Mariya helped her mother with the housework, loved to draw.\nAfter school, Mariya graduated from a school in Karachayevsk, where she received the specialty of a plasterer-painter. For many years she worked as a nanny in a kindergarten. Now retired, she is engaged in a garden.\nIn 1981, Mariya married Vasiliy. He was a hardworking and caring spouse, but in 2019 he passed away. The couple raised three children—two daughters and a son.\nFor many years, Mariya wanted to know if there would be a resurrection of those close to her heart. After learning the name of God from the Bible and receiving answers to her questions, she decided to embark on the Christian path in 1998.\nThe stress of the searches and criminal prosecution took its toll on the health of Mariya and her daughter. Svetlana supports her mother.\n","date":"2024-10-29","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ogorevam/photo_hu_abb426a9f960ae75.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ogorevam/photo_hu_aa93816b14a40b9d.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ogorevam/photo_hu_bcf91083d8fa4e37.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ogorevam/photo_hu_9ce73a2e21f7496c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ogorevam.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Mariya Ogoreva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On October 11, 2024, the home of a Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness family in Kazan was searched, after which the parents were interrogated for 2.5 hours. The law enforcement officers exerted psychological pressure on the adults and their three minor children.\nEarly in the morning, the family was awakened by a loud knock. People unknown to them claimed that a fire was about to break out due to sparks coming from the wiring in the corridor. When the head of the family opened the door, three plainclothes officers, accompanied by two masked and armed law enforcement officers and two female attesting witnesses, burst into the apartment. They threw him to the floor, handcuffed him and did not allow him to get dressed for a long time. According to the believers, they were briefly shown a search warrant, which they could not read thoroughly. The search lasted about 3 hours. The law enforcement officers behaved rudely and often used profanity. They demanded that the family unlocked their electronic devices and gave access to contacts. The smartphones of all family members were confiscated.\nIn Kazan, six Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already faced criminal prosecution, with four of them sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 6.5 years.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2024-10-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/search.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/10/220837.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":"Home of a Large Family of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazan Was Searched","tags":["search","interrogation","minors","families"],"title":"Handcuffs, Insults, and Intimidation.","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 9, 2024, Arsen Avanesov, 41, was released from Penal Colony No. 3 for the Ulyanovsk Region. He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for practicing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Subsequently, the believer spent 2.5 years in a pretrial detention center and about 3 years in a penal colony.\nArsen was released as the last of three defendants in a criminal case, which was initiated by the Rostov-on-Don Investigative Committee in 2019. In February 2024, Arsen\u0026#39;s elderly father, Vilen Avanesov, was released from the colony having spent almost 5 years behind bars, and in August 2024, Aleksandr Parkov completed his term.\nIn the penal colony, Arsen worked in a sewing workshop and established himself as a reliable and hardworking person. For his hard work and participation in the colony\u0026#39;s sports events, he received several awards.\nLetters of support and parcels that he received from different countries helped the believer greatly to remain optimistic. One day, Arsen received a parcel from England — an elderly couple sent him, among other things, eyeglasses, which were useful to other believers imprisoned in the same colony.\nShortly before his release, Arsen said that in his \u0026quot;thoughts he is already at home,\u0026quot; but he is worried that he \u0026quot;will have to learn how to do some things again\u0026quot; after 5.5 years behind bars.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2024-10-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_d132dab7285b550e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_4e3c79516dd60dfa.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_e97f5e0a7fe2db74.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_e144ed8a7302fe26.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/10/091530.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Arsen Avanesov From Rostov Was Released From the Penal Colony, Having Completely Served the Term for His Faith in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"Yuliya Pasynkova faced persecution in the summer of 2024, when criminal cases were opened against her and her mother-in-law, Tatyana. Yuliya\u0026#39;s husband, Aleksey, was under investigation because of his beliefs back in December 2022. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the couple are raising a son with a disability, who needs round-the-clock help.\nYuliya was born in December 1990 in the city of Abdulino, Orenburg Region. Her mother was educated as a seamstress, but worked in various fields. Her father worked as an electric locomotive driver for 35 years. He tragically died in 2021, when shortly after the first search of the Pasynkov family, Yuliya\u0026#39;s parents were hit by a car. The mother was seriously injured at the time. Yuliya has an elder sister who also has a child with a disability.\nIn her youth, Yuliya studied at a music school and went in for cross-country skiing. She still loves music. After school, she worked as a nail technician.\nYuliya began to be interested in the Bible at a young age. According to the believer, she was touched by the wisdom of biblical principles, which reflect God\u0026#39;s love for people. In 2009, she decided to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2013, Yuliya married Aleksey, and 3 years later they had a son. In 2020, the couple moved to Stavropol so that their child could receive the necessary medical care there.\nYuliya worries about how the criminal prosecution of their family will affect her son. She says: \u0026quot;Subsequently, when it comes to my trial, Aleksey will be with my son instead of me. I am worried about what the court decision will be in my husband\u0026#39;s case—whether he will stay with us.\u0026quot; Yuliya is also upset that she cannot attend her husband\u0026#39;s trial to support him.\nAgainst the backdrop of what is happening, Yuliya\u0026#39;s health has deteriorated, and this worries her family. Despite the difficulties, the couple have everything they need— friends have surrounded them with care.\n","date":"2024-10-04","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/pasynkova/photo_hu_9a56f694cf0b722e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/pasynkova/photo_hu_11500a820ebf20f0.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/pasynkova/photo_hu_274c46b5001ad22c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/pasynkova/photo_hu_31106f28bea3f8a5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/pasynkova.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yuliya Pasynkova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The prosecutor asks the court to sentence Kristina Golik, Maria Myasnikova, Valentina Yermilova and Ekaterina Olshevskaya to 3 years of imprisonment in a penal colony, for the latter - with a respite of punishment until her child reaches the age of 14.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Golik and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2024-08-22T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk3/index.html#20240822","regions":["amur"],"tags":["punishment-request","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"According to Danil Suvorov, the conditions of detention in the colony are normal. His health condition is not bad, but he needs dental treatment. Relations with prisoners are normal. Before him, other Jehovah's Witnesses who had earned a good reputation had already served time in this colony. Danil has a library copy of the Bible and receives letters regularly.\nThe believer was visited by a human rights activist of one of the public organizations.\nDanil is very worried about his retired mother, who has to travel 1500 km from Sochi to visit him.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Danil Suvorov in Sochi","date":"2024-08-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/sochi3/index.html#20240819","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["life-in-prison","human-rights-defenders","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Upon arrival at the Amursk colony, Sergey Kardakov received medical assistance due to the deterioration of his health due to a heart defect. Unlike in the pre-trial detention center, here he receives the necessary medicines.\nThe emotional state of a believer varies. Separation from his wife, for whom he is very worried, causes him particular pain. However, they do have the ability to call each other and support each other. During this time, they were twice granted a long visit.\nLetters of support are great encouragement for Sergey, including from his sister, Inna Kardakova, who was also convicted for her faith. Most of the e-mails reach the believer.\nSergey has a Bible, which he reads every morning. Observing nature also helps him to think about the positive, in particular the birds that can be seen in the sky over the colony: sea eagles, vultures, golden eagles and others.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Olshevskiy and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2024-08-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk/index.html#20240813","regions":["amur"],"tags":["life-in-prison","prison-treatment","families","letters"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 13, 2024, the Sixth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Samara upheld the verdict against the Bochkarevs and Tatyana Obizhestvit: for the two women suspended sentences — from 2 to 2.5 years, for Andrey Bochkarev — 3 years and 1 month in a penal colony. His term is considered to be served, taking into account his stay in a pretrial detention center.\nIn the cassation appeal, the believers pointed to the fact that the guilty verdict was not based on evidence, that the defendants committed any extremist actions or made statements inciting hatred but was based on assumptions. They emphasized that Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses treat people of other religions with kindness, love and tolerance.\nThe court once again recognized it as a crime to study the Bible together with friends and other people. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and The European Court of Human Rights have ruled that meetings for worship of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and their joint performance of rites do not constitute a crime.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-08-13T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/08/151418/image_hu_99fbf166417762a0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/08/151418/image_hu_581fede669e8d412.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/08/151418/image_hu_3bd841536310eb5b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/08/151418/image_hu_bea6d717d1fdccb0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/08/151418.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","282.2-1","families","elderly"],"title":"Court of Cassation Did Not Change the Verdict Against Believers From Kazan","type":"news"},{"body":"In the summer of 2024, a criminal case was opened against Aleksandr Stefanidin from Izhevsk, searches were carried out in his house, after which the man was sent to a pre-trial detention center. Earlier, in 2021, his older brother Yevgeniy became a defendant in a similar case for his faith.\nAleksandr was born in September 1991 in Izhevsk (Udmurtia). His father is a security guard in a supermarket, and his mother worked as a tram driver and cleaner until her retirement. Aleksandr grew up in a large family: in addition to his elder brother, he has two sisters.\nAs a child, Aleksandr was engaged in drawing and crafts, in his youth he loved fishing, and went hiking. After school, he studied as an electrician, and then worked for almost 10 years as an administrator of a holding company that rents out commercial real estate.\nHis mother told Aleksandr about God when he was still in kindergarten. Later, he himself became interested in the Bible and the prophecies recorded in it. In 2007, the young man made the decision to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Because of his peaceful views, instead of military service, he did alternative civilian service in a hospital.\nIn 2015, Aleksandr married Anastasiya, a lawyer by education who shares his religious views. He moved to his wife in Votkinsk, and 4 years later returned to Izhevsk with her.\nAnastasiya is engaged in hair reconstruction, is fond of make-up. Aleksandr still enjoys fishing, and he is also fond of cars. Together, the couple love to walk, travel by car, and watch programs about the animal world and space.\nThose close to Aleksandr are worried about what is happening and consider the accusation of extremism groundless. At work, he is appreciated and is waiting for his return. Against the background of emotional stress and separation, Anastasiya\u0026#39;s health deteriorated. Despite everything, the couple tries not to lose heart.\n","date":"2024-09-05","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/stefanidin2/photo_hu_6bb156dd7b2c08af.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/stefanidin2/photo_hu_14fc1106696a73d3.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/stefanidin2/photo_hu_29a4482001e4c36.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/stefanidin2/photo_hu_badca0783d5560a9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/stefanidin2.html","regions":["udmurtia"],"tags":["families","disability"],"title":"Aleksandr Stefanidin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On August 9, 2024, Aleksandr Parkov, 56, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, was released from Penal Colony No.10 for the Rostov Region. The believer spent a total of 5 years and 2 months in a detention center and the penal colony for talking about the Bible.\nParkov\u0026#39;s wife, Galina, also faced prosecution for her faith. She was given a 2-year and 3-month suspended sentence. While her husband was imprisoned, Galina lost her job due to criminal prosecution. She is very grateful to her family and friends for their emotional and material support.\nAleksandr Parkov met his friends when leaving the penal colony, August 9, 2024 Galina said that her husband lives by the principle \u0026quot;if you want it to be good, create that \u0026#39;good\u0026#39; around you.\u0026quot; Administration employees and his cellmates treated Parkov with respect. He worked in a blacksmith\u0026#39;s shop and received awards. According to Galina, good habits, hard work and letters of support helped Aleksandr to survive these difficult times.\nTwo more defendants in the Parkov case are Arsen and Vilen Avanesov. Vilen has already been released after almost 5 years in the penal colony, Arsen remains in the penal colony.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2024-08-09T09:58:46+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/08/090958/image_hu_a592aec73fe7e378.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/08/090958/image_hu_af9060dd2b1d3b05.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/08/090958/image_hu_ff2c761a65a8ac95.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/08/090958/image_hu_6e5ffdb2f6746bad.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/08/090958.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families","282.2-1"],"title":"In Rostov-on-Don, Aleksandr Parkov Was Released After 5 Years Imprisonment for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"The FSB searches Aleksey's house, this time in a case against his wife, Yulia. On the same day, a search is carried out at the home of his mother, against whom a criminal case has also been opened.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Pasynkov in Mednogorskiy","date":"2024-08-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy3/index.html#20240809","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 9, 2024, searches were carried out in three homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Karachay-Cherkessia and Stavropol. It is already the third invasion of the homes of believers by the security forces. Three criminal cases were initiated under Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC.\nIn the village of Kardonikskaya, searches were carried out at the homes of Maria Ogoreva, 62, and her daughter Svetlana, as well as at Tatyana Pasynkova, 59, the mother of Aleksey Pasynkov. On the same day in Stavropol, FSB officers searched the house of Aleksey, this time in the case against his wife Yulia. The couple are raising a disabled child who is completely dependent on the help of his parents.\nThe criminal cases against Maria, Tatyana and Yulia were initiated on July 23, 2024. They are being investigated by Senior Lieutenant of Justice A.A. Khasanov, who works for the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic.\nThe Pasynkovs and the Ogorevs have been under prosecution since 2019. Their cases develop according to a similar pattern: first, the believer himself is suspected, and then his family members are prosecuted.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2024-08-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/search.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/08/260952.html","regions":["karachaevo","stavropol"],"subtitle":"Three women Became Suspects in Cases for Extremism","tags":["search","new-case","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"title":"New Raids Against Believers in Karachay-Cherkessia and Stavropol.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator of the Zelenchuksky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Senior Lieutenant of Justice A. A. Khasanov initiates criminal cases against the couple of Aleksey, Yulia, and his mother, Tatyana , under part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Pasynkov in Mednogorskiy","date":"2024-07-23T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy3/index.html#20240723","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior Lieutenant of Justice A. A. Khasanov, investigator of the Zelenchuksky Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, initiates a criminal case against Yulia Pasynkova under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Yuliya Pasynkova in Mednogorskiy","date":"2024-07-23T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy4/index.html#20240723","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior Lieutenant of Justice A. A. Khasanov, investigator of the Zelenchuksky Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, initiates a criminal case against Tatyana Pasynkova under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Tatyana Pasynkova in Mednogorsk","date":"2024-07-23T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy5/index.html#20240723","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["new-case","families","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A. A. Ermolenko, Deputy Head of the Investigative Department for Komsomolsk-on-Amur of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region, returns the case of believers to the stage of preliminary investigation. During the check, it turns out that the law enforcement officers did not establish where, when and what exactly the suspects committed.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kovadnev and Others in Komsomolsk-on-Amur","date":"2024-07-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/komsomolsk-on-amur2/index.html#20240719","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"At the age of 16, Irina Ushakova was forced to flee Tajikistan after facing persecution on ethnic grounds. Thirty-two years later, she was persecuted again, this time in Russia, for her faith in Jehovah God.\nIrina was born in 1974 in Dushanbe. She has a younger sister. Their mother is retired, their father died in 2020.\nAs a child, Irina was engaged in acrobatics and athletics. After school, she studied to be a hairdresser, then worked at a meat processing plant as a sausage molder. Since 2021, she has not been working, as she is on disability. Irina likes to grow flowers; she is also fond of confectionery.\nFrom her youth, Irina was looking for answers to questions about God. At the age of 16, she bought herself a Bible with the money she gave her on her birthday. Irina recalls that she fell in love with Bible teachings when she began to apply the advice from this book and saw a positive result. In 2004, she became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2006, Irina married Vitaliy, who shares her views on faith. Together they raised two sons.\nIn 2022, two searches were carried out in the Ushakovs\u0026#39; house within a week. Later, criminal cases were initiated against the spouses. Vitaliy was in a pre-trial detention center for 7 months, then he was transferred to house arrest. The believer said: \u0026quot;In the family, we have always supported each other, and persecution has only brought us closer.\u0026quot;\nThe persecution has a negative impact on the health of Irina, who is registered with the cancer center. Relatives and friends are worried about Irina and Vitaliy.\n","date":"2024-09-02","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ushakova/photo_hu_f92d59f60a51664.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ushakova/photo_hu_eab5ccd5c514e50e.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ushakova/photo_hu_154237d0393ec1a1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ushakova/photo_hu_c3c121e45f53e232.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ushakova.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families","disability"],"title":"Irina Ushakova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 18, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights granted nine applications by Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Russia at the same time, who were subjected to unlawful searches, arrests, and convictions for practising their religion. The Russian Federation is obliged to pay the believers 156,000 euros in compensation and 4,000 euros in legal costs.\nThe court ruling concerns 14 men and 2 women. Most of them have already served terms or suspended sentences: Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, Konstantin Bazhenov, Aleksey Budenchuk, Feliks Makhammadiyev, Gennadiy German, Aleksey Miretskiy, Roman Gridasov, Mariya Karpova, Marat Abdulgalimov, Arsen Abdullaev and Anton Dergalev. Valeriy Moskalenko paid a fine. Irina Buglak continues to serve a suspended sentence. Dmitriy Barmakin, sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, is awaiting transfer to a penal colony. And the case of Roman Makhnev is expected to go to court soon.\nAccording to the ECHR decision, the Russian Federation violated three provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms regarding the applicants. The court classed the detention of believers in metal cages during the hearings degrading treatment (Article 3), and considered their detention, searches and seizure of property groundless and unlawful (Article 5). The ECHR also found that the applicants had been subjected to arbitrary criminal prosecution merely for practicing their faith, which was in violation of the Article on freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 9).\nRussia ceased being party to the European Convention on Human Rights on September 16, 2022, but the consideration of these applications was within the jurisdiction of the ECHR — they cover events that took place in 2018-2020. The Russian Federation remains obliged to pay the compensation awarded to the believers, including those awarded under other decisions of the European Court. The total amount already exceeds 3,600,000 euros.\n","category":"victory","date":"2024-07-18T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/07/231543/image_hu_ca427f4fd896d1e6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/07/231543/image_hu_5c3c6972ebc6f5f3.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/07/231543/image_hu_17a2553ad2ee50ed.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/07/231543/image_hu_4f7940f2be301a62.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/07/231543.html","regions":["eu","primorye","omsk","saratov","khabarovsk","kaluga"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["echr","compensation","families"],"title":"ECHR Recognized Violation of Rights of Another 16 Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"Andrey Mikholap and Vladimir Anufriyev are being held in double cells. There are three women together with Anastasia Anufrieva. The food in the pre-trial detention center is satisfactory.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Anufriev and Others in Kstovo","date":"2024-07-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kstovo/index.html#20240715","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Dmitriy Laktionov brings Irina in as an accused.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ushakova in Vyselki","date":"2024-07-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki11/index.html#20240711","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["282.2-2","disability","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A criminal case was opened against Viktor Chernobaev and his wife Alena for their faith in July 2024. Their house was searched, after which the spouses were placed in a pre-trial detention center.\nViktor was born in April 1995 in the village of Novonikolaevskiy, Volgograd region. He grew up in a large family with three brothers. Their father is an electrician, and their mother runs a warehouse.\nAfter school, Viktor immediately went to work—for some time he was repairing washing machines, and until his arrest he worked as a courier. In his free time, he enjoys spearfishing.\nIn 2013, Viktor decided to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother. Because of his peace-loving views, the young man asked for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian one, and completed it in Kstovo (Nizhny Novgorod region), where he subsequently remained to live.\nIn 2017, Viktor married Alena, who shares his views on life. Spouses love to spend time together in nature. Their family hobbies are fishing and camping.\nRelatives worry about Viktor and Alena and support them in every possible way.\n","date":"2024-07-19","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chernobaev/photo_hu_48928cd012d8b652.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chernobaev/photo_hu_69caafbb2391f9a6.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chernobaev/photo_hu_a98d8ee310c8a3f4.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chernobaev/photo_hu_5e63f22b6acbe647.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chernobaev.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Viktor Chernobaev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Alena Chernobaeva faced criminal prosecution together with her husband Viktor. In July 2024, their house was searched, after which the spouses were placed in a pre-trial detention center.\nAlena was born in May 1997 in Kazan. She has a younger sister. As a child, Alena loved dancing and volleyball.\nAfter school, the girl graduated with honors from college with a degree in hotel service, after which she worked as an administrator, waitress and maid in a hotel. Later, she took on various jobs: she hung wallpaper, cleaned offices and houses.\nSince childhood, Alena has been concerned with spiritual issues. Her school friend was studying the Bible with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and she wanted to join her. In 2014, she consciously decided to become a Christian.\nIn 2017, Alena married Viktor, whom she met in Nizhny Novgorod. They love to spend time together in nature. Their family hobbies are fishing and camping.\nRelatives support the Chernobaevs and, as they can, help to overcome the difficulties associated with criminal prosecution.\n","date":"2024-07-19","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chernobaeva/photo_hu_53811a2f712bb98d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chernobaeva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chernobaeva/photo_hu_5dd26fe1b581fb58.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chernobaeva/photo_hu_37b3e6b6df3daa7f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chernobaeva.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Alena Chernobaeva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2024, armed law enforcement officers broke into the house of Andrey Mikholap and his wife Oksana with a search. The man was knocked down, his arm was twisted behind his back and his knee was pinned to the floor, although he did not resist. This is how the couple learned that a criminal case had been opened against them for their faith. After the search, both were placed in a pre-trial detention center.\nAndrey was born in November 1968 in the village of Kraskino, Primorye Territory. Until the age of 12, he lived in the village of Holgaso (Khabarovsk Territory). He has a younger brother and sister. Their mother worked most of her life in trade, and his father was a driver. He is no longer alive.\nAs a child, Andrey loved to read books and play football. He dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon, so after school he entered the Tyumen Medical Institute. However, after the 2nd year, he was drafted into the army, he left his studies and served at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.\nAfter the army, Andrey worked as a truck driver—he transported dangerous goods along the northern highways in the Tyumen region, and later delivered dairy products to stores.\nIn the city of Beloyarsky, Tyumen region, Andrey met Oksana, a teacher by education. They got married in 1993 and have maintained a close and warm relationship in marriage for more than 30 years. Together, the couple love to travel and spend time with friends, who note that Andrey is an expert in cooking fish and barbecue.\nIn 1997, Andrey and Oksana began to study the Bible, and after 2 years, having received answers to their questions, they decided to take the Christian path.\nDue to the imprisonment of the Mikholap spouses in a pre-trial detention center, Oksana\u0026#39;s parents were left without the care and support of relatives. They suffer from serious chronic diseases, live in the village, and find it difficult for them to get to shops and clinics.\nRelatives are shocked that Andrey, whom everyone knows as a gentle and conflict-free person, was accused of extremism. They consider the persecution of spouses unfair.\n","date":"2024-07-18","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/mikholap/photo_hu_b8a631a63711e9dc.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/mikholap/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/mikholap/photo_hu_1ead3d1c229eaf46.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/mikholap/photo_hu_99cb6eae2b332f1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mikholap.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Andrey Mikholap","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"After searches in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, Oksana Mikholap and her husband Andrey ended up in a pre-trial detention center. The couple were prosecuted for their belief in Jehovah God.\nOksana was born in July 1974 in Berdichev (Ukraine). She has two younger brothers, one of whom died at the age of 30. When Oksana was still a child, their parents divorced. His mother works in trade.\nAfter graduating from the pedagogical college, Oksana worked in a correctional class. She was actively involved in the lives of her students, visiting them at home. This contributed to the fact that all of them successfully graduated from school. Later, Oksana graduated from the Pedagogical Institute and worked by profession for some time. Then she worked in an employment center, as well as an administrator in a private clinic. Before her arrest, she worked as a clerk in a construction company. Oksana has earned a reputation as a responsible and conscientious employee and has always been in good standing with employers.\nIn 1993, Oksana married Andrey, who worked as a driver. They have been happily married for more than 30 years.\nOksana was a religious person, looking for answers to life\u0026#39;s questions. Together with her husband, they began to study the Bible. Having received answers to their questions, in 1999 they embarked on the Christian path.\nIn her free time, Oksana loves to knit, grow flowers, take care of animals, including homeless ones. Together with her husband, they love to take care of the garden and invite guests to their homes.\nDue to criminal prosecution and imprisonment in a pre-trial detention center, Oksana lost the opportunity to help her elderly parents. Neighbors do not understand why the couple Mikholap are being unfairly persecuted. Many people know them as people who are always ready to help and do not conflict with anyone.\n","date":"2024-07-18","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/omikholap/photo_hu_7770a2587ac0665c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/omikholap/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/omikholap/photo_hu_aa6672f55e7b8f53.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/omikholap/photo_hu_dabd66999e556591.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/omikholap.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Oksana Mikholap","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Irina Ushakova is given a recognizance agreement.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ushakova in Vyselki","date":"2024-07-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki11/index.html#20240710","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["recognizance-agreement","disability","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Anastasiya Anufriyeva and her husband Vladimir were named in the same criminal case for their faith in Jehovah God. They were detained in the Astrakhan Region and brought to Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region, where they were placed in a pretrial detention center.\nAnastasiya was born in Ramenskoye (Moscow Region) in February 1983. She has a younger brother and sister. Their parents are pensioners. Her mother worked as an engineer, and her father continues to work at the plant as a deputy workshop manager.\nIn her youth, Anastasiya loved sports — skiing and ice skating. She graduated from a music school, specializing in the piano. With friends, she often visited museums, exhibitions, and went hiking.\nAnastasiya graduated from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics; she worked as a storekeeper for some time. In her free time, she still does sports — running. She has learned to play the guitar, loves to knit and cook for guests.\nFrom childhood, her mother instilled Christian values in Anastasiya. Being close to Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, she saw that they live by high moral standards and show love for each other. In 2000, she got baptized.\nAnastasiya married Vladimir in 2004. Together, the couple love to relax outdoors, go fishing and spend time with friends.\nAnastasiya\u0026#39;s father considers the prosecution of his daughter and her husband unfair. Her mother and sister are concerned that they can no longer spend time with a loved one. Relatives try to support Anastasiya in every possible way.\n","date":"2024-07-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/anufriyeva/photo_hu_7f6ec72591d95cef.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/anufriyeva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/anufriyeva/photo_hu_9a5da1262c74d66f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/anufriyeva/photo_hu_f1860b081672822d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/anufriyeva.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Anufriyeva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2024, Vladimir Anufriyev and his wife Anastasiya ended up in a pretrial detention center more than 1000 km from their home — law enforcement officers detained them in Akhtubinsk (Astrakhan Region) and took them to Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region, where they were placed in a pretrial detention center. The couple learned that a criminal case had been initiated against them on charges of extremism.\nVladimir was born in September 1978 in Zhukovsky, Moscow Region. He has a younger brother. Their mother is retired. His father left the family when Vladimir was 15, and he had to start working to help his mother.\nAs a child, Vladimir loved sports, like skiing, skating and swimming; he graduated from a music school, specializing in the saxophone. After school, he studied accounting, English and programming; he worked as a courier and salesman. Before his arrest, he worked as a 1C programmer.\nVladimir was impressed by the logic, reliability and scientific accuracy of the Bible. Studying this book helped him find meaning in life, and in 1998 he was baptized.\nIn September 2004, Vladimir married Anastasiya, who shares his views on life. The couple loves to relax with friends outdoors, go fishing, receive guests and play board games.\nVladimir\u0026#39;s family and friends worry about him and try to support in any way they can.\n","date":"2024-07-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/vanufriyev/photo_hu_7aeb0aedb960943b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/vanufriyev/photo_hu_28d5c3d98127476c.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/vanufriyev/photo_hu_3f7ed4a131b7f0a1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/vanufriyev/photo_hu_b2b90309dfddb1a1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/vanufriyev.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vladimir Anufriyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Judge of the Kstovo City Court Sergey Evdokimov chooses a preventive measure in the form of detention for three detained married couples of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Anufriev and Others in Kstovo","date":"2024-07-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kstovo/index.html#20240703","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On July 2, 2024, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria dismissed the prosecutor\u0026#39;s appeal against the acquittal of Kirill Gushchin, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. The acquittal entered into force. The right to rehabilitation is recognized for the believer.\nTwo months earlier, in May 2024, the court of first instance acquitted Kirill Gushchin, finding him not guilty of extremism. The prosecutor requested 7 years in a general regime colony for the believer.\nIn the appeal, the prosecutor expressed disagreement with the conclusions made by the judge of first instance. According to the state prosecutor, the testimony of witnesses and experts was assessed incorrectly and required a retrial. The lawyer and the believer himself disagree and believe that the state prosecutor did not take into account the evidence obtained in court, as well as the explanations from the decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation that individual or joint confession of religion, the performance of divine services or other religious rites and ceremonies do not constitute crimes (paragraph 20). The defense also insisted that the court had already carefully considered all the evidence and found that Gushchin\u0026#39;s actions did not contain signs of extremism.\nKirill Gushchin, for his part, drew attention to the fact that the court of first instance did not commit violations when considering the evidence of both the prosecution and the defense. He added: \u0026quot;The arguments presented by the public prosecutor do not contain facts that would indicate the existence of grounds for overturning the sentence.\u0026quot;\nThe court sided with the defendant, stating: \u0026quot;Thus, the evidence presented by the prosecution in its entirety did not refute the defendant\u0026#39;s assertion that he did not organize and did not continue the activities of the local religious organization Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses of Maiskiy, which was liquidated by a court decision, but, being an adherent and follower of the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, participated in the conduct of religious ceremonies of this religion in residential premises ... reading and discussing religious literature, viewing religious materials, disseminating religious beliefs, which is considered the exercise of the right to freedom of conscience and religion and is not related to the organization, continuation or renewal of the prohibited activities of an organization recognized as extremist.\u0026quot;\nKirill Gushchin has been defending his right to religion for more than 4 years. A criminal case for participation in activities of an extremist organization was also initiated against the believer\u0026#39;s wife, Svetlana.\nIn 2021, another Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness from Kabardino-Balkaria, Yuriy Zalipaev, was acquitted. The court decision has already been approved by higher courts. The prosecution officially apologized for the unjustified criminal prosecution, and the court ruled to pay compensation for moral damage.\n","category":"victory","date":"2024-07-02T16:07:37+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/07/021607/image_hu_ca18227d3b1fd4aa.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/07/021607/image_hu_1c8365fc219bb762.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/07/021607/image_hu_ac8718acb8d2f92e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/07/021607/image_hu_a43be786d5ffca26.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/07/021607.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","acquittal","282.2-1","282.2-1.1","families"],"title":"An Appeal in Kabardino-Balkaria Upheld Kirill Gushchin's Right to Profess the Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"Following two trials and two appeals, the case of the Postnikov couple reached the court of cassation. On July 2, 2024, the Ninth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok upheld the verdict of 5.5 and 4.5 years suspended sentences.\nIn their cassation appeal, the Postnikov couple stated: \u0026quot;The courts have replaced the concept of the doctrine of the Christian denomination of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, with the \u0026#39;doctrine\u0026#39; of the liquidated organizations, the practice of which, the courts regarded as a continuation of the activity of these legal entities.\u0026quot;\nOleg Postnikov, speaking before the court of cassation, said: \u0026quot;There was no extremism in our actions.Christian love motivated me and my wife to visit L.P. Kabak and talk to her about spiritual topics. This woman asked us for help to better understand the Bible. After all, the Bible foretells that a wonderful future awaits mankind... Love and the desire to do good to others are our true motives.\u0026quot;\nIn 1985, faith in Jehovah God helped the convicted Postnikov to change and became a Christian. Agnessa decided to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses back in 1979. The couple\u0026#39;s lawyer noted: \u0026quot;They practiced and spread their faith, guided by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation both before 1991 and after 2017, that is, long before the creation and liquidation of legal entities which they are accused of participating in.\u0026quot;\nThe Postnikovs do not concentrate on their difficulties, while serving their suspended term. Oleg said: \u0026quot;Reflecting on those who have shown faith and courage, helps me to develop faith and courage. I try to imagine in detail the circumstances of the people mentioned in the Bible and the brothers and sisters who, in our time, have endured and continue to endure persecution.\u0026quot; Agnessa said: \u0026quot;I always pray for my brothers and sisters, as well as their families. I like to read the biographies of fellow believers, it helps me to feel love for them and write letters of support.\u0026quot;\nIn February 2024, the FSB again raided the homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Birobidzhan and the village of Amurzet. The number of victims again included the Postnikov couple. Oleg was threatened with tougher punishment.\nIn the court hearing, the lawyer emphasized: \u0026quot;The Russian Federation officially, publicly and consistently declares that the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017 did not impose a ban on either the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses or the ways in which this religion is practiced.\u0026quot; However, persecution of peaceful believers continues.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-07-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/07/021538/image_hu_d0e6c538def3ec35.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/07/021538/image_hu_8bfac39c79f9d84.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/07/021538/image_hu_791c8cda9543df41.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/07/021538/image_hu_fe140701a0979320.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/07/021538.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"They Received Suspended Sentences for Peaceful Conversations About God","tags":["cassation","complaints","suspended","families","elderly"],"title":"After 3 Years of Legal Proceedings, Court of Cassation Finally Upheld the Verdict Against the Postnikov Couple.","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 2, 2024, at least 9 addresses of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were searched in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region, and another search was conducted by Nizhny Novgorod law enforcement officers in Akhtubinsk, about 1100 km from Kstovo. In total, the investigative measures affected more than 20 people.\nThe law enforcement officers went to a home of a believer, 57, at about 6 a.m. During the search, her mobile devices, laptop and hard drive were confiscated. She was threatened with arrest and asked questions about other believers whose homes had been searched that morning. After that, she was taken for interrogation.\nWhile searching the house of a married couple, law enforcement officers behaved aggressively. Armed SOBR fighters knocked down the 55-year-old owner of the house, twisted his arm behind his back and pressed him to the floor with their knee, although he did not resist. The security forces confiscated electronic devices from believers and demanded that they provide passwords.\nIn some cases, searches took place in the presence of minor children. Also, electronic and storage devices were seized from their parents. During the search of another family\u0026#39;s home, investigators confiscated two cars.\nAfter the searches, four residents of Kstovo were detained. Another married couple, a 45-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, were detained by Nizhny Novgorod law enforcement officers in Akhtubinsk (Astrakhan Region) as part of the same case.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2024-07-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/search.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/07/051457.html","regions":["astrakhan","nizhegorod"],"subtitle":"Six Believers Detained","tags":["search","ivs","interrogation","minors","families"],"title":"In the Nizhny Novgorod and Astrakhan Regions, Searches at homes of Jehovah's Witnesses Were Carried Out.","type":"news"},{"body":"The judge allows only the wife of Nikolai Kupriyansky to enter the courtroom.\nProsecutor Shashkova reads out the indictment, mispronouncing the name of God - Jehovah. Dmitry Chausov politely corrects her, which is why the judge reprimands him. Dmitriy explains that the incorrect pronunciation of God's name offends his religious feelings. Subsequently, the judge asks several times how to pronounce God's name.\nThe defendants present their attitude to the charges. They plead not guilty.\nDmitriy Chausov says: \"I am just a believer who expressed his religious views using Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which guarantees everyone freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess, individually or in groups, any religion or not to profess any religion ... And I did all this without calling for violence, inciting hatred or discrimination against any social groups.\"\nOksana Chausova adds: \"I consider this criminal case to be politically motivated repressions... Discussion of sacred texts, in this case the Bible, by a group of people, as well as receiving guests at home, caring for others are not included in the list of extremist activities. At its core, the accusation is based on the fact that we are believers and try to live as Jesus Christ commanded. This is a judgment on faith! And I am not ashamed to stand here today for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses. It would be shameful if we were tried for a real crime.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2024-06-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20240628","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 25, 2024, the Kamchatka Regional Court upheld the verdict of the court of first instance against Yelena and Sergey Chechulin: 2-year suspended sentence for participating in the activity of an \u0026quot;extremist\u0026quot; organization.\nThe believers do not agree with the decisions of the courts. Yelena Chechulina noted in her appeal: \u0026quot;The court did not establish the presence of motives of religious hatred or enmity in my actions, and it did not establish against which specific social group I acted. All my actions were completely peaceful.\u0026quot; She added: \u0026quot;The law does not consider practicing the religion to which the liquidated religious associations belonged, including together with others, a sign of extremism. Therefore, declaring a legal entity extremist is not tantamount to imposing a ban on a religious denomination with its inherent teachings, spiritual terminology, and the procedure for holding meetings for worship.\u0026quot;\nThe state prosecutor Khramova requested that the court of appeal toughen the punishment and increase it to a 6-year suspended sentence \u0026quot;in connection with the aggravating circumstance that the crime was committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy\u0026quot; — this is how Khramova regarded reading the Bible together with other believers.\nDue to the guilty verdict, the Chechulins are deprived of the opportunity to travel outside the Kamchatka Territory. Their car has been seized, their accounts have been blocked and they cannot make their monthly mortgage payment themselves.\nThe authorities of the Kamchatka Territory continue the religious persecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: to date, 10 believers have suffered from the judicial system because of their peaceful beliefs.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-06-25T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/06/261048/image_hu_5047d41405e76f2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/06/261048/image_hu_4c41f9dbf375e364.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/06/261048/image_hu_4b3e9238481418ec.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/06/261048/image_hu_ffccc39bdf328f5e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/06/261048.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal Upholds the Guilty Verdict Against a Jehovah's Witness Couple from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","type":"news"},{"body":"The longest terms of imprisonment since the liquidation of legal entities of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were given to believers by Roman Chiskovskiy, judge of the Industrialniy District Court of Khabarovsk. The decision was handed down on June 20, 2024, after five years of litigation. For Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim, this is the second sentence for their faith.\nNikolay Polevodov was sentenced to 8.5 years in a penal colony, Vitaliy Zhuk — to 8 years and 4 months, and Stanislav Kim — to 8 years and 2 months. They were taken into custody in the courtroom. The court gave the women suspended sentences: 5 years for Tatyana Zhuk and Svetlana Sedova and 4 years for Maya Karpushkina.\n\u0026quot;During the entire trial,\u0026quot; said Vitaliy Zhuk, \u0026quot;I never heard what exactly in my words and actions constituted a crime of an extremist nature and what I should stop doing in order to not be considered a criminal.\u0026quot; Nikolay Polevodov expressed a similar thought: \u0026quot;All the facts considered during this trial clearly prove that I am being prosecuted not for actual crimes, but for my religious views. The prosecution is trying to promote the idea that I committed a crime, without even providing evidence.\u0026quot;\nThe Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against six Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in November 2018. On the same day, riot police arranged a raid on believers who had gathered in a cafe for a friendly party. As a result, Kim, Polevodov and Zhuk ended up in a pretrial detention center, where they spent 2 months. They were then under house arrest for between 6 and 12 months.\nThe case went to court in July 2019. For a year Judge Vera Pismennaya examined the case materials and interrogated witnesses, but the basis of the charges was never clarified. The case was returned to the prosecutor\u0026#39;s office, and 4 months later it again went to court.\nThe defense recused Judge Chiskovskiy, pointing to an obvious \u0026quot;bias against the defendants and the desire for a guilty verdict\u0026quot; at the stage of the judicial investigation. In their motion, the lawyers noted that, among other things, the judge limited the right of the accused to familiarize themselves with the evidence in the case, and also allowed himself to reprimand them in a raised voice, \u0026quot;perceiving\u0026quot; some motions \u0026quot;as personal insults.\u0026quot; Roman Chiskovskiy refused his recusal.\nMeanwhile, Stanislav Kim and Nikolay Polevodov were defendants in another criminal case for their faith. The Zheleznodorozhniy District Court of Khabarovsk gave them a 2-year suspended sentence \u0026quot;for participating in extremist activity,\u0026quot; namely: for discussing the Bible and Christian teachings. This sentence is already considered to have been served.\nAt the time of publication of this text, out of 811 defendants in criminal cases for their faith, 170 were sentenced to imprisonment. 108 of them (over 63%) received sentences of 5 years or more; 9 people were sentenced to 8 years or more.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-06-24T11:47:32+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/06/241147/image_hu_b5140fb9c01dd2db.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/06/241147/image_hu_66a285af63493f0f.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/06/241147/image_hu_cf8c3a0c95b29b68.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/06/241147/image_hu_cf6c697310fee25.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/06/241147.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","elderly","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"Court in Khabarovsk Handed Down Record Harsh Sentences to a Group of Jehovah's Witnesses—Up to 8.5 Years in a Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"The Chausovs are asking to change their preventive measure to a recognizance agreement. Dmitriy justifies this by the fact that he has a serious chronic illness and needs the care of his wife, but due to the ban on communication, they are forced to live separately. Oksana also says that she cannot take care of her spouse and elderly parents because of the ban on the use of communications.\nThe judge leaves the preventive measure unchanged for all three defendants - Nikolay Kupriyansky and Dmitry Chausov remain under house arrest, and Oksana Chausova - under a ban on certain actions.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2024-06-24T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20240624","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["first-instance","house-arrest","prohibition-of-actions","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The defendants make their final statements.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Polevodov and Others in Khabarovsk","date":"2024-06-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/khabarovsk4/index.html#20240620","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["final-statement","courtroom","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Danil Suvorov was transferred to correctional colony No. 12, located in the Republic of Mordovia. Letters of support can be sent by regular mail.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Danil Suvorov in Sochi","date":"2024-06-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/sochi3/index.html#20240620","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["transfer","families","life-in-prison"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"In 1949, Anastasia Gaytur grandparents and their families were exiled to Siberia because of their faith in Jehovah God. In the spring of 2024, a few months after her father, Aleksandr, the girl herself was persecuted for her beliefs.\nAnastasia was born in February 1996 in the city of Petukhovo (Kurgan region). She has an elder brother and sister. Her father worked as a builder all his life, and her mother was a housewife. During her school years, Anastasia attended a handicraft group. She loved animals, so she spent a lot of time caring for them and playing.\nAnastasia received her profession at the Kurgan Technical School of Service and Technology, where she studied to be a hairdresser. The girl also graduated from manicure master courses. She worked as a hairdresser, administrator in a grooming studio and cleaning specialist.\nIn her free time, Anastasia likes to read books of different genres and play volleyball. She enjoys hiking and cycling. Anastasia continues to acquire new skills: she draws from video lessons, learns to play the guitar, bakes homemade sourdough bread.\n\u0026quot;Since childhood, I knew biblical truths and could not imagine life without God. He was always real to me,\u0026quot; the girl said. \u0026quot;As a teenager, I tried to read and understand the Bible on my own.\u0026quot;\nThe stress caused by the criminal prosecution negatively affected Anastasiya\u0026#39;s health, which is why she needed medical attention. The believer was included in the Rosfinmonitoring list, her bank cards were blocked, so every month she must write an application to the bank to receive her salary.\nIt is painful for family members, especially parents, to see the injustice their loved one faces.\n","date":"2024-08-05","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/agaytur/photo_hu_ef0b7cd0731b3a94.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/agaytur/photo_hu_61cc2d658380f2a9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/agaytur/photo_hu_4ba36d1019569123.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/agaytur/photo_hu_79dd9afef3219b70.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/agaytur.html","regions":["kurgan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Gaytur","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Anton Olshevskiy is still in strict conditions of detention (SUS). He tries to maintain good spirits and a positive attitude. The believer has a Bible. He also receives letters regularly. The last long date with his wife was in February 2024.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Olshevskiy and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2024-06-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk/index.html#20240617","regions":["amur"],"tags":["life-in-prison","strict-conditions","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The case of Nikolai Kupriyansky and the Chausovs goes to the Kursk Regional Court, it will be considered by Judge Margarita Dyadyusheva.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2024-06-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20240617","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["to-court","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 11, 2024, the sentence for Yelena Chernykh, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Prokopyevsk, entered into the legal force. The panel of judges of the Kemerovo Regional Court agreed with the 3-year suspended sentence imposed on her but removed from the additional punishment the deprivation of the right to participate in public and religious associations.\n\u0026quot;The court has not established that I have any motives of religious hatred or enmity. All my actions were completely peaceful,\u0026quot; said the believer, 47, as she appealed. \u0026quot;I believe in God, talk to others about the Bible, share my beliefs with them, pray to Jehovah God and sing songs of praise to him.\u0026quot; Yelena concluded that she was convicted for practicing her faith in the way common to Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and not for any extremist actions.\nThroughout the investigation, Yelena and her husband, Yuriy, were not left without help from their fellow believers. She said: \u0026quot;From the very first day I have felt the prayerful support of my dear friends. It is also very nice to see how they come to the court hearings even from other cities.\u0026quot;\nIn Russia, 190 women have already been prosecuted for their faith in Jehovah; the oldest of them was 89 (Rimma Vashchenko) when the criminal case was initiated, the youngest was 18 (Darya Dulova).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-06-11T08:22:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/06/110822/image_hu_44d22c2c32a7843d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/06/110822/image_hu_3cff87b56f841e15.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/06/110822/image_hu_9f546a34d4ab1115.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/06/110822/image_hu_59c53f5e9701dda5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/06/110822.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","complaints","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal Upholds the Verdict Against Yelena Chernykh from Prokopyevsk for her Faith - a 3-Year Suspended Sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"After spending a little more than 2 years and 3 months in a penal colony, Olga Ivanova, a 41-year-old Jehovah's Witness, was released on June 11, 2024. She has served her sentence in full.\nIn correctional colony No. 7 in the Stavropol Territory, Ivanova had to work hard in cloth cutting workshop. Her mother said: “She was so tired that in the morning she wanted to cry, because a night's rest wasn't enough, but she had to go back to work for 12 hours. She worked even on Saturdays, with only one day off.” For health reasons, Olga was exempt from working in the workshop for the last few months.\nCorrectional Colony No.7 in the Stavropol Territory, where Olga served her punishement Olga Ivanova\u0026#39;s mother meets her after her release Olga Ivanova\u0026#39;s friends welcome her after her release Olga Ivanova\u0026#39;s friends welcome her after her release Olga had a good relationship with her cellmates. She maintained her joy and a positive attitude thanks to her faith. According to Olga, praying helped her greatly along with letters from friends, which she received even in the pretrial detention center during her transfer.\nOlga Ivanova's husband, Yevgeniy, continues to serve a long term of imprisonment in Tatarstan. In a penal colony in the Stavropol Territory, another believer from Astrakhan, Anna Safronova, continues to serve time for her religious beliefs. Across the country, 96 more Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned for their beliefs.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2024-06-11T08:20:58+03:00","duration":"0:38","image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/06/110820/image_hu_6266b2d8441a771a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/06/110820/image_hu_afc4ea968ff63e4c.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/06/110820/image_hu_ff20ea95920516a4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/06/110820/image_hu_c016edc86db916a6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/06/110820.html","regions":["astrakhan","stavropol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families"],"title":"Olga Ivanova, Convicted for her Faith in God in 2021, Released from the Penal Colony in Zelenokumsk","type":"news"},{"body":"In the early morning of June 4, 2024, security forces invaded the homes of at least three families of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Izhevsk. One man was sent to pretrial detention, two were banned from certain actions.\nA criminal case against the believers \u0026ndash; the fourth in the region \u0026ndash; was initiated by the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Udmurt Republic a day earlier. The case proceedings are being conducted by investigator Artur Selin.\nThe search at the home of Aleksandr Stefanidin, 32, and his wife began at about 7 a.m. and lasted 2 hours. Electronic devices and flash drives were seized from the family. After that, Aleksandr was taken for interrogation. On June 5, the judge of the Industrialniy District Court of Izhevsk, Aleksandr Shishkin, sent Stefanidin to the detention center.\nAnother of those against whom the case was initiated, is pensioner Indus Talipov, 73.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2024-06-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/prison.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/06/070956.html","regions":["udmurtia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","new-case","282.2-1","sizo","prohibition-of-actions","families","elderly"],"title":"One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Izhevsk Placed in Pretrial Detention Center After Searches","type":"news"},{"body":"Anastasia Gaitur, the daughter of Oleksandr Gaytur, is being searched. The believer himself is also in the apartment at this moment. He is seriously ill and cannot get out of bed. Investigator S.G. Ermolaev conducts the search for more than 4 hours, while personal belongings of believers are seized.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Gaytur in Kurgan","date":"2024-05-31T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kurgan3/index.html#20240531","regions":["kurgan"],"tags":["search","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Under the pretext that the neighbors allegedly started a fire, FSB officers in masks and with machine guns burst into Gaytur's apartment. The search is carried out under the direction of investigator Ermolaev with the participation of detectives S. Y. Glushkov and A. S. Shtrekker. It lasts more than 4 hours. Electronic devices and data carriers, as well as personal notes, notes and letters, the Bible and scanwords on biblical topics are seized from the believer.\nDuring the search, Anastasia's father, Aleksandr Gaytur, who is a suspect in another criminal case, is also in the apartment.\nAfter the search, Anastasia is taken to the FSB department for interrogation, and a restriction measure is chosen for her in the form of a recognizance agreement and proper behavior.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Gaytur in Kurgan","date":"2024-05-31T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kurgan5/index.html#20240531","regions":["kurgan"],"tags":["search","interrogation","recognizance-agreement","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The retrial of the case begins. 12 listeners are allowed in the courtroom. The judge rejects the request of the defense to return the case to the prosecutor.\nThe prosecutor reads out the charges. All four defendants claim that the charges are illegal, unfounded and unfair.\nTaras Kuzo says: \"I have been practicing my faith for more than 20 years... And I sincerely wonder why all these years I was not considered an extremist because of my faith and suddenly became one.\" He also states: \"The investigation should have seen the difference between the peaceful worship of God and the commission of socially dangerous acts filled with hatred and enmity.\"\nHis wife, Darya, adds: \"My family and I are actually victims in this criminal case. On the part of the preliminary investigation authorities, I, my husband and our children have been repeatedly subjected to humiliation of human dignity on the basis of our religion.\"\nPetr Zhiltsov asks the question: \"Can I continue to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in such a way that it is not regarded as a continuation of the illegal activities of a liquidated legal entity?\" He continues: \"The text of the indictment, unfortunately, contains only general phrases, from which it is impossible to get an answer.\"\nSergey Lyulin sums up: \"My family and I cannot exercise our constitutional right and worship God within the framework of the law.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kuzo and others in Yalta","date":"2024-05-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/yalta2/index.html#20240528","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["retrial","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The prosecutor requests punishment for the defendants: Nikolai Polevodov, Vitaliy Zhuk and Stanislav Kim to 9 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony with restriction of liberty for 1 year and 6 months and a ban on engaging in public and religious activities for 8 years; Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and Maya Karpushkina were sentenced to 5 years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 5 years and restriction of liberty for 11 months.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Polevodov and Others in Khabarovsk","date":"2024-05-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/khabarovsk4/index.html#20240527","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["punishment-request","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The verdict against Tatyana Piskareva, sentenced to 2.5 years of forced labor entered into force \u0026ndash; on May 16, 2024, the Oryol Regional Court did not satisfy her appeal. The believer has already been separated for 3.5 years from her husband, who was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony on similar charges of extremism.\nIn March, the Sovetskiy District Court of the city of Oryol found Piskareva guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization for attending peaceful meetings for worship. According to the investigation, the believer acted out of religious \u0026quot;hatred and enmity.\u0026quot; However, this was not proven in court. The verdict was appealed. \u0026quot;I worshipped my God Jehovah peacefully ... I did not prevent anyone from living their personal lives, no one was hurt ... I obeyed the laws of the country in which I live. And suddenly I was falsely accused of something I had never participated in,\u0026quot; Piskareva said, addressing the court of appeal in her final statement.\n\u0026quot;My completely legitimate conduct, aimed only at expressing my faith in ways typical of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses around the world, was wrongly regarded by the court as illegal actions ... At the same time, the law does not consider practicing the religion, which the liquidated religious associations belonged to, including together with others, as a sign of extremism. Therefore, declaring a legal entity as extremist is not tantamount to imposing a ban on a religion,\u0026quot; Tatyana explained.\nIn the Oryol Region, 8 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have already been prosecuted for their faith, 3 of them have been sentenced to imprisonment.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-05-16T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/05/200812/image_hu_11568e91bbcaf048.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/05/200812/image_hu_bcd8f36337033f42.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/05/200812/image_hu_1fdabdf7b0075bb6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/05/200812/image_hu_7e851eb343a507e0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/05/200812.html","regions":["oryol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","labor","elderly","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Oryol Upheld the Sentence of 68-year-old Tatyana Piskareva - 2.5 Years of Forced Labor for Her Faith in Jehovah","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 7, 2024, the Court of Appeal considered the appeal of Danil Suvorov, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness, against the verdict for his faith. The panel of judges also found that the 28-year-old believer is guilty of extremism and that he should serve his sentence of 6 years in a penal colony.\nIn June 2023, Yekaterina Ostapenko, judge of the Central District Court of Sochi, found Danil Suvorov guilty of committing crimes specified in Article 282.2(1.1) (2) of the RF Criminal Code. By that time, the believer had spent almost two years in pretiral detention. Then for about another year he was in prison awaiting the decision on his appeal.\nThe verdict of the court of first instance was based on the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017 on the liquidation of legal entities of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia. However, as emphasized in his appeal, this decision did not require individuals, including the defendant, to renounce their faith and stop worshiping God. Actions such as \u0026quot;participating in religious teaching and preaching\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;lectures based on the religious literature of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026quot;, and \u0026quot;conversations and religious discussions\u0026quot; are not prohibited by the RF Criminal Code, but, on the contrary, are guaranteed by the RF Constitution as fundamental human rights and freedoms belonging to him from birth. In fact, Danil Suvorov was convicted only because he remained a believer after the liquidation of the legal entities.\nThe defense also noted that the testimony of the Sochi expert, Natalya Yedneralova, and the expert study conducted by her should not have been accepted as evidence of the defendant\u0026#39;s guilt, since for a number of reasons she did not have the legal right to conduct a comprehensive psycho\u0026ndash;linguistic and religious expert study: the expert does not work for a state agency, but for a private firm; does not have the necessary qualifications; does not have the right to perform a comprehensive assessment on her own, in this case the participation of an expert commission is required.\nMoreover, in the appeal the defense referred to Article 14 of the RF Constitution: \u0026quot;Taking into account the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, the law does not establish norms as to which forms of practising religion are correct and which are not. Therefore, in each religion they are different: for some religions it is visiting their temples and using certain attributes of faith, and for the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses it is discussing the Bible together with others, whether at home or in the street.\u0026quot;\nProsecutions in the Krasnodar Territory have already affected 34 peaceful believers, including Danil\u0026#39;s older brother, Denis Suvorov. Four of them, including a woman, are serving sentences in penal colonies just because they did not stop believing in God at the demand of the court.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-05-07T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/05/080849/image_hu_7f25d6a9e4e730c5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/05/080849/image_hu_fe098da534352fc2.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/05/080849/image_hu_6cf10fd4407e604.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/05/080849/image_hu_c581c9b9932af7b4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/05/080849.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1.1","282.2-2","appeal","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"Krasnodar Territorial Court Upheld the Sentence Against Danil Suvorov from Sochi for his Beliefs: 6 Years in A Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 2, 2024, Ruslan Atakuyev, judge of the Mayskiy District Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, acquitted Kirill Gushchin, 42, finding him not guilty of extremism. The prosecutor had requested 7 years in a penal colony for the believer.\n\u0026quot;I am not guilty,\u0026quot; Gushchin said in his final statement. \u0026quot;I'm just making use of the freedom that Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation gives . . . Imagine that in Russia the football federations FIFA and UEFA [which are legal entities—Ed.] were declared extremist and banned. Will people stop playing football in Russia? Or will a group of people gathered to play football – adults, children, men, women – also be extremists?\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution of Kirill Gushchin began in May 2020, when the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against him for organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Masked security forces with machine guns detained the believer as he was about to go to work. Among them was FSB officer Sergey Svetikov, who has repeatedly been caught falsifying operational materials. During the search, planted publications, which are on the list of extremist literature, were also found in Gushchin\u0026#39;s home.\nIn April 2021, Kirill was also charged with involving others in the activity of an extremist organization. A new criminal case against Kirill\u0026#39;s wife, Svetlana Gushchina, was separated from this case. The charges against both are based on the testimony of secret witness \u0026quot;Filatova\u0026quot;, who covertly made audio recordings of peaceful meetings for worship, at which nothing extremist happened.\nThis is not the first acquittal of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses accused of extremism from Kabardino-Balkaria. Earlier, the court of cassation acquitted Yuriy Zalipayev from Mayskiy, and the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria overturned the conviction of Arkadya Akopyan from Prokhladniy, terminating the proceedings in his case.\nRussian courts also acquitted the Bazhenovs, Ivan Sorokin and Andrey Zhukov, Dmitriy Barmakin, Aleksey Khabarov and three believers from the Sverdlovsk Region, but these decisions were subsequently overturned.\n","category":"victory","date":"2024-05-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/05/011115/image_hu_f7d017e341c14348.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/05/011115/image_hu_b5f2c6efa555162f.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/05/011115/image_hu_2f3799d016392dd1.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/05/011115/image_hu_2e9ae87d0d12e5ca.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/05/011115.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","plant","families","secret-witness","acquittal"],"title":"Court in Kabardino-Balkaria Acquitted One of Jehovah's Witnesses Accused of Extremism","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 22, 2024, Ivan Pantyashin, judge of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City Court, gave the Chechulins each a 2-year suspended sentence, a 3-year probation period and additional restrictions of 6 months for talking about the Bible. The believers do not agree with this decision and can appeal the verdict.\nSergey, 55, who grew up in an orphanage, works as a repairman in a heat supply organization, and 45-year-old Yelena works as a nurse. The Chechulins found out about the criminal prosecution in October 2022 during interrogation at the Investigative Committee, where they were taken after a search in their home. The spouses were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), and later the court reclassified the charge to participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The investigation lasted 1 year and 3 months. It took the court 3 months to find the believers guilty.\nExpert studies on conversations of the believers in the case materials stated: \u0026quot;There are no statements inciting hostile (violent) actions of one person or group of persons against another person or group of persons.\u0026quot; This did not prevent the prosecutor from requesting 6 years in a penal colony for the couple.\nIn her final statement to the court, Yelena spoke about the basic beliefs of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and explained why the charges of continuing the activity of a banned legal entity are untenable: \u0026quot; For centuries, Christians have gathered to study the Holy Scriptures and discuss spiritual matters. What kind of meeting did the apostle Paul mean when he said \u0026quot;do not forsake your meetings\u0026quot;? Definitely not legal entities that are set up in accordance with the laws of different countries. The words of the apostle Paul are 2000 years old, whereas the legal entities that we are accused of organizing—appeared, existed for a short time and disappeared. But the worship of God does not.\u0026quot;\n\u0026quot;We are being prosecuted for our right to religious beliefs, guaranteed to us by the most important document of the country, the Constitution of the Russian Federation . . . We are unfairly and without proof accused of enmity and hatred toward persons not identified by the prosecution. Not a single person has been named, whom we would have insulted, humiliated or inappropriately compared his views, beliefs, race or gender with our views and beliefs,\u0026quot; Sergey Chechulin said in court. \u0026quot;We could get angry, but we do not. We understand that the faith of every Christian is tested differently.\u0026quot;\nSergey expressed gratitude to those who are supporting his family, especially to fellow believers: \u0026quot;They often share encouraging thoughts, pray for us and send parcels. Letters are especially joyful. They come from different parts of the world. We are also strengthened by those who come to court hearings.\u0026quot;\nRussian law enforcement officers often initiate criminal cases against several family members at once. By November 2023, under this scheme, at least 71 families in 35 regions of the Russian Federation became easy prey for the security forces.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-04-22T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/04/231526/image_hu_e77a214e2c6dde2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/04/231526/image_hu_96218185b3685a71.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/04/231526/image_hu_b8fa629057e03f8f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/04/231526/image_hu_656e42f6c98c126b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/04/231526.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","282.2-1","suspended"],"title":"In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, a Court Gave a Married Couple of Jehovah's Witnesses a Two-Year Suspended Sentence for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Yelena Chernykh, a 47-year-old Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness from Prokopyevsk, was found guilty of extremism for continuing to practice her faith. The verdict was passed on April 12, 2024 by Yelena Karamova, judge of the Tsentralniy District Court of Prokopyevsk, who gave the believer a 3-year suspended sentence.\nIn 2020, the home of Yelena and her husband Yuriy, parents of three, one of whom is a minor, was searched. Then they were interrogated as witnesses in the case of Andrey Vlasov (who is serving time in a penal colony for his faith). The Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region initiated a criminal case against Yelena under Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC. The investigation and the court considered the practice common for all Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in the world of jointly discussing the Bible and Christian teachings as \u0026quot;participating in the activity of a banned religious organization.\u0026quot; According to the investigation, Yelena\u0026#39;s actions posed a threat to the state and society, incited interreligious discord, although during the trial not a single fact of a real crime or evidence of intention to commit it was presented.\nSpeaking in court, in her final statement, Yelena Chernykh said: \u0026quot;I have been a believer for 30 years. For all these years, I have never had any malicious intent, let alone any actions aimed at undermining the constitutional order or security of the Russian Federation.\u0026quot;\nIn September 2023, based on similar charges, the court sentenced Yelena\u0026#39;s husband to 3 years of forced labor.\nIn the Kemerovo Region, 18 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are being prosecuted for their faith. Two of them are serving sentences in a penal colony for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-04-12T16:23:13+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/04/121623/image_hu_2db876af4b4a4e18.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/04/121623/image_hu_b7e29315f4a3bc41.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/04/121623/image_hu_dc9464cbcf6e66d1.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/04/121623/image_hu_912a45426eb8fecb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/04/121623.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":"Earlier, the Same Court Had Convicted Her Husband","tags":["sentence","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"In Prokopyevsk, Yelena Chernykh, One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Was Given a 3-year Suspended Sentence for Her Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"The Seventh Court of Cassation refuses to consider the prosecutor's submission. The court agrees with the previous instances that the indictment does not contain essential elements of a crime sufficient to pass a sentence or other decision. The cassation considers the prosecutor's arguments untenable.\nThe decisions of the first and second instances to return the case to the prosecutor remain in force.\n","caseTitle":"Second Case of Prianikov and Others in Karpinsk","date":"2024-04-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/karpinsk2/index.html#20240410","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["cassation","case-to-prosecutor","families","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Anton Olshevskiy is in strict conditions of detention (SUS). Prior to that, he spent six months in a chamber-type room (PCT). The believer is allowed to call his relatives 6 times a month, receive parcels 1 time in 4 months, from time to time there is an opportunity to see his wife Ekaterina on dates.\nOlszewski is respected by others. He is not allowed to work and study, so he tries to be busy, for example, by answering numerous letters of support.\nThe believer periodically experiences pain in the joints, but he is helped by physical exercises, vitamins and medicines that his wife has passed on. Olszewski misses his wife and son and, in order to participate in his upbringing, regularly sends home letters with drawings.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Olshevskiy and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2024-04-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk/index.html#20240405","regions":["amur"],"tags":["life-in-prison","strict-conditions","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The prosecutor requests for Sergey and Elena Chechulin a sentence of 6 years in a general regime colony with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to participation in the work of public organizations for 4 years and restriction of liberty for 1 year.\nThe prosecutor also asks to cancel the arrest imposed on Elena's money and Sergey's car, and return them to the defendants. He appeals to the court with a request to assess the actions of witnesses who used Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation at the hearing.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-04-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240404","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["punishment-request","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Referee: Elena Karamova. Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Region (Karl Liebknecht St., 9). Time: 10:00.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Yelena Chernykh in Prokopyevsk","date":"2024-04-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/prokopyevsk/index.html#20240401","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["first-instance","defense-arguments","punishment-request","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On March 27, 2024, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok did not satisfy the cassation appeal against the verdict of Alam Aliyev, Sergey Shulyarenko, Valeriy Kriger and Dmitriy Zagulin. They will continue to serve time in Blagoveshchensk for their faith in God.\nEarlier, in December 2022, the court of first instance sentenced Aliyev to 6.5 years in a penal colony, Shulyarenko and Kriger to 7 years each, and Zagulin to 3.5 years for allegedly organizing and financing extremist activity. In June 2023, the court of appeal reduced the prison sentences of Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger by only three months.\nThe believers were charged with holding 7 meetings for worship, as well as collecting voluntary donations for the general needs of the believers. However, the court did not cite a single excerpt from recordings of the meetings that promotes incitement to hatred or enmity. The cassation appeal states: \u0026quot;As a result of a miscarriage of justice, Aliyev, Zagulin, Kriger and Shulyarenko were convicted only because they professed beliefs based on the Bible and peacefully practiced their Christian faith as Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\u0026quot; The defense also stressed that the verdict is based only on assumptions that the money was spent on extremist activity. However, neither the time, place, methods of collection, receipt, storage nor their expenditure were indicated. The court did not establish the motives for committing the crime, but declared the believers to be extremists.\nThe court completely ignored that Alam Aliyev has serious illnesses: hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and problems with his spine.\nThe European Court of Human Rights responded to the complaint of Alam Aliyev and other applicants from Russia and ruled that charging Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses with extremist activity violates their rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The Court called on the Russian Federation to take all necessary measures to stop the criminal prosecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and release them from prison.\nIn the Jewish Autonomous Region, 24 of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are being prosecuted for their religious beliefs. Half of them are married couples.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-27T15:34:57+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_1eab4c5cb7a13f3b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_3a945de119359056.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_31bd24185047770a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_a569f1675dd5b46c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/271534.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"The Court of Cassation Upheld the Harsh Sentence for Faith","tags":["cassation","282.2-1","282.3-1","health-risk","families","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"Aliyev, Shulyarenko, Kriger and Zagulin Will Remain in the Penal Colony.","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of Crimea overturned the verdict against Taras Kuzo, Petr Zhiltsov, Sergey Lyulin and Darya Kuzo, the wife of Taras. The men were released from the detention center, their preventive measure was changed to a ban on certain actions; the preventive measure for Darya remained the same \u0026ndash; a recoginizance agreement. The case was sent for a new trial by different judges.\nEarlier, the Yalta City Court sentenced Taras Kuzo to 6 years and 6 months, Petr Zhiltsov to 6 years and 1 month, and Sergey Lyulin to 6 years in a penal colony. Darya Kuzo received a 3-year suspended sentence. The verdict was appealed. In the appeal, the defense emphasized that there was no evidence that the beliefs of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were extremist in nature. Practicing this religion is not prohibited in the Russian Federation.\nAddressing the court before the appeal decision, Darya Kuzo told what her family had to endure during the persecution: \u0026quot;My young children survived three terrible searches carried out by armed men; on November 14, 2023 my husband\u0026#39;s mother suffered cardiac arrest due to [stress], we were added to the list of Rosfinmonitoring as extremists, and all our bank accounts were blocked...\u0026quot;\nTaras and Darya Kuzo with their children. March 2024 \u0026quot;The case, contains only vague terminology about extremism \u0026ndash; something that is absolutely alien to us. We have never shown hatred or enmity towards people. Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are known throughout the world as peaceful people. We are tried only because we live and believe as taught by the Greatest Teacher, Jesus Christ. I have been one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses for 23 years now, I have been living by God\u0026#39;s highest moral standards as set forth in the Bible, and I have seen how the application of these principles has made our family strong and happy for 15 years already. It\u0026#39;s been almost a year since my children and I were separated [from Taras], this is very painful for us. I really want our children to grow up in a complete family as mentally and emotionally stable people,\u0026quot; Darya summed up, asking the court to make a fair decision.\nTo date, 30 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Crimea are being prosecuted solely for their religious beliefs; 9 of them are already serving sentences \u0026ndash; from 6 to 6.5 years \u0026ndash; in penal colonies.\n","category":"trial","date":"2024-03-22T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_72a1f3f4341cc664.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_85526a1b55a15b03.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_d7dd5f0bced29832.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_874bda11bdf3c42c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/221638.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":"The Men Were Released From the Pre-trial Detention Center, but the Trial Will Start Again","tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.3-1","families","minors"],"title":"The Supreme Court in Crimea Overturned the Verdict of Four Jehovah's Witnesses.","type":"news"},{"body":"The prosecutor requests 7 years of imprisonment for Kirill Gushchin in a general regime colony. He also asks the court to send the believer into custody even before the decision is made, but the court leaves him under recognizance not to leave.\nThe defense is filing a motion to include in the case file the decision of the ECHR in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses from Taganrog. The court refuses.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Gushchin in Mayskiy","date":"2024-03-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mayskiy2/index.html#20240319","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"tags":["punishment-request","first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The defense invites 14 witnesses to the court for questioning. All of them use Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-03-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240319","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Vladlena Kukavitsa was born in February 1990 in Birobidzhan. She has an elder sister. As a child, Vladlena studied piano at a music school, sang in a choir and loved to draw. Music is still her hobby to this day, along with learning Spanish and taking walks in nature.\nAfter school, Vladlena graduated with honors from the Birobidzhan Medical College with a degree in nursing. Then she entered the Khabarovsk University of Economics and Law with a degree in management. In 2015 she got married.\nReturning to Birobidzhan, Vladlena got a job in the statistics department of the ambulance station, where she worked for more than 3 years. Then, for a while, she worked as self-employed remotely. Due to criminal prosecution, Vladlena\u0026#39;s bank card was blocked, and remote work became inaccessible to her. When she went to the Ambulance Station to get a reference for the court, she was rehired. Vladlena is also interested in healthy eating and writes articles on this topic.\nVladlena was touched by the sincere care and warmth she felt among believers, and in 2004 she decided to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nThe criminal prosecution became stressful for Vladlena. Her family is worried about what is happening.\n","date":"2024-03-25","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kukavitsa/photo_hu_d7e9dcf143167cc9.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kukavitsa/photo_hu_905b748001d8cdd5.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kukavitsa/photo_hu_53660da3b0613dc0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kukavitsa/photo_hu_ff0040765c61e128.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kukavitsa.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vladlena Kukavitsa","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"One of the largest cases for faith of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia, in which the investigation and trial lasted almost 6 years, ended in a guilty verdict. On March 6, 2024, Tatyana Belayeva, judge of the Magadan City Court, gave suspended sentences to believers aged 31 to 73.\nSergey Yerkin, Konstantin Petrov and Ivan Puyda received 7 years, Yevgeniy Zyablov received 5 years, Sergey Agadzhanov, Viktor Revyakin, Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev, Irina Khvostova, Lyubov Asatryan, Galina Dergacheva, Inna Kardakova and Galina Pechko received 3 years — all suspended with a probation period of 2 to 5 years. As an additional punishment, believers were given a restriction of freedom from 10 months to 1 year.\nA criminal case was initiated in May 2018, followed by searches. Ivan Puyda was detained by the law enforcement officers in Khabarovsk, 1600 km from Magadan. He, as well as Petrov, Zyablov and Yerkin were behind bars between 2 and 4 months. As a result of the second wave of searches in March 2019, Lyubov Asatryan, Irina Khvostova, Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev, Inna Kardakova, Galina Dergacheva, Viktor Revyakin and Sergey Agadzhanov became defendants in the case. Galina Pechko was added to the list 2 years later.\nThe charges of organizing, financing and participating in the activity of an extremist organization was based on hidden recordings of meetings for worship, during which the believers discussed compassion and love for people and forgiveness and hope. The testimonies of witnesses, including the FSB officer who conducted operational work within the case, did not reveal any expression of extremism at these religious meetings. At court hearings, the defense has repeatedly noted that all 13 believers have a reputation of being decent, intelligent and hardworking people.\nThe support of relatives and friends helped the believers to cope with the difficulties caused by the criminal prosecution. Galina Pechko said: \u0026quot;I can reach out to them at any time. I hear so many words of encouragement that warm my heart and help me endure everyday difficulties.\u0026quot; According to Ivan Puyda, during his imprisonment his grandfather\u0026#39; example of resilience, who was also persecuted for his faith in Soviet times, strengthened him: \u0026quot;If he were alive, he would be proud of me ... His example inspired me to remain faithful and courageous.\u0026quot;\nThe convicted persons deny their guilt of extremism, as they said in their final statements.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-06T15:40:55+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_d4268defdd51729f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_5dbaaa40b1106758.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_f2b5dc69280b052a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_f86f427d433e7116.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/061540.html","regions":["magadan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended","elderly","families"],"title":"Court In Magadan Gave 13 Jehovah's Witnesses Suspended Sentences From 3 to 7 Years","type":"news"},{"body":"The defendants give their testimony to the court.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-03-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240306","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Tatyana Piskareva, a pensioner from Oryol, was found guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization because of her faith. On March 1, 2024, Dmitriy Sukhov, judge of the Sovetskiy District Court of Oryol, sentenced her to 2 years and 6 months of forced labor.\nThe believer\u0026#39;s case continues the trend of prosecuting several family members at once: Tatyana\u0026#39;s husband, Vladimir, received 6 years in a penal colony under an article for extremism and is now awaiting an appeal. He was arrested after searches in December 2020 and has been behind bars ever since. There he suffered several hypertensive crises and a stroke; he was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Tatyana said: \u0026quot;I wanted to help my husband when he had a crisis, but I could not help in any way. It was painful to watch the inactivity of the pretrial detention center.\u0026quot;\nThe RF Investigative Committee initiated a case against Piskareva in October 2021. She was accused of participating in meetings for worship via video conferencing. A year and a half later, the trial began. At the hearing, it turned out that 11 of the 13 prosecution witnesses did not know the believer.\n\u0026quot;I love all people regardless of their nationality, race, skin color and language, religion and other beliefs. I hate extremism in any form,\u0026quot; Tatyana said during the trial. \u0026quot;I am a believer, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and this is not a crime.\u0026quot; The decision of the court may be appealed in higher instances.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-01T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/041031/image_hu_884711d79ce518d0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/041031/image_hu_b0b283b5b9f75276.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/041031/image_hu_ca945b746266c03f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/041031/image_hu_40ae29615f64db1b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/041031.html","regions":["oryol"],"subtitle":"Earlier, her Husband Had Received 6 Years in a Penal Colony for Similar Charges","tags":["sentence","labor","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"title":"A Court in Oryol Sentenced Tatyana Piskareva, 67, to 2.5 Years of Forced Labor for Participating in Peaceful Worship.","type":"news"},{"body":"Dmitry Chausov is released from the pre-trial detention center under house arrest and allowed to walk for 2 hours a day. Oksana Chausova's house arrest is replaced with a ban on certain actions.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2024-02-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20240228","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["house-arrest","prohibition-of-actions","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Prosecutor Denis Sotnikov announces the end of the presentation of his evidence. The case file contains at least 17 volumes.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-02-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240219","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation V. I. Danilin initiates a criminal case against Irina Ushakova for the fact that the believer \"participated in the discussion of the content of the religious books of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the so-called 'Holy Scripture' (the Bible).\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ushakova in Vyselki","date":"2024-02-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki11/index.html#20240215","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families","disability"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Aleksandr Gaitur is a third-generation Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness. He was born and raised in Siberia, where his parents were exiled in 1949 along with their families from the Moldavian SSR for being Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. In 1989, the Gaitur family was rehabilitated, having received the status of victims of political repression. But 34 years later, Aleksandr faced criminal prosecution for his faith. Sometime later, the believer became seriously ill. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and classified as having a disability.\nHe was born in 1962 in the village of Voroshilovo (Kurgan region). By this time, the family already had a son and a daughter. Later, Aleksandr had another brother and sister.\nAs a child, the boy was fond of sports and fishing. In 1969, the family was allowed to return to Moldova. There, Aleksandr graduated from a construction school with a degree in carpentry. At the same time, he studied at the Kishinev football school and for some time played in the youth national football team of the MSSR. He also played for district teams in hockey, basketball and volleyball.\nAleksandr has worked as a builder all his life. In the early 1980s, he moved to Kurgan for work, and later settled in the village of Novoberyozovo, Petukhov district. In 1989, Aleksandr met his future wife Svetlana, and in 1992 they got married. The following year, they embarked on the Christian path. \u0026quot;I have always considered myself one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses,\u0026quot; recalls Aleksandr. \u0026quot;I was attracted to the truth by the example of my parents: serving God was the main goal of their lives, and they tried to instill in us, children, love for God and neighbors. I have also always been amazed at the accuracy of Bible prophecy fulfillment.\u0026quot;\nThe couple raised three children, they already have three grandchildren. Recently, Aleksandr has been fond of fishing and beekeeping. Svetlana is a housewife, she likes to garden, run a farm in which there are chickens and a goat.\nThe criminal prosecution of Aleksandr had a negative impact on the life of his family. \u0026quot;I started having problems with my work, several clients refused my services,\u0026quot; the believer said. The search and interrogation were stressful for his wife and 86-year-old mother. What was happening to Aleksandr made her remember the severity of the repression that she herself had to endure many years ago. She wonders: \u0026quot;Why, after the rehabilitation of our family, do my children and grandchildren have to face persecution again?\u0026quot;\nNumerous relatives of Aleksandr and Svetlana worry about them and consider the criminal case against the believer unfair.\n","date":"2024-03-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gaytur/photo_hu_52aaccc764f3e6ef.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gaytur/photo_hu_c69626639d6d8a02.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gaytur/photo_hu_ce98a598b0ecd8c3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gaytur/photo_hu_29697ea3c84bf694.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gaytur.html","regions":["kurgan"],"tags":["ussr","elderly","families","disability"],"title":"Aleksandr Gaytur","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Svetlana Ogoreva from Karachay-Cherkessia was a witness in a case against another local believer, and later she herself was searched, and the woman learned that local authorities had opened a criminal case against her for believing in Jehovah God.\nSvetlana was born in August 1984 in the village of Kardonikskaya, Stavropol Territory. She has a brother and sister. Their father is no longer alive. As a child, Svetlana was fond of drawing and now prefers creative hobbies—music and knitting.\nSvetlana graduated from seamstress courses and learned to be a hairdresser. She worked in this specialty, and later as a babysitter and animator. She is also studying to be an English teacher.\nIn the 1990s, Svetlana\u0026#39;s mother began to study the Bible and decided to become a Christian. The high moral standards set forth in this book, the love that reigns among believers, and their desire to please God in everyday affairs impressed Svetlana so much that she also wanted to take the Christian path in 2005.\nDue to criminal prosecution, Svetlana lost her job as a babysitter. Her health also suffered: due to stress, she began to have heart problems. The health of Svetlana\u0026#39;s mother, with whom she lives, has also deteriorated due to what is happening.\n","date":"2024-03-14","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ogoreva/photo_hu_8d98de44d30bdb07.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ogoreva/photo_hu_b4bdd387af7b63fd.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ogoreva/photo_hu_6808b06c9d85095b.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ogoreva/photo_hu_bfe4ca181fe08ef8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ogoreva.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Svetlana Ogoreva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"At 7 a.m., the security forces come to search the house where Aleksandr Popov's relatives live. The event is led by the investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Captain Y. N. Nikulin and the operative of the Federal Security Service K. N. Bidnik.\nIt turns out that the search is taking place on the basis of a court order, which was issued on December 15, 2023. The security forces seized personal notes on paper from Popov's cousin Maria Ovsyannikova. After about 2 hours, she is taken away for interrogation. On the same day, her mother and sister are interrogated.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Popov in Kovrov","date":"2024-02-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kovrov5/index.html#20240209","regions":["vladimir"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Ivan Puida, Sergey Yerkin, Konstantin Petrov and Evgeny Zyablov deliver their closing remarks.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2024-02-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20240209","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["final-statement","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 9, 2024, Vilen Avanesov was released from Penal colony No.3 in Dimitrovgrad, having served his sentence imposed by the court. For talking about God with friends at home, the elderly believer spent 2.5 years in a detention center and more than 2 years in a penal colony.\nVilen served his sentence in the penal colony together with his son Arsen, who will have to spend another year in prison. Both worked in the sewing department. They received several rewards for their hard work. Largely due to Vilen\u0026#39;s love for people, he developed friendly relations with his cellmates and the administration. \u0026quot;He was respected in the detention center and respected in the colony,\u0026quot; said Vilen\u0026#39;s wife, Stella.\nThe most difficult thing for Vilen was the being separated from his loved ones. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the believer could not see his wife for 1.5 years. \u0026quot;He always tried to maintain a positive attitude, to look cheerful, and this comforted me a lot,\u0026quot; said Stella.\nDuring imprisonment, Vilen received many letters, photographs and postcards from all over the world. His wife received also practical assistance. \u0026quot;Our friends proved to be a real protection during times of distress. Nothing stopped them from showing care, love and kindness,\u0026quot; she says. \u0026quot;Fellow believers from the city where the penal colony is located became a great support. They took me into their home when I came to visit; every month they took food and medicine to the penal colony, their help is priceless\u0026quot;.\nIn August 2024, the sentence of another defendant in this criminal case, Aleksandr Parkov, who is in penal colony No.10 in the Rostov Region, ends.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2024-02-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/02/121547/image_hu_d1c27ac9eb6070a3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/02/121547/image_hu_4a535712e8671363.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/02/121547/image_hu_1b507f975e725385.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/02/121547/image_hu_f31da682c7c665a3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/02/121547.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","elderly","families","letters"],"title":"Vilen Avanesov, Convicted for his Faith in Jehovah God, Was Released After Almost 5 Years Behind Bars","type":"news"},{"body":"The FSB conducts raids on the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan and the village of Amurzet. Among the victims are the Postnikovs, who are already serving suspended sentences.\nAnother search takes place at the home of another believer, Vladlena Kukavitsa. A criminal case has been initiated against her. Emotional pressure is exerted on her, the security forces demand to confirm her acquaintance with other believers, threatening her with real terms and persuading her to cooperate with the investigation. A lot of notebooks, notebooks, electronic equipment and data carriers are seized. They refuse to issue a copy of the search protocol.\nThe search is led by investigator Dmitry Yankin, who previously initiated the initiation of criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan. Also, detectives of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region N. Lonushkin and D. Krupetsky take part in the searches.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2024-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20240206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["search","new-case","282.2-1.1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The reading of transcripts of hidden recordings continues. Sergey Chechulin explains that this passage discusses the question of how to choose words in a conversation with people so as not to hurt their feelings.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-01-31T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240131","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The court continues to read out the transcripts of the recordings. Sergey Chechulin draws attention to the topic discussed at the service - how not to get addicted to video games and alcohol. Yelena Chechulina notes: \"The investigation presents the joint worship of God, the performance of religious songs and prayers as a criminal act.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-01-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240130","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 29, 2024, Anton Mokin, judge of the Shuya City Court of the Ivanovo Region, sentenced Aleksey Arkhipov, Svetlana Ryzhkova, Svetlana Shishina, and the couple Dmitriy and Yelena Mikhaylov to large fines for their faith in Jehovah God.\nAleksey Arkhipov was fined 380,000, Svetlana Shishina 400,000, Svetlana Ryzhkova 480,000, Yelena Mikhaylova 560,000, and her husband Dmitriy Mikhaylov 950,000 rubles. The prosecution requested a fine of 1,200,000 rubles for Mikhaylov, taking into account the time of detention; for Mikhaylova and Ryzhkova — 600,000 rubles; for Shishina and Arkhipov — 400,000 rubles. The believers insist on their innocence and have the right to appeal.\n\u0026quot;Actually, I am accused of believing in God,\u0026quot; commented Dmitriy Mikhaylov on the accusation. \u0026quot;I am charged with discussing religious topics with my friends.\u0026quot; He also emphasized that the linguistic forensic expert study did not reveal signs of extremism in the materials examined. His wife Yelena said: \u0026quot;The charges against me are serious, but there is no concrete evidence.\u0026quot;\nSvetlana Shishina, a mother of two, said: \u0026quot;I have always respected people of different religious denominations, and I teach my children to do the same.\u0026quot; \u0026quot;The charges against me are far-fetched, unfounded and not lawful,\u0026quot; said Svetlana Ryzhkova. Aleksey Arkhipov, in turn, emphasized: \u0026quot;I have never plotted or intended to commit any illegal actions against the authorities, nevermind undermining the foundations of the constitutional order and state security, as this contradicts my beliefs as a Christian and a God-fearing person.\u0026quot;\nCriminal prosecution of the believers began in 2018; their homes were searched. Later it turned out, that prior to that, a hidden video camera had been installed at least at one of the addresses, and one person, on the instructions of the special forces, feigned interest in the Bible. After his arrest, Dmitriy Mikhaylov spent 6 months in a pretrial detention center. His wife, together with other women whose husbands were imprisoned for their faith in God, sent an open letter to the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights. In response to this letter, a request was sent to the General Prosecutor\u0026#39;s Office to check the legality and validity of the criminal prosecution of citizens professing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. However, the criminal prosecution did not stop. The case was returned twice to the investigator for revision and after 4 years it was re-submitted to the court, which considered the case for 1.5 years.\nOn April 26, 2019, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion on Dmitriy Mikhaylov\u0026#39;s complaint, calling on the Russian authorities to stop his criminal prosecution and grant him the right to compensation and reparation.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-01-29T16:05:39+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_994e19bb312b86b9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_56be0241ab7ca51e.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_6984153ca51a1a68.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_4baf6ff7f4f7804d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/291605.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"subtitle":"They Must Pay the State From 380 to 950 Thousand Rubles","tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","sentence","secret-witness","hidden-surveillance","fine","minors","elderly","families"],"title":"Court in Shuya Fined 5 Jehovah's Witnesses for Reading the Bible Together.","type":"news"},{"body":"Witnesses are being questioned. One of them says that she knows the defendants as believers, decent and law-abiding people, and the other has never seen the Chechulins.\nSergey Chechulin comments on one of the transcripts of the recorded conversation: \"We are talking about prayer, the conversation is completely based on the Bible, there are no words that would humiliate representatives of other religions.\" Elena Chechulina adds: \"The transcript often mentions the expression 'meeting of the congregation,' which means Christian worship, not a meeting of a legal entity.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-01-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240129","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The court reads out the transcripts of the believers' conversations. Commenting on one of the audio recordings, Elena Chechulina explains that she talked with friends about how to find true happiness, and how hope helps to maintain a positive attitude in difficult times. She says, \"It is love that is at the heart of my actions, not hatred or enmity as the indictment says.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-01-24T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240124","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The defendants address the court with the last word.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Mikhaylovs and Others in Shuya","date":"2024-01-24T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/shuya/index.html#20240124","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["final-statement","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 16, 2024, a panel of judges of the Kemerovo Regional Court upheld the sentence of 64-year-old Tatyana Sushilnikova from Novokuznetsk — a 4-year suspended sentence for participating in the activity of an extremist organization.\nAccording to the believer, the verdict of the court of first instance was reached with gross violations of the law and should be canceled. In her appeal, Sushilnikova noted that the court\u0026#39;s decision does not contain a description of the illegal actions of which she was accused or specific dates and places when they were committed. Witnesses interrogated by the court admitted that they did not know Tatyana, did not talk to her on religious topics, and did not receive Bible literature from her. A sample of the believer\u0026#39;s voice for forensic audio analysis was taken in violation of procedural norms.\n\u0026quot;More than 200 pieces of evidence are listed in the verdict... [however] the court does not provide information on how they confirm my guilt. In particular, there are numerous references to personal notebooks, notepads, documents, etc., seized from third parties, in which I am not mentioned and which I have nothing to do with,\u0026quot; Sushilnikova stated. Thus, the court considered telephone conversations with her husband to be part of the \u0026quot;evidence\u0026quot; of guilt, while audio recordings were not provided and, accordingly, the content of the conversations was not established.\nTatyana Sushilnikova said that the decision of the court of first instance in reality means the introduction of a ban on religion. She noted: \u0026quot;All my numerous references to the Bible, which requires Christians to worship God together, and was the real motive for my behavior, were not evaluated.\u0026quot; By passing the verdict, the court ignored the explanation of the RF Supreme Court that the Russian legal entities of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses had been liquidated, and not the actual teachings. At the same time, the expressions mentioned in the verdict \u0026quot;Religious Organization of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;International Religious Organization of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026quot; are not legal entities and have not been liquidated by the Supreme Court.\nThe court of appeal refused to take Tatyana\u0026#39;s arguments into account. A similar decision was made by the same court in March 2023 against the the believer\u0026#39;s hudband, 67-year-old Sergey Sushilnikov, upholding his 6-year suspended sentence. Judge Zinovyev earlier also declared the detention of the Sushilnikovs\u0026#39; fellow believers, Maksim Morozov and Yuriy Usanov from the town of Taiga, as lawful.\nSince the ban on the activity of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in 2017, more than 2,000 homes of believers have been searched, about 400 people have been imprisoned, and more than 730 believers have been charged with extremism.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-01-17T14:14:07+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/171414/image_hu_c91ef834839be1de.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/171414/image_hu_77aebddd873c6c4f.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/171414/image_hu_4cf14a5a0714c0a5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/171414/image_hu_2940d45a405f7b17.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/171414.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","elderly","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in the Kemerovo Region Upheld the Verdict Against Pensioner Tatyana Sushilnikova — a 4-Year Suspended Sentence for Her Faith in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"The defendants express their attitude to the charges. Sergey Chechulin recalls the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which did not evaluate individual actions of Jehovah's Witnesses as believers. The defendant stresses that his and his wife's right to profess religion is inappropriately regarded as a criminal offence. He notes: \"Not a single episode of a crime against the state or against any person is given ... We live by the biblical commandment 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2024-01-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20240110","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["first-instance","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"For the third time, the judge of the Leninskiy District Court extends the house arrest of Nikolai Kupriyansky and Oksana Chausova and the detention of Dmitry Chausov until March 2, 2024.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2023-12-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20231228","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["house-arrest","sizo","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"62-year-old Mariya Ogoreva and her daughter Svetlana are searched by an investigator accompanied by the head of the CPE. The women call the district police officer, who conducts the search in a calmer atmosphere. However, Maria becomes ill and an ambulance is called for her. During the 4-hour search, law enforcement officers seized Bibles, electronic devices and personal records.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Mariya Ogoreva in Mednogorskiy","date":"2023-12-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/mednogorskiy6/index.html#20231228","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["search","elderly","families","health-risk"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On December 5, 2023, the high-profile trial against Jehovah's Witnesses from Surgut concluded. Dmitriy Lupin, a judge of the Surgut City Court, found 18 believers guilty of extremism and gave all suspended sentences ranging from 4 to 7 years.\nSergey Loginov and Timofey Zhukov received the longest suspended sentence — 7 years. Yevgeniy Kayryak received 6 years and 10 months; Leonid Rysikov — 6 years and 9 months; Pavel Romashov — 6 years and 7 months; Vyacheslav Boronos, Saveliy Gargalyk, Artem Kim, Igor Trifonov, Yevgeniy Fedin — 6 years and 6 months; Igor Petrov — 6 years and 5 months; Vasiliy Burenesku, Sergey Volosnikov, Igor Kobotov and Viktor Fefilov — 6 years and 4 months; Aleksey Plekhov and Artur Severinchik — 6 years and 3 months.\nThe only woman in the case, Viola Shepel, received a 3-year and 3-month suspended sentence.\nAll defendants were given probation periods from 2 to 4 years.\nThe Surgut trial became one of the most widely discussed after the decision of the Supreme Court to liquidate the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses: the believers faced unprecedented cruel treatment by the security forces. A criminal case against 17 men and 1 woman between 31 and 71 years was initiated by the Investigative Department for the city of Surgut of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area. In February 2019, after a series of searches in the homes of believers, at least 40 people were detained for interrogation, 7 of them were tortured. The security officials applied beatings, electric shocks and suffocation until they lost consciousness.\nThe victims appealed to the Investigative Committee of Russia, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and the ECHR with calls to bring law enforcement officers to justice for criminal actions. Human rights defenderd actively spoke out. Despite this, no criminal case for torture was ever initiated, and two months after the incident, Vladimir Yermolayev, head of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee, where Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured, and his subordinate Sergey Bogoderov received awards, and the soldiers of the National Guard of Russia who participated in the operation received commendation.\nBelievers from Surgut who peacefully practiced their religion were accused of organizing, participating in and financing the activity of an extremist organization. A man mistaken for one of Jehovah's Witnesses was also prosecuted. During the investigation, the homes of several defendants were searched again; three men spent from 1 to 2 months in a pretrial detention center, and Timofey Zhukov underwent a compulsory psychiatric examination, which the court later declared illegal.\nFriends who came to support believers in minus 30-degree frost The case materials received by the court amounted to 222 volumes. However, as the defense emphasized, they do not list specific unlawful actions, and the gathered evidence only shows that the defendants continued to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses after the liquidation of legal entities, which is not against the law. The court considered the believers' case for 2 years. For the last months, meetings were held behind closed doors every working day. It is known that one of the witnesses for the prosecution was an undercover agent for the special forces, who feigned interest in the Bible and secretly recorded conversations with the believers.\nOne of the convicted persons, Timofey Zhukov, a lawyer with many years of experience, called what was happening \"legal absurdity and physical lawlessness.\" He added: \"At first, to be honest, I didn't believe that in a secular state governed by the rule of law, in which the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, there could be repression for faith, and moreover, that believers would actually be imprisoned... From a legal point of view, the ban on legal entities should in no way affect regular believers.\"\nMost believers faced financial difficulties due to criminal prosecution – many lost their jobs and some had their accounts blocked; despite seven of the convicted persons having minor children. Aleksey Plekhov, who was unemployed for about a year, recalls: \"The judge scheduled court hearings 2-3 times a week. For many of us, such a schedule meant possibly losing our job.\" Leonid Rysikov, a 73-year-old pensioner who ended up on the Rosfinmonitoring list, said: \"Every month I had to apply and wait for how much funds they would allow me to withdraw. Usually, it's 10 000, but once they allowed me to withdraw only 670 rubles.\"\nYevgeniy Fedin, who spent almost 2 months in a pretrial detention center, faced another difficulty: \"When the investigation was going on, my father was very ill and I needed to be near him. I wrote a motion detailing the reason for the trip, but the investigator did not allow me go. A few days later, my father died. About six months later, my sister died, and the investigator again did not let me go to her funeral. My mom had to bury her daughter alone. For her it was the greatest stress.\"\nAll the while, the Surgutians felt the support of their fellow believers from different cities and countries. Igor Kobotov said: \"After suffering stress [due to the raid], my wife did not want to return home and we stayed overnight with friends. Literally the next day, brothers and sisters started coming to us, to support and strengthen us. They brought money and food, assured us of their love and support.\" Yevgeniy Fedin related: \"In the pretrial detention center, I received about 800 letters in 2 months. It was a great encouragement and support.\"\nShortly before Judge Lupin began his consideration of the case of Jehovah's Witnesses from Surgut, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau) sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. \"Not a day passes on which there is no report of state repression against Jehovah’s Witnesses,\" the letter says. \"The homes of members of the religious denomination are searched and ravaged by the Russian secret service, FSB, and the police. Violent assaults and mistreatment occur. Women and men are condemned to long-term prison sentences. Requests to ease detention conditions or for parole are regularly refused.\" The letter concludes: “We urge you to grant every resident of the Russian Federation the constitutional right to free exercise of religion. Please end this injustice!”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-12-05T14:13:16+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/12/051413/image_hu_f403bb5262627e07.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/12/051413/image_hu_c98f1de4b1a135a9.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/12/051413/image_hu_c25377ee6e3a28fd.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/12/051413/image_hu_c22c42f966e9d3a0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/12/051413.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","torture","siloviks-violence","families","elderly","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"Court in Surgut Ruled in a High-Profile Case of 18 Jehovah's Witnesses, Some of Whom Had Been Tortured Earlier","type":"news"},{"body":"The case is submitted to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court of the Kamchatka Territory and referred to Judge Ivan Pantyashin for consideration.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2023-12-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk-kamchatskiy2/index.html#20231201","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["to-court","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 28, 2023, a panel of judges of the Kemerovo Regional Court, chaired by Yelena Fedusova, upheld the verdict against Yuriy Chernykh from the city of Prokopyevsk. The believer will have to serve a sentence of 3 years of forced labor.\nThis punishment was imposed on the father of a minor child in September 2023 by the judge of the court of first instance, Alyona Novoselova. The believer did not agree with the verdict and appealed to a higher court. In his appeal, he stated: \"All my actions were completely peaceful. The prosecution did not state that I incited violence or religious hatred and enmity. I did not do anything that would indicate the continuation of the activity of any extremist organization. According to Article 28 of the RF Constitution, my fellow believers and I had every right to meet to discuss the Bible and associate, which in no way depends on the existence of any religious organization.\"\nThe believer has the right to appeal the court's decision in the cassation process.\nChernykh has been defending the right to practice his religion for more than 2 years. Prior to that, Yuriy was a witness in the case of his fellow believer Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person, who is serving his sentence in a penal colony. Yuriy's wife Yelena was also prosecuted; her case is now being considered by the court of first instance.\nAccording to the statement of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 23, 2018, \"the decision of the Supreme Court... and the appellate ruling of the Appellate Board... do not assess the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain any restriction or prohibition to individually practice the above teachings.\" Despite this, more and more believers are being prosecuted for individual religious practice. Often, as in the case of Yuriy and Yelena Chernykh, when one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, is accused of extremism, other family members are then under threat.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-11-28T16:06:40+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/12/011606/image_hu_5711bbe183e9ebbd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/12/011606/image_hu_c17ce89969d678b4.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/12/011606/image_hu_7945c8489876634a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/12/011606/image_hu_6c29ee7b2726a9fc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/12/011606.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":"As One of Jehovah's Witnesses He Was Sentenced to Forced Labor","tags":["appeal","282.2-2","labor","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Kemerovo Left the Verdict Against Yuriy Chernykh Unchanged.","type":"news"},{"body":"The defendants Romashov, Kayryak, Zhukov and Volosnikov address the court with the last word.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut","date":"2023-11-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut/index.html#20231113","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["final-statement","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Seventh Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Chelyabinsk cancels the decision of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court to return the criminal case to the prosecutor and sends the case for a new appeal to the same court with a different composition. Thus, the court refuses to satisfy the prosecutor's request to change the territorial jurisdiction, that is, to send the case for a new appeal to another court in the territory of the Seventh Court of Cassation.\nThe prosecutor sought to transfer the case to a court on the territory of another subject of the Russian Federation. According to the state prosecutor, \"there are circumstances that cast doubt on the objectivity and impartiality of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court.\" However, the cassation court considers the prosecution's arguments insufficient.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Prianikov and Others in Karpinsk","date":"2023-11-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/karpinsk/index.html#20231108","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["2-cassation","disability","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Interrogation of defendants Elena Mikhailova, Svetlana Shishina and Svetlana Ryzhkova.\nAnswering questions, they say that they are all connected by friendly relations. For example, Ryzhkova says: \"We not only study the Bible, but also communicate on all topics, go to the cinema and theaters together, and do Scandinavian walking, and go to barbecues and have picnics. And so we communicate with each other. We're friends, we're just studying the Bible.\"\nThe defendants note that they did not hear any statements or appeals of an extremist nature from each other, and that they did not in any way incite religious hatred.\nShishina emphasizes: \"The main thing in my life was studying the Bible and discussing God's principles with my friends, and I was never interested in organization. I have nothing to do with it and never had.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Mikhaylovs and Others in Shuya","date":"2023-11-07T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/shuya/index.html#20231107","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["first-instance","interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Sverdlovsk Regional Court issues a ruling according to which the indictment in the case against believers from Karpinsk must be eliminated. Judge Natalya Aubakirova rejects the prosecutor's appeal against the decision of the court of first instance.\n","caseTitle":"Second Case of Prianikov and Others in Karpinsk","date":"2023-10-31T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/karpinsk2/index.html#20231031","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["appeal","case-to-prosecutor","families","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 17, 2023, the First General Jurisdiction Court of Cassation in Saratov upheld the verdict against six believers from Mordovia. By court decision, they were sent to penal colonies for terms ranging from 2 to 6 years.\nVladimir Atryakhin, Georgiy Nikulin and Elena Nikulina, Aleksandr Shevchuk, Aleksandr Korolev and Denis Antonov have been charged with extremism and imprisoned for peaceful religious activity. Aleksandr Shevchuk is due to be released from prison in November this year having fully served his sentence. A criminal case has also been initiated against his brother Mikhail on similar charges.\nThe world's public opinion is against the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Back in 2019, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights appealed to the Russian authorities: \"We call on the Russian government to revise the Law on Counteracting Extremist Activity [...]. We also call on the authorities to drop charges and release all those detained for exercising their rights to freedom of religion.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-10-17T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/10/181526/image_hu_49bd44b10856475b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/10/181526/image_hu_396080588993ddb0.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/10/181526/image_hu_b80f3f43449dd229.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/10/181526/image_hu_67c4d59178b87c78.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/10/181526.html","regions":["mordovia","saratov"],"subtitle":"One Of Them Will Be Released in November","tags":["families","cassation","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"Court of Cassation Upheld the Verdict Against Six Believers from Saransk.","type":"news"},{"body":"Aleksandr Davydenko was first prosecuted for his faith in the spring of 2020, when a criminal case was opened against his aunt Lyudmila Shchekoldina, and Aleksandr was searched. Later, the believer himself ended up behind bars because of his beliefs.\nAleksandr was born in March 1992 in the village of Aleksandrovka (Krasnodar Territory). He has an elder brother and sister. Their parents are already retired. Aleksandr\u0026#39;s childhood and youth were spent near Yeysk (Rostov region).\nSince childhood, Aleksandr has been fond of fishing and playing football. He is also fond of volleyball and wants to learn how to play the guitar.\nAfter school, Aleksandr took professional courses and worked as a mechanic for the repair and maintenance of gas equipment. Before the criminal prosecution, he worked as a courier driver and packer at a fish enterprise. He lived in Belarus for some time.\nFrom childhood, his mother and grandmother instilled in Aleksandr a love for God. He felt gratitude to the Creator for the gift of life and in his youth decided to take the Christian path. In 2010, guided by peaceful religious views, he completed alternative civilian service instead of military service.\nDue to criminal prosecution, Aleksandr lost his job. In January 2025, the court found him guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months in a penal colony.\nThe believer is grateful to everyone who supports his family. In his final plea in court, he said: \u0026quot;If I were a criminal, would there be such a huge support group here in court right now, or would they send me so many letters from so many cities and countries? Those who know me well know that I have lived, live, and will live according to God\u0026#39;s righteous standards and principles. I have not committed any crime, my conscience before God is absolutely clear. For me, this is the most important thing. I want to remain faithful to God.\u0026quot;\n","date":"2024-09-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/davydenko/photo_hu_3c951c56da3950a0.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/davydenko/photo_hu_2288373ebadb573.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/davydenko/photo_hu_e6f3136a28042132.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/davydenko/photo_hu_1f0adc7039512557.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/davydenko.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Davydenko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On September 21, 2023, Ivan Moiseyenko, Judge of the Zeya District Court of the Amur Region, found Margarita Moiseyenko, 44, Yelena Yatsyk, 51, and Galina Yatsik, 72, guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization and gave them supsended sentences.\nThe prosecutor requested to send the believers to a penal colony for terms of 2.5 and 3 years, but the court gave Margarita Moiseyenko, a 3-year suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to directing and participating in the work of public organizations for 3 years and restriction of freedom for 10 months with a 3-year probation period. Galina Yatsik received a 2-year suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to directing and participating in the work of public organizations for 3 years, restriction of freedom for 6 months with a 2-year probation period. The judge gave Yelena Yatsyk to 2.5-years suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to directing and participating in the work of public organizations for 3 years, restriction of freedom for 8 months with a 2-year probation period. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nThe believers do not agree with the court's decision. Yelena Yatsyk emphasized this position when she stated in her final statement: \"I do not consider myself guilty and do not intend to give up my religious beliefs. I am convinced that I have the right to continue to practice the religion I have chosen. This right is guaranteed to me by Article 28 of the RF Constitution. Galina Yatsik told the court: \"There is no corpus delicti in my actions, as my motive is love for God and love for people... My conscience is clear, both before God and before the state.\"\nIn March 2019, the first search took place at the Moiseyenko family home after which a criminal case was initiated against Konstantin, Margarita's husband. A year and a half later, searches were also carried out at the homes of Yelena Yatsyk and Galina Yatsik. In November 2021, investigator V. S. Obukhov, known for other cases against believers from the Amur Region, initiated a criminal case against the three women. In March 2023, the case went to court.\n\"The reality today is that peaceful citizens are groundlessly labeled extremists,\" Margarita Moiseyenko said before the verdict. \"Of course, the prosecutor did not establish any signs of extremist activity, but the way I expressed my faith.\" She added: \"Believing in God for me is the same as breathing. If I am not allowed to peacefully practice my faith because it is deemed as extremism, although there is not even a hint of such, it makes me feel as if I can't breathe.\nIn the Amur Region, 23 Jehovah's Witnesses, including 5 women, have already been made defendants in criminal cases for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-09-21T15:14:31+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/09/211514/image_hu_b33d0b1611f54c6d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/09/211514/image_hu_7541ae8400e0fece.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/09/211514/image_hu_3cb8e9f113de1a45.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/09/211514/image_hu_4070cdafd9f31ee1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/09/211514.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","282.2-2"],"title":"Court in the Amur Region Handed Down Suspended Sentences of 2 to 3 Years to Three Women for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"Yelena Rumyantseva had not yet had time to recover from the tragic events in her family, when in February 2022, a criminal case was opened against her, as well as against her daughter Vasilina, for her faith, accusing them of extremism.\nYelena was born in May 1972 in the village of Otradnaya, Krasnodar Territory. The father of the family was a sailor, the mother was a merchant. Later, the family moved to Sakhalin. Yelena is the eldest child; Her brother died at a young age, her sister has a disability.\nAs a child, Yelena was fond of dancing and photography. She also loved to sew, and this determined the choice of profession: the girl studied at the training and production plant as a master of sewing outerwear and began working as a seamstress.\nIn 2000, Yelena married Mikhail, after which the family moved to Norilsk, and in 2007 to the Krasnodar Territory to be closer to Yelena\u0026#39;s parents. Mikhail and Yelena with a daughter loved to go out into nature with tents.\nIn 2006, after a thorough study of the Bible, Yelena decided to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. She was impressed by the opportunity to develop a close relationship with God and unity among fellow believers from different countries. Later, Yelena\u0026#39;s daughter, Vasilina, joined her.\nUnfortunately, in 2019, Mikhail died, and two years later, due to oncology, Yelena\u0026#39;s father, whom she cared for for 2 years until her death, passed away. Despite the grief experienced, the woman remains active and hospitable; she enjoys cooking and listening to music, as well as spending time with friends.\n\u0026quot;Criminal prosecution has divided our lives into before and after,\u0026quot; Yelena said. \u0026quot;I cannot work at full strength, move freely, and the health of my mother, whom I take to the city for examinations, depends on it. My relatives are at a loss why I am accused of separating families if I have been caring for a disabled mother for seven years.\u0026quot;\n","date":"2024-03-20","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/rumyantseva/photo_hu_783dfef4416f4d9a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/rumyantseva/photo_hu_63b8d336ff520cc9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/rumyantseva/photo_hu_cd8e2f7a4d9cf845.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/rumyantseva/photo_hu_8ad1fedbfe48d1bc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/rumyantseva.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Rumyantseva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"A peaceful resident of Simferopol, Dmitriy Zakharevich, who since childhood has been accustomed to living according to high standards of morality, was subjected to religious repression after his father-in-law Aleksandr Voronchikhin.\nSince 2014, Dmitriy has been married to Irina, who shares his life position and moral foundations. The couple have been living according to biblical principles for many years and try to always treat other people with respect and kindness.\nDue to criminal prosecution, Dmitriy spent more than 8 months under house arrest and was obliged to live at the place of registration with his relatives. He said: \u0026quot;My wife took care of my family. We couldn\u0026#39;t spend as much time together as we used to.\u0026quot;\nDmitriy is supported by friends who come even from other cities. He recalls: \u0026quot;After the court hearings, they greeted me with applause, hugged me, gave me gifts, cards, and flowers and sweets for my wife and mother. It\u0026#39;s nice that such a large family is worried about you.\u0026quot;\n","date":"2024-10-30","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zakharevich/photo_hu_193bf26b11ae12ef.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zakharevich/photo_hu_58aa130050c02bf5.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zakharevich/photo_hu_16323b83fffedaf1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zakharevich/photo_hu_486205c0cdc2b1be.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zakharevich.html","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Zakharevich","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On August 23, 2023, the Birobidzhanskiy District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region completed the retrial of the case of Oleg and Agnessa Postnikov, who were charged with extremism for discussing Bible teachings. As a result, they were given suspended sentences of 5.5 and 4.5 years with a 5-year probation period.\n\"Judge Olga Klyuchnikova actually duplicated the previous sentence — earlier her colleague Mariya Tsimarno gave them suspended sentences: Oleg 5.5 years, and Agnessa Postnikova 5 years. In October 2022, a panel of judges of the Birobidzhan Regional Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region overturned this verdict and sent the case for a new trial. Despite the lack of evidence of the defendants' guilt, the prosecutor again requested the previous punishment for the Postnikovs.\"\nAgnessa stressed that not a single piece of evidence was presented at the trial of her or her husband, verbally or otherwise, humiliating someone or calling for any illegal actions. \"The covert video footage provided by the prosecutor's office, most clearly demonstrates the absence of a hateful motive,\" said Agnessa and continued: \"[One of the witnesses] assured the court that neither my husband nor I used offensive or degrading words, nor did we call for genocide or repression. And the main witness — I appeared before court because of having conversations with her — repeatedly confirmed that I did not try to involve her in the organization. Nevertheless, the prosecution continues to insist that this is what we did.\" Oleg Postnikov noted in his final statement: \"Jehovah's Witnesses are not criminals. We are simply following Jesus Christ's clear commandment to 'love one another.'\"\nThe charges against the Postnikovs were based on the testimony of police officer Zvereva and another resident of Birobidzhan, who pretended to be interested in the Bible, as well as on hidden video recordings of their conversations. Zvereva testified in almost all criminal cases of Jehovah's Witnesses from Birobidzhan.\nThe Jewish Autonomous Region is one of the regions with the largest number of criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, where 21 believers have already received various sentences. Four of them are serving sentences in penal colonies.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-08-18T09:08:55+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/08/180908/image_hu_673466c12f195768.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/08/180908/image_hu_6ec2d4e71ec5c6ec.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/08/180908/image_hu_812cbaebe38aeb17.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/08/180908/image_hu_54b394c9ab19fd25.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/180908.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","retrial","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","suspended"],"title":"Court in Birobidzhan Again Gave the Postnikovs Suspended Sentences for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"In three cities of Crimea — Armyansk, Simferopol and Saki — searches are being conducted in 9 houses of believers.\nInvestigator Novikov involves Dmitry Zakharevich and Alexander Kopylets as defendants in the criminal case.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Voronchikhin and Others in Simferopol","date":"2023-08-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol/index.html#20230814","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["search","interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 14 and 16, 2023, at least nine searches in homes of Jehovah's Witnesses took place in four cities of Crimea — Armyansk, Simferopol, Saki and Dzhankoy.\nIn Simferopol, a search took place at the home of Yekaterina Melniychuk. She became unwell and her husband's blood pressure rose. Yekaterina was informed that a criminal case had been initiated against her. She was interrogated and released under a recognizance agreement.\nDmitriy Zakharevich, son-in-law of Aleksandr Voronchikhin, a defendant in one of the cases for their faith in Simferopol, was also searched. On the same day, he received a ruling charging him as a defendant in a criminal case. Based on the motion of investigator V. A. Novikov, the court placed him and another believer under house arrest.\nIn Armyansk, law enforcement officers searched both homes of a believer. After that, he was taken for interrogation. In Saki, seven law enforcement officers in balaclavas, four of whom were armed, conducted a 2-hour search of the house of a 62-year-old believer. Electronic devices were seized from him.\nThe details of the searches in Dzhankoy are yet unknown.\nAt this moment, 25 residents of Crimea have been prosecuted for their faith. Six of them are serving their sentences in a penal colony.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2023-08-14T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/search2_hu_49779cebc96c1159.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/search2_hu_620778508a59ad7b.jpg","webp":"/news/common/search2_hu_8fce651d990480ef.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/search2_hu_1d18a4e1b43d8ff3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/180848.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":"A Criminal Case has Been Initiated","tags":["search","recognizance-agreement","house-arrest","new-case","families"],"title":"In Four Cities of Crimea, Homes of Believers were Searched.","type":"news"},{"body":"Dmitriy Chausov was born in 1988 in Kursk. His grandmother was engaged in his upbringing. In his youth, he was fond of running; after school he graduated from a railway technical school. In 2012, he served in the army, then worked as a railway fitter, and later as a welder in the housing and utilities sector. In his free time, Dmitriy is engaged in viticulture—he has his own small vineyard.\nDmitriy met Oksana in 2012, and six months later they got married. Oksana is a master of manicure and pedicure. Since childhood, she was familiar with the Bible: her grandparents were believers.\nWhen Dmitriy began to read the Bible, he was especially touched by the teaching on the resurrection of the dead—he took the death of his grandmother hard. The desire to learn more about God prompted him in 2014 to devote his life to serving him. On the same day, his wife was baptized.\nIn December 2024, the court sentenced Dmitriy and Oksana to 2.5 years in a penal colony for discussing the Bible with fellow believers. Being in a pre-trial detention center. He could not take care of his wife and was also forced to interrupt treatment for a serious illness. Speaking with the final statement in court, the believer said: \u0026quot;It is very bitter and sad that we, who peacefully profess the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, were put on a par with real extremists who really encroach on the security of the Russian Federation and ruthlessly take the lives of many people.\u0026quot;\n","date":"2023-08-31","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chausov/photo_hu_76cfa9c41761a95b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chausov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chausov/photo_hu_85f4d0a696e81711.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chausov/photo_hu_1d08c6d60468b18c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chausov.html","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["families","health-risk"],"title":"Dmitriy Chausov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In December 2024, the court sentenced Oksana Chausova and her husband Dmitriy to 2.5 years in a penal colony because of their faith in Jehovah God.\nOksana was born in June 1986 in the city of Shu (Kazakhstan). When the girl was 13, her father died. She was raised by her mother and stepfather.\nOksana\u0026#39;s youth was spent in the Kursk region. There she graduated from medical school with a degree in nursing. Before the criminal prosecution, she worked as a manicure and pedicure master.\nOksana got married in 2012, at the same time she moved to Kursk. Her husband Dmitry is a welder by profession, in his spare time he is engaged in viticulture.\nThanks to her believing grandparents, Oksana was familiar with the Bible from childhood, and when she grew up, she began to seriously think about what the meaning of life is, whether justice will be restored around the world. She found the answers to her questions in the pages of the Bible, and her trust in this book and in God grew. In 2014, Oksana and her husband embarked on the Christian path.\nAfter her arrest, Oksana lost her job, was separated from her husband, and began to have serious health problems. Her relatives do not understand how in modern society a person can find himself behind bars just because of his religious views.\n","date":"2023-09-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chausova/photo_hu_553174d6232e0e92.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chausova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chausova/photo_hu_8012977c2014aea0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chausova/photo_hu_84851f2b3eeaed7f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chausova.html","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Oksana Chausova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Roman Khorikov, a civilian resident of Surgut, together with his father, Yuriy, was involved in a criminal case for his faith. Law enforcement officers considered the man's beliefs to be extremism and in 2023 charged him under a criminal article.\nRoman was born in June 1988 in Surgut. As a child, Roman was fond of aviation, modeling from cardboard, plastic and other materials, and also loved to play football. He has a younger sister.\nAfter school, Roman graduated from the Surgut Oil Technical School, where he received a degree in auto mechanics. He worked as a sales manager for spare parts for special equipment, a mechanic, and more recently as a mechanic.\nFrom childhood, his parents instilled in Roman a love for God and biblical moral standards. Using the example of Jehovah's Witnesses, he saw what true love, friendship, and sincere fellowship are. In 2009, Roman embarked on the Christian path. Peace-loving convictions did not allow him to take up arms and learn to fight, so he did alternative civilian service in the Republic of Khakassia.\nIn 2020, Roman married Filiya. She shares his views on life. Filiya works as a graphic designer and makes jewelry. The couple love to play table tennis together, travel, go out into nature. Roman is still passionate about aviation: he collects scale models of aircraft, periodically flies on an airplane in an aviation club, and has an ultralight pilot's license. He also collects coins and plays the guitar.\nRoman said: \"For about 3 years before the indictment, I lived in stress and nervous tension, because I knew that my name appeared in the criminal case. Living in anticipation of a search, I didn't feel safe in my own home.\" Against the background of stress, the believer developed serious diseases related to immunity, and insomnia appeared.\nRelatives of the Khorikovs cannot fully believe that civilians can be accused of extremism.\n","date":"2023-10-03","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/khorikov/photo_hu_d1fe9e6ae3e16071.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/khorikov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/khorikov/photo_hu_ea7cfcc1a92d0b4.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/khorikov/photo_hu_7b73f341c1b4d36a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/khorikov.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Roman Khorikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yuriy Khurikov, a pensioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a former employee of the economic security service, was prosecuted for believing in Jehovah God along with his son Roman.\nYuriy was born in 1967 in the village of Dolinskoye (Ukraine). He has a younger sister. Their father worked at the factory as a welder, their mother as a boiler room operator.\nIn his youth, Yuriy was fond of sports—he was engaged in boxing. After school, he entered the Novosibirsk Higher Military-Political Combined Arms School and graduated in 1988.\nYuriy has a rich track record: for two years he served as secretary of the Komsomol committee of the training ground in the city of Berdyansk; from 1990 to 1992 he served as assistant to the head of the political department of the Simferopol Military United School in Crimea; then worked for some time in the criminal investigation department; from 2006 to 2021, he worked in the economic security service of a bank in Surgut, from where Yuriy had to resign due to charges of extremism brought against him.\nYuriy met his future wife, Irada, when he was a student in Novosibirsk. He was a military cadet, and she was a student at the Pedagogical Institute. In 1987, the young people got married. Irada worked as a kindergarten teacher, then as a boiler room operator. The Khorikovs have two children. The eldest son is married, and the daughter is still in school. Both spouses are already retired. They love to walk, chat with friends in nature and solve Japanese crosswords.\nYuriy often thought about the meaning of life. His views changed after his acquaintance with the Bible. According to him, it was then that he felt peace and tranquility in his heart. In 2004, he followed his wife on the Christian path.\nThe coronavirus affected Yuriy's health, and the criminal prosecution and dismissal in connection with it added to the worries. The family tries not to lose optimism and support each other during this difficult time.\n","date":"2023-09-14","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/khorikovy/photo_hu_d21581a2b04de39c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/khorikovy/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/khorikovy/photo_hu_6ac92d0938bfbeb0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/khorikovy/photo_hu_5bed9f945b494bd7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/khorikovy.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yuriy Khorikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Kirill Severinchik from Surgut was persecuted for his faith after his father, Artur. In 2019, during mass raids by security forces on the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses, they were severely beaten. More than four years later, the young man became a defendant in a criminal case for his faith.\nKirill was born in Surgut in March 1997. He has three sisters. His father worked as a crane operator and driver, his mother as a hairdresser.\nLike many boys, as a child, Kirill loved to ride a bicycle, solder, repair something. He was interested in the principles of operation of various equipment. This hobby influenced the choice of his future profession. He studied to be a locksmith for instrumentation and automation, as well as an electrician of the third category.\nSince 2018, Kirill has been working as an elevator electrician. In his spare time, he studies software, including 3D modeling, repairs electronic equipment and invents various devices. He generously shares his knowledge and helps his friends in maintaining and setting up equipment. Kirill also loves to spend time with his family and helps his parents around the house and in the country.\nParents from childhood instilled biblical values in Kirill, and when he grew up, he personally saw that the application of the advice from this book is beneficial and brings happiness. And the more he meditated on the skill of the Creator, the more grateful he was to God for the opportunity to create something himself.\nFaced with criminal prosecution, Kirill does not lose heart. He is supported by the example of his father and other Jehovah's Witnesses, who are also persecuted for their faith.\n","date":"2023-09-12","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/severinchikk/photo_hu_cad67c3427903cf7.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/severinchikk/photo_hu_c82a61327543178c.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/severinchikk/photo_hu_8312cebba32f5525.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/severinchikk/photo_hu_baf01eb1cb3d3c9c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/severinchikk.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Kirill Severinchik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The Leninsky District Court of Kursk, chaired by Judge Margarita Dyadyusheva, chooses preventive measures for believers: Dmitry Chausov - imprisonment for 2 months, Nikolai Kupriyansky and Oksana Chausova - house arrest for 2 months.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2023-08-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20230810","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["sizo","house-arrest","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 8, 2023, at least 6 addresses were searched in Kursk. Three Jehovah's Witnesses were detained. On August 10, the Leninskiy District Court of Kursk placed Nikolay Kupriyanskiy and Oksana Chausova, who needs surgical treatment, under house arrest, and her husband, Dmitriy, was sent to a detention center.\nThe search in the house of 55-year-old Nikolay Kupriyanskiy began at 6 a.m. and lasted about 9 hours. Apparently, a criminal case had been initiated against the believer on suspicion of organizing the activity of an extremist organization (Article 282.2(1) of the RF CrC).\nThe law enforcement officers seized electronic devices, personal photographs and cards, various translations of the Bible, as well as a large amount of money set aside for the purchase of a plot of land. After the search, Dmitriy was sent to a temporary detention facility, and his wife, was taken to the FSB office for interrogation as a witness, which was conducted by assistant investigator Aleksandr Gorlov.\nSearches also took place at the homes of the married couple Dmitriy and Oksana Chausov, and Oksana's mother. The couple is suspected of participating in the activity of a banned religious organization (Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC).\nThe investigative actions were led by Maksim Zaitsev, FSB investigator for the Kursk Region. The search warrant presented to one of the believers indicated that the search was being carried out “in order to find and seize interactive devices with the help of which... persons who are among the target audience of the LRO of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Kursk)... participate in meetings with followers of the organization. Law enforcement officers also searched for religious literature in paper and electronic formats and certain “reports from members of the organization on the work done to improve themselves and disseminate the ideology of the religious teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the masses.”\nZaitsev had previously investigated a criminal case against Andrey Andreyev and four other believers from Kursk (the case was initiated in 2019 and the defendants have already served their sentences).\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2023-08-08T18:10:41+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/08/111810/image_hu_6177356838740173.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/08/111810/image_hu_c857556a198bd47a.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/08/111810/image_hu_7034c7ce6c79c2c9.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/08/111810/image_hu_b5318d3fd347f024.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/111810.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":"One Believer Sent to a Detention Center, Two Others Under House Arrest","tags":["search","ivs","sizo","interrogation","families","health-risk"],"title":"Series of Searches in Kursk.","type":"news"},{"body":"Searches are being carried out in the homes of believers in Kursk. Nikolay Kupriyansky, Dmitry and Oksana Chausov are detained. They are charged under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kupriyanskiy and Others in Kursk","date":"2023-08-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kursk2/index.html#20230808","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Vasiliy Bondarev and his mother Irina became defendants in a criminal case for believing in Jehovah God in May 2023.\nVasiliy was born in October 1996 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. He has an elder brother and sister. Mother worked as a designer, graphic designer, was engaged in the manufacture of clothes, now retired. His father died in January 2020.\nVasiliy graduated from the medical college with a degree in General Medicine. He worked for four years in an ambulance, currently works as a district paramedic in a clinic.\nThe young man loves music since childhood, plays the piano in his free time and relaxes with friends in nature.\nFrom birth, his mother instilled Christian values in Vasiliy. Studying the Bible on his own, the young man became convinced that it was consistent with science and history. As a result, in 2014 he embarked on the Christian path.\nRelatives and friends of the Bondarevs wonder how these peaceful people can be accused of extremism.\n","date":"2023-08-22","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bondarev/photo_hu_e19e5fa9ede7c90c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bondarev/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bondarev/photo_hu_54db447f65892114.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bondarev/photo_hu_e3655a2326dd2fc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bondarev.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vasiliy Bondarev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"A series of difficulties in Irina Bondareva's life began with the death of her husband, then she became seriously ill with covid, and soon the police invaded her—in May 2023, the woman's house was searched. Irina and her son Vasily became defendants in a criminal case because of their peaceful religious beliefs.\nIrina was born in 1961 in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. She has an elder sister and a younger brother. His father was a cabinetmaker, his mother an insulator. Both parents are no longer alive.\nAs a child, Irina was fond of drawing and sewing clothes. Starting from the 6th grade, she sewed her own school uniform. She also loved to read, was enrolled in three libraries. In winter, she skated and sledded.\nAfter school, her father, who worked in a furniture shop, arranged for Irina to work as a veneer compositor. Later she moved to the city of Snezhny (Ukraine) and got a job at a factory as a graphic designer. Then, returning to her hometown, she continued to work as an artist in heating networks.\nIn the 1990s, Irina got married and gave birth to a son and a daughter. At work, she was laid off, so she decided to work at home, graduating from courses in machine knitting and embroidery. She also learned how to sew hats. At the end of the design courses, a personal exhibition was organized at the local art museum. Irina has been sewing hats as works of art for 10 years. Now, in her free time, Irina works at her summer cottage and still loves to read.\nIrina was the first in the family to become interested in the Bible. She recalls: \"I was always looking for God. I will never forget how one day I prayed fervently in the evening, and the next morning Jehovah's Witnesses came to me and left a book to help me learn about God. I read it in a day, checking it against my Bible. In my head, everything turned out like a picture from a puzzle. I realized that I had found the truth.\" In 1993, Irina decided to embark on the Christian path. Later, she was joined by her elder sister and mother.\nIn 1996, the Bondarevs had a son, Vasiliy. From childhood he was instilled with biblical moral standards, and at the age of 18 he also decided to become a Christian.\nThe criminal prosecution undermined Irina's health. \"But most of all I worry about my son Vasiliy, because he may lose his job because of a criminal record,\" the believer complains.\n","date":"2023-08-31","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bondareva/photo_hu_3786f2d70deecf59.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bondareva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bondareva/photo_hu_37bdec89f98093e0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bondareva/photo_hu_9676ef3867562cae.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bondareva.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Irina Bondareva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"When the house of Sergey Sachnev and his wife Ulita was searched in May 2023, the elderly couple experienced stress. Because of their beliefs, they became defendants in a criminal case on extremism.\nSergey was born in September 1951 in the village of Kavalerovo (Primorye Territory). He has two brothers and a sister. After graduating from school, Sergey worked as a driver until his retirement. He lived in Spassk-Dalniy and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.\nIn 1977, Sergey married Ulita, whom he met at work. They had two sons. The couple love to take care of the garden together. After retirement, they moved to the village of Khurba (Khabarovsk Territory).\nIn 2008, Sergey embarked on the Christian path after following his wife he became convinced of the authenticity of the prophecies from the Holy Scriptures.\nThe Sachnevs\u0026#39; children empathize with their parents who have been prosecuted for their faith.\n","date":"2023-08-22","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sachnev/photo_hu_3ce238b7486c7e33.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sachnev/photo_hu_553c6b2cdb8e6a2b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sachnev/photo_hu_4543d3be2a4050b7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sachnev/photo_hu_8b34a96a9f0b90ad.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sachnev.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Sergey Sachnev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2023, the house of Ulita Sachneva and her husband Sergey was searched, which caused the elderly couple to experience stress. Because of their beliefs, they became defendants in a criminal case on extremism.\nUlita was born in August 1954 in the village of Kirga, Birobidzhan district, Jewish Autonomous Region. She has two younger brothers. She got a secondary technical education, then worked as an elevator operator and painter at a construction site, then retired. In her free time, she loved to read books, and now her main hobby is taking care of the garden.\nIn 1977, at work, Ulita met her future husband Sergey. He worked as a driver and loved fishing. Together they raised two sons.\nAt different periods of her life, Ulita lived in Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur and the village of Khurba (Khabarovsk Territory), where the couple moved to take care of her mother.\nIn 1999, convinced that Bible prophecies were being fulfilled, Ulita embarked on the Christian path.\nThe Sachnevs\u0026#39; children empathize with their parents who have been prosecuted for their faith.\n","date":"2023-08-22","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sachneva/photo_hu_ea7005051ce2c5a0.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sachneva/photo_hu_b0abee538eea9433.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sachneva/photo_hu_991d3cf170650a93.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sachneva/photo_hu_de92d0ee89b580d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sachneva.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Ulita Sachneva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Viktor Ursu\u0026#39;s father, grandfather and great-grandfather went through religious persecution during the Soviet Union, and now Viktor himself has faced persecution for his faith. In July 2023, after mass searches in the homes of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Crimea, he became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism, and two years later, the court decided to send him to a penal colony for 6 years.\nViktor was born in June 1965 in the village of Semiskul (Kurgan region). He has an older sister. When the children were still small, the family moved from Siberia, where they were in exile, to Dzhankoy.\nIn his youth, Viktor was fond of photography, radio electronics, design, astronomy, and learned to play the accordion and guitar. He liked to read popular science literature and science fiction.\nAfter school, Viktor got a job as a handyman at a cannery, where he studied to be a turner, and later worked on the railway in an experimental workshop. He also worked as a milling machine, recently mastered the profession of scraper.\nIn his free time, Viktor likes to sing, draw, listen to music, watch movies with good acting and read about art.\nThe Ursu family has always valued biblical knowledge—his great-great-grandfather was the first to become interested in this book. Since childhood, Viktor believed in God and loved to watch his creations, he was amazed by their complexity, wisdom and beauty. In 1983, he was determined to become one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nViktor met his future wife, Marina, who also grew up in a family of believers, at a friend\u0026#39;s wedding. They got married in 1988. Marina worked as a seamstress in a garment factory, recently she has been repairing clothes, is fond of knitting and needlework, and she also likes to garden. The couple loves to travel together. They have a daughter, Lyubov, who also shares the religious views of her parents.\nThe criminal prosecution radically changed Viktor\u0026#39;s life. Due to stress and anxiety, he developed health problems. According to relatives, he worries that he has lost the opportunity to provide for his family but does not lose optimism. Numerous relatives and friends support Victor and his family.\n","date":"2023-09-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ursu/photo_hu_42c9c5a0f721a139.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ursu/photo_hu_ec9584bcc0da68ee.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ursu/photo_hu_ff1998ec7fa29efc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ursu/photo_hu_adcdccf32ffbff8b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ursu.html","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Viktor Ursu","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On August 3, 2023, Irina Vlasova, judge of the Dzerzhinskiy District Court of Yaroslavl, found 4 Jehovah's Witnesses guilty of extremism: 47-year-old Andrey Vyushin and 57-year-old Petr Filiznov were given a 6.5-year suspended sentence; 40-year-old Aleksandr and 35-year-old Mariya Kuznetsova were given a 2.5-year suspended sentence.\nThe court imposed as additional punishment a 6-month restriction of freedom on the Kuznetsovs. Filiznov and Vyushin were given restriction of freedom for 1 year with deprivation of the right to hold leading positions in public and religious organizations for 4.5 years.\nIn the spring of 2021, a series of searches took place in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yaroslavl. Andrey Vyushin, the father of a young child, as well as Petr Filiznov and the Kuznetsovs were detained. For discussing the Bible, praying and singing religious songs, Vyushin and Filiznov were charged with organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and the Kuznetsovs — of participating in its activity. All four believers spent 3 months in a detention center, and then another 2 years under a ban on certain actions.\nThe criminal case against the residents of Yaroslavl was investigated by the Investigative Committee for more than a year; it went to court in August 2022. Judge Irina Vlasova heard the case for over 10 months with short breaks due to the illness of Aleksandr Kuznetsov, who was fighting cancer. The prosecution used the testimony of secret witnesses, but the defendants pointed out that their statements did not correspond with the facts. Other witnesses said that they had not heard from the defendants calls for the overthrow of the state system, the breakup of families or other extremist statements.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed, as the believers maintain their innocence. They emphasize that thanks to the Bible they have become useful members of society. Thus, Mariya Kuznetsova said: “Only love for God and people moves Jehovah’s Witnesses to meet together, read his Word, the Bible, meditate, discuss Bible questions, pray, sing spiritual songs and change for the better.” According to her husband Aleksandr Kuznetsov, the charge is completely contrary to the explanation of the Plenum of the Supreme Court, which states that a religious event in itself is not an illegal activity. “The RF Supreme Court did not forbid me to be a believer, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses… Faith in the living God Jehovah and worshiping him are not evil acts or extremism,” he stressed.\nAccording to the ruling of the ECHR, “only religious expressions and actions that contain or call for violence, hate or discrimination may serve as grounds for suppressing them as ‘extremist’.” Despite the absence of signs of extremism in the actions of believers, the authorities continue the mass prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-08-03T13:44:52+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/08/041344/image_hu_8fe144edb1493178.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/08/041344/image_hu_7ef69b504cbf58df.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/08/041344/image_hu_bca20e7ea412598b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/08/041344/image_hu_3b098ce0b963610d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/041344.html","regions":["yaroslavl"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","sentence","suspended","families","minors","disability","secret-witness"],"title":"Court in Yaroslavl Punished Three Men and a Woman With Suspended Sentences of 2.5 and 6.5 Years For Their Beliefs","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 3, 2023, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the conviction of Sergey Malyanov, his daughter Svetlana, as well as Roman Zhivolupov and Oleg Konshin for attending a get-together with fellow believers. The court additionally prohibited the believers from holding any positions in religious and public organizations for 2 years and 11 months.\nAs the primary punishment, Sergey was fined 700,000 rubles, Svetlana – 545,000 rubles, Roman – 500,000 rubles, and Oleg – 450,000 rubles.\nSpeaking before the court of appeal, Roman Zhivolupov noted: \"For the entire time that the case was being considered, the prosecution did not give a clear answer as to what I did wrong, nor did they provide any evidence.\" Sergey Malyanov drew attention to the fact that, at the gathering held, they danced, sang children's songs and played games. The believer was perplexed: “Is buying sausage, cheese, fruit and water for the entertaining evening, financing an extremist activity? [...] The question arises: what if we again want to rent a room for a party? What then, from the point of view of the prosecution, should I do in order not to fall under criminal prosecution? Obtain a certificate that this event has nothing to do with the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia or the liquidated local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses? If yes, where can I get it? Or did the decision of the RF Supreme Court of April 20, 2017, prohibit Jehovah's Witnesses from spending time with friends? Neither from the prosecution, nor from the court of first instance, have I heard an answer”.\nDespite the fact that the European Court of Human Rights has exonerated Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, local law enforcement agencies and courts continue to repress believers solely for their religious views.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-08-03T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/08/041315/image_hu_16bdf65008512d8c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/08/041315/image_hu_f0b3307426edb1ef.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/08/041315/image_hu_f4e3f3152bceb5b0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/08/041315/image_hu_75321e53a3b31d1f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/041315.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":"They Were Fined a Total of More Than 2,000,000 Rubles for Their Faith","tags":["fine","appeal","families","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Nizhny Novgorod Upheld the Primary Punishment Against Four Believers.","type":"news"},{"body":"At 6 a.m., at least 11 security officers come to the house of the Ursu family in Dzhankoy. At least four of them are armed. No one presents their official IDs. For some time, the spouses are not allowed to get dressed.\nLaw enforcement officers begin an inspection of the entire household, including the attic, basement and garage. Electronic devices, the Bible, and religious literature were confiscated from family members.\nIn response to a request to show his passport, Victor Ursu asks the senior officer to show his service ID, which is refused. The law enforcement officer draws up an act of administrative offense against Viktor, regarding the request of the believer as disobedience to the order of a police officer. Judge Yelena Nikolayeva sends the believer to a temporary detention facility for 10 days.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ursu in Dzhankoy","date":"2023-07-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/dzhankoy2/index.html#20230728","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["inspection","administrative-detention","ivs","search","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"In May 2023, a year after the mass searches in the Kuban that affected at least 51 people, law enforcement officers initiated a criminal case against Viktor Spirichev simply because of his faith.\nViktor was born in 1980 in the village of Samoded (Arkhangelsk Region) in a family of railway workers. He has a younger half-sister. His elder brother died.\nAfter school, Viktor graduated from the courses of railway foremen, worked as a fitter on the railway, as a sales assistant, and then became an individual entrepreneur. Recently, he has been self-employed in the field of construction and repair. As a hobby, he grows vegetables.\nFrom 1998 to 2000, Viktor served in the military. After the army, he began to study the Bible, as he wanted to do the right thing and avoid mistakes in life. Viktor concluded that this is possible through obedience to God, so in 2002 he decided to dedicate his life to him and become a Christian.\nIn 2009, Viktor married Larisa. She is a nurse but has not worked lately because she is a disabled person of the disability group two. Her stepfather, Vladimir Kolesnikov, has also faced persecution for his faith. The couple shares common values that unite their family. Together, they love traveling and discovering new places.\nHaving been prosecuted, Viktor experienced stress, and his family does not understand why their loved one had to face this.\n","date":"2023-08-14","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/spirichev/photo_hu_7f7980b9cf653716.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/spirichev/photo_hu_c41787b3d02236de.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/spirichev/photo_hu_b32107a3fa9ea917.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/spirichev/photo_hu_c6c26acf138db065.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/spirichev.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Viktor Spirichev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 28, 2023, law enforcement officers invaded the home of a family of believers in the town of Dzhankoy. Viktor Ursu, 58, was detained. On August 9, after 2 weeks in a detention center, the Dzhankoy District Court decided to place him under house arrest.\nViktor's elderly parents live with him. Aleksandr Ursu, 83, who had been exonerated as a victim of Soviet repression, was mistreated during a raid on Jehovah's Witnesses in 2018.\nThe \"inspection of the premises\" (in fact, a search), which was carried out by 11 law enforcement officers in masks and with weapons, began at 6 a.m. Viktor and his wife were not allowed to get dressed for some time. The law enforcement officers refused to show their identity cards and seized all electronic devices and storage media.\nViktor Ursu was detained and taken to a temporary detention facility in Dzhankoy. His wife was not allowed to see him or provide him with necessary things like food and medicines.\nImmediately after the completion of the operational actions, friends and acquaintances came to support the family. They helped tidy the house after the search, brought food, and provided emotional support to their fellow believers.\nOn August 7, Viktor Ursu was released from the temporary detention facility, but then was immediately detained again. He was taken to the local Department of the Investigative Committee, and then back to the temporary detention facility. On the same day, the investigator issued a decision to initiate a criminal case against Viktor Ursu under Article 282.2(1) of RF CrC.\nIn the 1940s, Aleksandr Ursu's father, uncle, and grandfather were exiled to labor camps because they were Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1947 only his father returned from exile, and with a serious injury. In July 1949, the Ursu family, including 9-year-old Aleksandr, were loaded into cattle cars and along with thousands of other believers sent to permanent exile in Siberia.\nLater, Aleksandr Ursu was repeatedly subjected to various forms of pressure from the state security agencies, including searches. On May 21, 1991, the believer was rehabilitated in accordance with the decree \"On additional measures to restore justice for the victims of repressions that took place in the 1930's and 1940's, and into the early 1950's\".\nRehabilitation certificate No. 23 was issued to Aleksandr Ursu on June 17, 1991. Then in November 2018, when the believer was already 78, law enforcement officers again broke into his house, pressed him against the wall, and handcuffed him. At the time searches in the homes of other local believers were carried out as part of the criminal case against Sergey Filatov, who was later sentenced to 6 years and is now serving time for his faith in a penal colony.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2023-07-28T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/handcuffs3_hu_a40cecf496601106.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/handcuffs3_hu_59b3c42f7ba1668c.jpg","webp":"/news/common/handcuffs3_hu_3fcbebbe31916c7c.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/handcuffs3_hu_ec97b38ee75f388c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/08/101538.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":"Viktor Ursu, 58, Was Placed Under House Arrest After 2 Weeks Behind Bars","tags":["search","ivs","elderly","families"],"title":"A Family of Believers From Crimea Has Been Subjected to Religious Repression for the Third Time.","type":"news"},{"body":"The investigation accused Lyudmila Zinina of extremism for participating in peaceful religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Her daughter Irina is being prosecuted on similar charges.\nLyudmila was born in 1951 in the village of Berezanskaya (Krasnodar Territory). She has a younger sister. Their mother worked as a primary school, labor and physical education teacher, and their father worked in the construction industry.\nAs a child, Lyudmila was fond of basketball and wrestling. She was no stranger to quieter leisure activities - she loved drawing. After school, she learned weaving, and also mastered the specialty of a general nurse. She worked by profession in a medical institution, now she is retired. In her spare time, she likes to grow flowers.\nLyudmila became interested in the Bible by her grandfather, who was one of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1999, she also decided to become a Christian. To this she was prompted by reflections on the personality of the Creator and the wonders of nature.\nLyudmila lived in different cities: Krasnodar, Nebit-Dag (now Balkanabat, Turkmenistan), Krasnovodsk (now Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan), Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), Maikop (Krasnodar Territory). Later, Lyudmila moved to the village of Zarya (Crimea) to take care of her mother.\nIn 1973, the believer married Pyotr, with whom she had three children — a son and two daughters. The son died as an adult.\nThe criminal prosecution had a negative impact on Lyudmila's health. Her husband tries to support her as best he can.\n","date":"2023-08-15","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zinina/photo_hu_82f8eee77970534a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zinina/photo_hu_adeeb50beddc4708.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zinina/photo_hu_8c11edae2cbb02c3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zinina/photo_hu_1c03fed854a40e5b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zinina.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Lyudmila Zinina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Irina Zinina is a peaceful believer from the Krasnodar Territory who was persecuted for her peaceful religious beliefs. In February 2022, her house was searched, and later the woman became a defendant in a criminal case under an extremist article.\nIrina was born in November 1987 in Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory). She has an elder sister. Their elder brother died. His father is a civil engineer, and his mother, Lyudmila Zinina, has worked as a nurse all her life. She also became a defendant in a criminal case for her faith. Irina is attached to her parents; she likes to help them and take care of them.\nDuring her life, she managed to master several specialties: she learned to be a dressmaker-cutter, saleswoman, boiler room operator, builder and programmer. Irina worked in all these areas for some time. In addition, she gained little experience as a junior nurse. Since childhood, Irina has been fond of dancing. She also enjoys reading, growing flowers and growing vegetables.\nIrina began to study the Bible at a young age, following her mother, who developed a love for God and the Bible in the 1990s. Over time, Irina herself decided to embark on the Christian path.\nAccording to the believer, her health deteriorated because of the persecution. She also temporarily lost her part-time job. \u0026quot;Dad tries not to show it, but he is worried,\u0026quot; the believer shared.\n","date":"2023-08-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zininai/photo_hu_1081d86f847a96a6.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zininai/photo_hu_d9d43e899941e38.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zininai/photo_hu_757c8403ee18b76f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zininai/photo_hu_e1f69cf25303f2fc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zininai.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Irina Zinina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yelena Chernykh, a mother of many children from Prokopyevsk, became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism after her husband Yuriy.\nYelena was born in November 1976 in the city of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Region. She has a younger brother. Their mother is already retired.\nIn her youth, Yelena was fond of dancing. After graduating from college, she worked as a pastry chef.\nIn 1995, Yelena met Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and began to study the Bible. The woman was impressed that, according to the Bible, God is a person, and he has such qualities as patience and justice. She also liked to find kindness and love among believers. In 1998, she embarked on the Christian path.\nYelena married Yuriy in 2006. They have three children. In her free time, Yelena enjoys swimming, skiing and skating, and walking in the woods.\nSearches and criminal prosecutions had a negative impact on the health of all family members. However, Yelena is supported by fellow believers - emotionally and financially. The believer tries to continue to adhere to an active life position.\n\u0026quot;Jesus said that Christians would be unjustly persecuted, and that\u0026#39;s exactly what we are facing,\u0026quot; she says, adding that by helping other people cope with their problems, she distracts herself from her own.\n","date":"2024-04-12","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/echernykh/photo_hu_fadea7910e5b53f4.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/echernykh/photo_hu_82268a4b43026292.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/echernykh/photo_hu_7288170c9765c5a7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/echernykh/photo_hu_5657f1232b6aa2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/echernykh.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Chernykh","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2023, Vasilina Penskaya, a confectioner from the Krasnodar Territory, faced criminal prosecution for her religious beliefs.\nVasilina was born in October 1997 in the village of Vyselki. After a while, the family moved to Norilsk, and later returned to the south of the country to be closer to relatives. Vasilina\u0026#39;s mother works as a seamstress. Her father passed away in 2019.\nAs a child, Vasilina studied music, and also loved to cook pastries. After school, the girl immediately went to work. Now he works as a pastry chef.\nMother was the first in the family to get acquainted with the Bible, and later Vasilina became interested in this book. She was impressed by the wisdom of the advice that helped her choose the right friends as a teenager. As she grew older, she decided to take the Christian path.\nIn 2018, Vasilina got married. Her husband, Dmitry, works at a service station. He shares his wife's beliefs.\nRelatives and friends are outraged by the criminal prosecution of Vasilina. Vasilina herself considers the accusations of extremism unfair, but maintains a positive attitude.\n","date":"2023-08-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/penskaya/photo_hu_eb20ac5597b54258.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/penskaya/photo_hu_80fd9d6be10e7694.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/penskaya/photo_hu_19705ac2d1859b0a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/penskaya/photo_hu_77bfb854cbbc947.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/penskaya.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vasilina Penskaya","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Zinaida Krutyakova, Konstantin Zherebtsov and Vitaliy Nikiforov served their main sentences - 2 years and 3 months, 2 years and 2 months, 2 years of suspended sentence, respectively.\nZinaida's husband Yuriy Krutyakov will continue to serve his suspended sentence.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Nikiforov and Others in Chekhov","date":"2023-05-24T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chekhov/index.html#20230524","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["suspended","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"After a wave of searches in Yoshkar-Ola in the spring of 2022, Eduard Kapitonov, his son Ilya and 7 other men were accused of extremism because of their religion.\nEduard was born in 1965 in the village of Vasilenki (Mari El). As a child, he loved to play sports: football and volleyball.\nAfter secondary education, Eduard learned to be a driver, and during the holidays he worked as an assistant combine operator. Following the army, he worked for 1.5 years at a state farm as an electrician, and then he left for the Far North in the city of Noyabrsk, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. There he worked for 13 years as a driver, after which he moved with his family to Yoshkar-Ola, where he continued to work as a driver and qualified as a woodworking technician. Eduard has more than 40 years work experience and since 2016 he has been a veteran of labor.\nEduard met his future wife Alevtina in Yoshkar-Ola when he was there on vacation from Noyabrsk. She works as a storekeeper in a factory. The couple has two children: the first, daughter Ksenia and son Ilya. Ksenia teaches IT at a children's center, and Ilya is studying law at university. They share the religious beliefs of their parents.\nEduard and Alevtina became interested in Bible teachings in 1996. Love for this book and for God motivated the couple to become Jehovah's Witnesses; first, Alevtina, and later, in 2014, Eduard.\nIn his spare time, Eduard enjoys gardening, horticulture, spending time outdoors with his family, having picnics and fishing. Also, the family often invites their friends over.\nDue to the criminal prosecution, it became more difficult for Eduard to take care of his family. He was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists, his bank accounts were blocked and his property was seized. Due to the stress he experienced, his sleep suffered and he would often have high blood pressure.\n","date":"2023-06-15","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kapitonove/photo_hu_76e493974101ad05.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kapitonove/photo_hu_6ef9e4ace6da3dab.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kapitonove/photo_hu_57bc2a16f8a7e84a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kapitonove/photo_hu_d1489ae174bda381.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kapitonove.html","regions":["mari-el"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Eduard Kapitonov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On May 22, 2023, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region held the third hearing in the case of Nataliya Kriger on an appeal — this time against a new guilty verdict for her faith issued after previous decisions had been overturned. The 2.5-year suspended sentence entered into force.\nNataliya does not consider herself guilty and has been defending her constitutional right to freedom of religion in courts for 2 years and 8 months already. In her appeal, she stated that the court of first instance had not taken into account her right to remain a believer after the liquidation of the legal entity of the religious organization. In addition, she stated that she was convicted under an article for extremism without citing specific extremist actions. According to Nataliya, the court ignored her arguments and explanations regarding her peaceful religious beliefs. She said: “The expression of hatred or enmity, or the division of people along class or social lines is alien to me. My religious views are based on the Bible. They are expressed in two basic commandments: love God and love people”.\nThe believer faced criminal prosecution in May 2018 when her home was raided as part of the \"Judgement Day” operation. In February 2020, a criminal case was initiated against her. After 6 months of investigation and 11 months of litigation, in July 2021, Nataliya was given her first guilty verdict. Later, the court of appeal upheld it, and then the court of cassation returned the case to the stage of appeal, which, in turn, sent it for a new trial to the court of first instance.\nIn March 2023, the Birobidzhanskiy District Court again found Nataliya Kriger guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization, imposing a 2.5-year suspended sentence with a 2-year probation period and restriction of freedom for 1 year.\nIn December 2022, the same Birobidzhanskiy District Court sent Nataliya's husband Valeriy to a penal colony for 7 years on similar charges. He is awaiting an appeal hearing in his criminal case.\nRussian human rights activists and the global community condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The ECHR recognized these actions as illegal and called on the Russian Federation to the believers.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-05-22T10:11:55+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/05/231011/image_hu_92ea803f884e36a9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/05/231011/image_hu_62d038b859892612.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/05/231011/image_hu_c2d1c4810ae02d60.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/05/231011/image_hu_ef55e046df06cd64.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/05/231011.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"After Court Reconsidered her Case, She was Given a 2.5-Year Suspended Sentence for Her Faith in God","tags":["suspended","2-appeal","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Birobidzhan Reaffirmed Verdict Against Nataliya Kriger.","type":"news"},{"body":"Ilya Kapitonov, being a third-year student at the Faculty of Law, unexpectedly became a defendant in a criminal case for his faith along with his father Eduard.\nIlya was born in February 2002 in the city of Yoshkar-Ola (Mari El). He has an older sister Ksenia. Their mother is a storekeeper at a factory, their father is a driver with 40 years of experience, a veteran of labor.\nFrom childhood, Ilya liked chess, as well as volleyball and basketball; he played football for 8 years. The young man still loves sports. On warm evenings he runs along the forest. “Running is a hobby for me, thanks to which I can recover after a busy day,” said Ilya. After school, the young man enrolled in university. From the first year he has been working as a tutor in social theory.\nThe Kapitonov family was introduced to Bible teachings in 1996. The mother tried to instill in her children love for the Creator. From childhood, Ilya loved watching scientific and educational films and admired the beauty of the world around him. He was convinced that this amazing variety could not have appeared by chance. Over time, all family members became Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe criminal prosecution unsettled the believer and caused anxiety. His mother and sister, as well as relatives who do not share the religious views of the Kapitonovs, are worried about Eduard and Ilya.\n","date":"2023-06-01","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kapitonov/photo_hu_6d6b21a7db6ca25.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kapitonov/photo_hu_4a431dd8d29dad73.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kapitonov/photo_hu_bca127954fff06d9.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kapitonov/photo_hu_3513e56a7c1a04f9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kapitonov.html","regions":["mari-el"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Ilya Kapitonov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The retrial of Dmitry Barmakin's case in the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok resulted in a guilty verdict and an eight-year prison term—a decision rendered by Judge Larisa Smolenkova on April 27, 2023. A year and a half prior, her colleague from the same court ruled that the believer be acquitted with the right to rehabilitation.\nBarmakin became the first one of Jehovah's Witnesses since 2017 to be acquitted of the charges under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In November 2021, the court concluded that “Barmakin never carried out extremist activities; he practiced the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which included meeting with fellow believers and discussing his beliefs.\" This decision was a logical consequence of the ruling of the Supreme Court Plenum of the Russian Federation, issued a month earlier. However, six months later, the appellate court overturned the acquittal and returned the case to the first instance for consideration by a new composition of the court. This time the trial was held behind closed doors. The prosecutor again requested that the believer serve nine years in a penal colony.\nAfter the verdict, Barmakin, age 48, was taken into custody in the courtroom. As an additional punishment, the judge decided to restrict the believer's freedom for one year after serving the prison sentence.\nFriends support Dmitriy Barmakin, who was arrested in the courtroom, with applause. April 27, 2023 Dmitriy Barmakin has been defending his innocence for almost five years. “The prosecution made typical actions of believers look like some kind of spy games,” he said in his final statement. “So, according to the prosecution, a typical peaceful religious meeting and a discussion with friends on Bible topics constitutes continuation of the activities of a banned organization. Simple phrases like 'turn down the volume on your mobile device' indicate a conspiracy. Discussions in an apartment indicate a desire to hide from law enforcement agencies.”\nDmitriy's wife, Yelena, is also being prosecuted under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for her beliefs. The same court—the Pervorechensky Court of the city of Vladivostok—is currently considering a case against her and several local believers.\nBarmakin is the fifth believer in Russia to receive such a severe sentence for his convictions. Aleksey Berchuk from Blagoveshchensk and Rustam Diarov, Yevgeniy Ivanov, and Sergey Klikunov from Astrakhan had been sentenced to eight years in prison.\nAleksandr Verkhovskiy, director of the information and analytical center Sova, drew attention to the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, saying: “The growing campaign against Jehovah's Witnesses is terrifying, but it also gives a chance that this time someone will finally come to their senses and think. Still, the ‘Witnesses’ too obviously do not pose a threat to security, and at the same time they are just as clearly impossible to ‘eradicate,’ since more than hundred thousand people cannot be imprisoned or forced out of the country, and Jehovah’s Witnesses did not deviate from their faith even in the worst times.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-04-27T13:55:43+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/04/271355/image_hu_933c45dfba0c4d24.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/04/271355/image_hu_8f8b41e870f8714e.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/04/271355/image_hu_bb69bb96d22f0a21.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/04/271355/image_hu_885873b7422a00df.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/04/271355.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["retrial","sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","families"],"title":"A Court in the City of Vladivostok Sentenced Dmitriy Barmakin to Eight Years in a Penal Colony—His Acquittal Had Been Overturned","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 14, 2023, the Kamchatka Territorial Court considered the appeal of Dmitriy and Nadezhda Semenov against the guilty verdict of a lower court, which gave them a four-year suspended sentence for their faith in God. The appellate court upheld the verdict, and it has entered into force.\nThe Semenovs learned that they were being criminally prosecuted in September 2021 when a search was conducted in their home. The believers were interrogated and released under a recognizance agreement. Three days earlier, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against the Semenovs under Article 282.2, part 1.1, of of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (involving others in the activities of an extremist organization). The charges were based on a letter written by the Semenovs to local resident Yelena Turova that included Bible advice on how to treat others kindly. Afterwards the family experienced regular interrogations and the stress of expecting more searches. Dmitriy explained what helped them cope with anxiety and discouragment: “When we are scared and anxious, prayer helps us find inner peace.”\nAfter 10 months of investigation, the criminal case was submitted to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City Court. On November 8, 2022, Judge Vladimir Bykov found the Semenovs guilty of extremism. The prosecutor requested that they be sent to a penal colony for four years, but the court gave them only a suspended sentence.\nIn the submission to the appellate panel, Dmitriy Semenov drew attention to the complete absence of any evidence of his or his wife’s guilt. The prosecution presented secretly recorded conversations of the believers, but they did not contain even signs of hatred or hostility toward representatives of other religions. No evidence was presented to indicate that the constitutional order of the Russian Federation had been undermined. “There is not a single piece of evidence, only empty, groundless accusations,” said Dmitriy Semenov, adding: “We register our business, we pay taxes ... I respect the state, I am aware of its importance, and I try to follow the laws of our country.”\nNadezhda Semenova also declared her absolute innocence at the appeal hearing and asked the court to use common sense: “Extremists promote violence and incite mass riots. But we did nothing of the kind, and we did not encourage anything like that. I have never been motivated by hatred or enmity. On the contrary, I love people ... I don’t understand what the crime is here and why my husband and I should be sentenced—albeit suspended—for several years.\"\nThe judgment of the European Court of Human Rights dated June 7, 2022, declared unreasonable and unjust the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Russian authorities on charges of extremism. The ECHR emphasized that the right to \"try to convince one's neighbor\" is an essential element of religious freedom (§ 168). In addition, the European Court reiterated that the imposition of criminal sanctions for the exercise of religious beliefs is an interference with the right to freedom of religion (§ 264).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-02-14T09:42:37+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/02/170942/image_hu_4e0565f76dd3c8c3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/02/170942/image_hu_f0c59d71ed7909cf.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/02/170942/image_hu_19deadc0c96ea155.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/02/170942/image_hu_e531921011d5caf0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/02/170942.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":"The Semenovs Were Given a Four-Year Suspended Sentence for Their Faith in God","tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1.1","families"],"title":"The Appellate Court Upheld the Verdict Against Jehovah's Witnesses From Kamchatka.","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 24, 2023, Anton Iordan, judge of the Kuznetsk District Court of Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo Region) found the 65-year-old guilty of extremism because of his religious views.\nSergey Sushilnikov and his wife have been living in Novokuznetsk for over 40 years. During this time, he repeatedly received certificates of honor and awards from the city administration and his employers. He has the title of veteran of labor\nIn the summer of 2021, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Sergey for his faith. On June 8, OMON officers with machine guns, wearing masks and bulletproof vests broke into the apartment of the Sushilnikov couple. Shouting \"Everyone lie down on the floor!\" they knocked Sergey down, and pressed his wife against the wall.\nThe believer does not admit guilt. In court, he told a story that happened to his 6-year-old grandson. “Once my grandson was walking with his friend in the playground, and they found a wallet with money. The friend immediately thouhgt what to do — divide the money between themselves. But my grandson said that Jehovah does not like those who take what is not theirs. And they returned the wallet to the owner. So can people whose children behave this way, do something bad to others?” he asked rhetorically.\nAbout 120 people went to the district court building to support Sergey Sushilnikov. During the closing arguments, the believer and his lawyer reiterated that the denomination of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in Russia; in the case there is no damage caused, none of the witnesses confirmed the guilt of the defendant, there is no extremist literature and the expert study did not confirm any extremist activity.\nSince July 2018, already 16 people have been prosecuted for their faith in the Kemerovo Region. The European Court of Human Rights, in its judgment on the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, reiterates: “… only religious statements and actions involving or calling for violence, hatred or discrimination may warrant suppression as being 'extremist' […] The courts did not identify any word, deed or action by the applicants which would be motivated or tainted by violence, hatred or discrimination against others”.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-01-24T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/251425/image_hu_8664246de667b39f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/251425/image_hu_b7fdc08a82a7041c.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/251425/image_hu_ea7d1476df53d4e0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/251425/image_hu_562d5c411b345999.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/251425.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"A Court in the Kemerovo Region Gave a Veteran of Labor a 6-Year Suspended Sentence For Reading the Bible With Friends","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 16, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia upheld the sentence of six Jehovah's Witnesses from Saransk: 6 years imprisonment for Atryakhin, 4 years and 2 months in a penal colony for the Nikulins, and 2 years imprisonment for Shevchuk, Korolev, and Antonov.\nThe believers participated in the hearing via video conference while in the Detention Center No. 1 in Saransk, where they were placed after the verdict of the court of first instance. February 2023 will be exactly 4 years since the criminal prosecution of Aleksandr Shevchuk and his fellow believers began. Despite the decision of the court of appeal, all six continue to insist on their innocence and intend to defend their good name in the court of cassation.\nIn June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights unequivocally sided with Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The ruling states, among other things, that “the forced liquidation of all religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation ... has revealed signs of a policy of intolerance regarding the religious activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the part of the Russian authorities, aimed at forcing Jehovah's Witnesses to abandon their faith and prevent others from joining it” (§254).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-01-16T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/171601/image_hu_e87da610fd649a5d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/171601/image_hu_d5c8b4712e6b1021.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/171601/image_hu_83a19ef70e607e8a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/171601/image_hu_9d20724239afb088.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/171601.html","regions":["mordovia"],"subtitle":"They Will Spend 2 to 6 Years in a Penal Colony","tags":["282.2-1","282.2-1.1","282.2-2","appeal","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"The Appeal Court Upheld the Verdict Against Six Believers From Saransk.","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 12, 2023, the First Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Saratov left unchanged the verdict of the Promyshlennyy District Court of the city of Kursk and the appellate ruling of the Judicial Panel for Criminal Cases of the Kursk Regional Court against five of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nIn June 2021 the court of first instance handed down severe sentences of imprisonment to four believers for practicing their religion. The appellate courtupheldthe sentence. At the time of the cassation appeal, three convicted persons—the Bagratyan couple and Ryshkov—had already served their sentences (Artem Bagratyan—two and a half years; Alevtina Bagratyan—two years; Andrey Ryshkov—three years), but they wanted to get a just ruling and restore their good reputation. Andrey Andreyev was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, and he is still behind bars. He is expected to be released in February 2023.\nIn 2019, the believers in Kursk experienced mass searches of their homes. Andrey Andreyev, whose home was invaded by security forces, described these events: “They found the Bible as if it were a weapon used in a crime, as if [it were] drugs or something, they took away my children's postcards. It's interesting that the protocol of seized items contains a postcard with the inscription: “Dear mommy.”\nAndrey Andreyev, Aleksandr Vospitanyuk, Andrey Ryshkov, Artem Bagratyan and his wife, Alevtina, all pleaded not guilty and believe that they were exercising their constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religion and that their actions were exclusively peaceful.\nIn his cassation appeal, Andrey Ryshkov noted: \"As a Christian, as one of Jehovah's Witness, I studied the Bible, prayed to Jehovah God and sang religious songs with my fellow believers. This served as the basis for initiating a criminal case against me and finding me guilty.”\nThe Bagratyans expressed a similar thought: “A peaceful conversation about God without calls for violence, discrimination and degrading treatment . . . to any kind of social group cannot have such a degree of public danger that would require peaceful citizens to be convicted for committing an extremist crime.\"\nThe cassation court slightly changed the part of the verdict regarding the additional punishment—in accordance with the decision of a higher court, the convicted person still can use the Internet but cannot post religious information.\nThe international community strongly condemns the actions of the Russian authorities in their persecution of law-abiding believers. The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 7 June 2022 declares that “the respondent State [Russian Federation] must take all necessary measures to secure the discontinuation of all pending criminal proceedings against Jehovah’s Witnesses, including by reference to the recently amended guidance by the Supreme Court of Russia, and release of all Jehovah's Witnesses who have been deprived of their liberty.” (§ 290)\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-01-12T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/171448/image_hu_9248c6eb1ca255c8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/171448/image_hu_dff020f3dbf493df.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/171448/image_hu_fe20eb144cf9a436.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/171448/image_hu_baeaf68a7310ae8d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/171448.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":"One of Them Is Still Serving a Sentence in a Penal Colony","tags":["cassation","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"The  Cassation Court Did Not Change the Sentence of Five of  Jehovah's Witnesses From Kursk.","type":"news"},{"body":"Text updated February 24, 2023\nOn December 22, 2022, the Fourth General Jurisdiction Court of Cassation, presided over by Judge Rustem Asanov, insignificantly reduced the sentence on believers Rustam Diarov, Sergey Klikunov and Yevgeniy Ivanov, sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony, and Olga Ivanova (wife of Yevgeniy), sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony. Now, after serving their sentence, they will be able to choose a settlement for residence, but they will be banned from leaving it. Previously, they were forbidden to leave Astrakhan.\nThe rest of the verdict was left unchanged, and the cassation appeals were not satisfied. The state prosecutor requested to toughen the punishment, and only verbally, without stating this in written objections to the cassation appeal. The session of the Court of Cassation was held via video-conferencing. Believers participated in the hearings while in the colonies.\nIn fact, the court found Astrakhan residents guilty of extremism because they believe in Jehovah God. In itself, being part of the international canonical structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, including believers organized in different groups all over the world, which the Russian Supreme Court had not assessed or declared extremist, does not constitute a crime.\nIn his cassation appeal Yevgeniy Ivanov stressed the absurdity of the charges against him: \"The verdict and the appeal decision do not contain any extremist statements, especially those aimed at inciting enmity and hatred.\" His lawyer also noted: \"Yevgeniy was found guilty of a crime against the foundations of the state and state security, although Jehovah's Witnesses are politically neutral, and he is not a socially dangerous person.\" \"All the witnesses questioned in the case indicated that there were no signs of extremism in my words, actions and motives,\" added Sergey Klikunov.\nA recent decision of the European Court states that \"believers demonstrate their desire to adhere strictly to the teachings of the religion they profess, and their right to do so is guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention\" (§ 172).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-22T09:24:24+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_3c0d4534896a0783.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_180b1fd5d4a480c.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_dbbc13defc9f7b38.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_95f5a617465a94f1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/230924.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","mitigation","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","families","282.3-1"],"title":"The Court of Cassation Slightly Softened the Brutal Conviction of Four Jehovah's Witnesses From Astrakhan","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 21, 2022, Judge Daria Varkalevich of the Blagoveshchensk City Court of the Amur Region sentenced Sergey Afanasiyev to 6.5 years in prison, Sergey Kardakov to 6 years and 4 months in prison and Sergey Yermilov, Anton Olshevskiy and Adam Svarichevskiy to 6 years and 3 months in prison. They were taken into custody in the courtroom.\nThe persecution of believers in Blagoveshchensk began back in 2017. Many of them were under covert surveillance. Later, their homes were searched. In October 2019, FSB Investigator Obukhov initiated a criminal case against Anton Olshevskiy and Sergey Yermilov, and he charged Svarichevskiy, Afanasiyev and Kardakov within a year. All five were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and Afanasiyev was also accused of financing it. The essence of the actions that the court considered criminal came down to reading the Bible, praying, singing religious songs and discussing Christian teachings.\nReligious persecution also affected the wives of two believers—Valentina Yermilova and Yekaterina Olshevskaya. Since July 2021, they have been charged in a different criminal case, which is also being investigated by Investigator Obukhov.\nIn September 2021, the case went to trial. During the hearings, it became obvious that there were no victims in the case, and there is no proof of any illegal actions on the part of those accused. All five defendants pleaded not guilty and stated to the court that the only reason they are being prosecuted is their faith in God.\nIn his closing statement, Sergey Afanasiyev said: “Whom have I harmed? I didn't see a single victim. For one reason: there aren't any. If I was not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I would not be on trial.” Anton Olshevskiy expressed a similar thought: “I am sure that the criminal case against me is nothing less than persecution for my faith and an attempt to force me to renounce my convictions.” Sergey Yermilov said: “I believe that accusing me of involvement in extremist activities is either a gross error of the investigation or a deliberate distortion of facts in order to discredit the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.” Adam Svarichevskiy, whose parents were exiled to Stalin's labor camps because of their faith in Jehovah, also emphasized: “I am convinced that I did nothing unlawful against God’s standards or against the government.” Sergey Kardakov pointed out: “During the judicial investigation, not a single piece of evidence was presented to indicate that my life and my worship to God in any way undermine the security of the state. The prosecutor's office has been trying to prove for a year that I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I have never denied it.”\nYermilov, Olshevskiy, Svarichevskiy, Afanasiyev and Kardakov had been under a recognizance agreement for 2 to 3 years, until the verdict was announced. It has not yet entered into force and can be appealed. The criminal case materials against these five believers from Blagoveshchensk were separated from the case of Aleksey Berchuk and Dmitriy Golik, who are already serving long sentences in prison. In total, criminal cases were initiated against 23 people in the Amur Region because of their faith as Jehovah's Witnesses.\nIn August 2022, the European Court of Human Rights unequivocally sided with Russian Jehovah's Witnesses. “Both the applicants’ religious activities and the content of their publications appear to have been peaceful in line with their professed doctrine of non-violence. […] Not one of the banned publications was found to contain calls or incitement to violence or any insulting, slanderous or discriminatory statements against members of other faiths.” (§ 157)\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-21T14:23:04+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_f00c0086965f1caa.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_22a7cfb27dfe84df.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_7652ee300109329c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_2a92c1f0bda4c12e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/211423.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":"Religious Meetings and Talks Are Viewed as a Crime","tags":["282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","sentence","families","282.3-1"],"title":"A Court in Blagoveshchensk Sentenced Five of Jehovah's Witnesses to More Than 6 Years in prison.","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 19, 2022, Judge Yana Vladimirova of the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region rendered the following harsh sentences because of religion—Dmitriy Zagulin received 3.5 years in prison, Alam Aliyev recieved 6.5 years in prison, and Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger received 7 years in prison for supposedly organizing and financing extremist activity.\nThe investigation and trial lasted an unprecedented 4.5 years. The trial itself lasted over 2 years. The prosecutor requested that the believers be punished with 4 to 9 years in prison.\nOn May 17, 2018, a large-scale operation code-named \"Judgment Day\" was conducted by 150 security officials in Birobidzhan. During this raid, Alam Aliyev was detained. A criminal case was initiated against him because of his religion, and he spent 8 days in a pre-trial detention center. Later, three more believers were included in Aliyev's case.\nDmitriy Zagulin recalled: “After the searches that took place in our city, at first it was difficult to get used to the idea that we now live in a different reality.” On November 2021, Dmitriy was fired from his job because of the trial.\nSergey Shulyarenko talked about his family's reaction to the criminal case against him: \"My relatives believe that the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is some kind of misunderstanding.\" He also noted that despite the persecution, believers \"try to come to the courthouse in order to support each other, to assure those who have hearings on that day of their love.\"\nAlam Aliev compared the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in modern Russia with their persecution in the Soviet Union. “If I am considered an extremist, then how many years will I have to wait to be rehabilitated?” the believer asked the court.\nDuring the closing statement, Valeriy Kriger emphasized: “I am determined to continue to do good deeds and to display impartiality to all people, regardless of their nationality, social status and religious affiliation.”\nUpdate. After the verdict was announced, the believers were taken into custody: they were handcuffed and taken in prison vans to a temporary detention center, where they are awaiting an appeal hearing. In total, 23 Jehovah's Witnesses in the region have already been prosecuted for their beliefs. Among them are the wife of Alam Aliyev—Svetlana Monis;the wife of Valery Krieger—Nataliya Krieger; and the wife of Dmitriy Zagulin—Tatyana Zagulina.\nIn its judgment of June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights fully justified Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, stating: “The Court reiterates that only religious statements and actions involving or calling for violence, hatred or discrimination may warrant suppression as being 'extremist' […] The courts did not identify any word, deed or action by the applicants which would be motivated or tainted by violence, hatred or discrimination against others.” (§ 271).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-19T09:47:15+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_5bc278dbbcb0dfe9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_3a2e48b6ccefae50.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_e131708b749740f0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_636414b4a5616332.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/190947.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","sentence","work-restrictions","families","282.3-1"],"title":"Four Believers From Birobidzhan Received From 3.5 to 7 Years in Prison for Reading and Discussing the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 15, 2022, the Judicial Panel for Criminal Cases of the Russian Supreme Court reversed the acquittal of three of Jehovah's Witnesses and sent their case for a new appeal hearing. The court contradicted the Supreme Court Plenum's explanationsdated October 28, 2021, which stated that religious meetings do not constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nThe case was considered by Supreme Court Judges Aleksey Shamov, Vasiliy Zykin, and Sergey Zelenin. Around twenty people attended, including the media and representatives of diplomatic missions from at least six countries. \"We are saddened that the judges departed from the fundamental position of the Supreme Court,\" says Yaroslav Sivulskiy of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses. \"The reason for the widespread persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is that the ordinary religious practice of believers is being wrongly interpreted as the continuation of the activity of an organization that was banned in 2017. The criminal prosecution of our dear fellow believers from Kamchatka is also based on this misunderstanding. To clear up this misunderstanding, the Supreme Court Plenum issued a clarification a year ago that is binding on all courts. Our believers are not guilty of anything.\"\nFrom left to right: Viktor Shipilov (lawyer), Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov, Vera Zolotova, Viktor Zhenkov (lawyer), Maxim Novakov (lawyer) Lawyers and defendants from Kamchatka in the Supreme Court of Russia (December 2022) The case against Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov and their friend Vera Zolotova (born in 1946) was initiated in 2018. All three spent some time behind bars, and their homes were searched. In September 2020, a court found them guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization and gave them two-year suspended sentences. The Kamchatka Territorial Court upheld the conviction on appeal, but in November 2021 the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok, citing the decision of the Supreme Court Plenum of the Russian Federation of 28 October 2021, sent the case for a new appellate hearing. On January 18, 2022, the Kamchatka Territorial Court issued an acquittal, which went into effect immediately. The cassational court upheld that decision, but the Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia asked the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to send the case for a new appellate hearing.\nNotably, in terms of international law, the believers are innocent and are subject to rehabilitation because in June 2022 the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment in the case LRO Taganrog and Others v. Russia (32401/10) ruled that the 2017 decision to liquidate all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, to ban their activities and seize property and to ban printed publications and the official website is illegal; it also ordered Russia to end the criminal prosecution of believers and to release prisoners. In June 2022, the Russian Federation stopped implementing ECHR judgments.\nAt this time, the case of the Bazhenovs and Vera Zolotova is being returned to the appeal stage; their conviction will be reexamined by the Kamchatka Territorial Court. They are considered convicted, but their sentence has not entered into force.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-15T16:46:43+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/151646/image_hu_82e4b45c2fd6ec07.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/151646/image_hu_c7f134c2c7b824e7.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/151646/image_hu_b8b069f18854b082.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/151646/image_hu_b5139a442c21939e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/151646.html","regions":["moscow","kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["supreme-court","families","282.2-2","suspended"],"title":"The Russian Supreme Court Failed To Uphold Justice for Innocent Believers From Kamchatka","type":"news"},{"body":"The Judicial Board for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of Russia will deal with the direct consequences of the decision of the Supreme Court in 2017 to liquidate all organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and ban their activity.\nOn December 15, 2022, three residents of Kamchatka, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, will appear before the Criminal Board of the Supreme Court of Russia. A couple, who are both teachers, and a pensioner were found guilty of participation in the activity of a banned organization, but were acquitted by the Kamchatka Territory Court. The prosecutor's office has already filed a second cassation appeal against the acquittal.\nThe case against Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov and their friend Vera Zolotova (born in 1946) was initiated in 2018. After several rounds of hearings in the courts of the first, appeal and cassation instances, the Kamchatka Territory Court acquitted them in January 2022, which is a rarity against the backdrop of guilty verdicts (2 acquittals against 147 guilty verdicts). After the ban on the activity of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in 2017, Russian courts sentenced 88 believers to punishment in a penal colony, gave 147 believers a suspended sentence, and 28 believers a large fine under articles on organizing and participating in the activity of a banned organization. Only 6 believers were acquitted (the case of Pryanikov and others in Karpinsk and the case of the Bazhenovs and others in Yelizovo).\nThe prosecution of the Bazhenovs and Zolotova began when, in August 2018, all three spent two days each in a detention center and their homes were searched. They were charged with organizing the activity of a banned organization (part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Pretrial detention was imposed on Konstantin Bazhenov but later he, as well as the women, were required to sign a recognizance agreement. A year later, in August 2019, the deputy prosecutor of the city of Yelizovo signed the indictment.\nIn October 2019, the Yelizovskiy District Court of the Kamchatka Territory started hearings but soon returned the case to the prosecutor for the elimination of violations, also pointing out the lack of distinction between lawful practice of religion and the continuation of the activity of a banned organization. The state prosecution succeeded in overturning the decision to return the case to the prosecutor. In March 2020, the judge of the Yelizovskiy District Court started the trial and announced his verdict in September of that year, after 11 hearings. He found the three believers guilty, not of organizing, but of participating in the activity of a banned organization (part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and gave each a 2-year suspended sentence with a 3-year probation period. In November 2020, the Kamchatka Territory Court upheld the verdict on appeal.\nThe believers did not admit guilt and filed an appeal with the court of cassation. A year later, in November 2021, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok overturned the decision of the court of appeal and sent the case for a new appeal hearing to the Kamchatka Territory Court. In its cassation ruling the Court referred to the 28 October 2021 Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which clarified that meetings for worship and joint ceremonies by themselves do not constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nOn January 18, 2022, the Kamchatka Territory Court, during a second appeal, overturned the verdict of the Yelizovsky District Court, rendered in September 2020, and pronounced an acquittal, which became effective immediately. On June 10, 2022, the Ninth Court of Cassation rejected the prosecutor's request to overturn the acquittal verdict. On September 30, 2022, Igor Tkachev, Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia, appealed to the Supreme Court of Russia asking to overturn the acquittal verdict and requesting that the case be sent for a new appellate consideration.\nThe believers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the decision to ban their organizations. In December 2018, when dozens of Jehovah's Witnesses had already been thrown behind bars, Mikhail Galperin, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, commented in an official response to the appeal: “The Russian authorities emphasize that the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20 April 2017 and the appellate determination of the Appellate Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 17 July 2017 do not assess the teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses or contain any restrictions or prohibitions on the individual exercise of the above-mentioned teaching.” Finally, in June 2022, in the judgment in the case of LRO Taganrog and Others v. Russia (32401/10), the European Court declared the liquidation of the administrative center and also 395 legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, banning their activities and seizing property and banning printed publications and the official website illegal; the Court also ruled to stop criminal prosecution of believers and to release prisoners. However, a few days later the enforcement of the ECHR ruling was discontinued in the Russian Federation.\n","category":"trial","date":"2022-12-12T16:11:36+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/121611/image_hu_a3d912e36f8f91f5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/121611/image_hu_4c90351d1fa9d2e7.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/121611/image_hu_17b9be82429196e0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/121611/image_hu_1d93c91e5b6faf53.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/121611.html","regions":["kamchatka","moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["elderly","families","acquittal","complaints","282.2-2"],"title":"Prosecutor's Office has Reached the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Seeking to Overturn a Rare Acquittal of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 30, 2022, Sergey Polyakov's sentence ended and he was released. The believer served the full term of imprisonment - 3 years, of which he actually spent about 1.5 years in the penal colony.\nIn November 2020, a district court found Polyakov guilty of extremism because of his religion. After an appeal confirmed the verdict in May 2021, Sergey was transferred to Valdai, which is 3,000 kilometers from his hometown. The journey took almost 2 months, and in August he arrived at penal colony No. 4 in the city of Valdai.\nIn the colony Sergey had the opportunity to work as a contractor. He had good relations with both the prisoners and the administration—he was respected as a prisoner for his faith, there were no conflicts.\nThanks to the onsite library, Polyakov received a Bible. He was greatly supported by letters from friends and relatives. He says that he received more letters a day than the entire colony (about 250 people). Sergey was visited by his wife several times.\nOn June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights fully acquitted Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and ruled to stop persecuting them for their faith.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2022-11-30T16:13:16+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_e5183260910eeff3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_8b9e47a6d656caca.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_508f102814e07174.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_3e8a41f91457b8a7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/301613.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":"He Served a Sentence of Three Years in a Penal Colony","tags":["release","letters","282.2-1","282.3-1","families","life-in-prison"],"title":"Sergey Polyakov, One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Omsk, Was Released.","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 25, 2022, Judge Amir Amirov of the Kirovskiy District Court of Makhachkala gave Arsen Abdullaev, Marat Abdulgalimov and Anton Dergalev 6.5-year suspended sentences and gave Mariya Karpova a 6-year suspended sentence. The court considered participation in worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremism.\nIn June 2019, the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan conducted searches of the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Kizlyar, and Derbent. According to eyewitnesses, brochures on the list of extremist materials were planted in one apartment. The searches were based on a criminal case initiated in May 2019. Law enforcement officers accused Abdullaev, Dergalev, Abdulgalimov and Karpova of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Additionally, the men were charged with financing a banned organization, and Mariya was charged with involving others in the organization's activity. All four Jehovah's Witnesses were included on the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists, and their bank accounts were frozen. For some time they could not visit public places or use the telephone.\nThe believers spent around 1 year in a pre-trial detention center and another 2.5 years—until the verdict was rendered—under house arrest. While Mariya Karpova was in custody, her father died; he was seriously ill. She was not allowed to attend the funeral. Thousands of letters from Russia and from 30 other countries helped those imprisoned for their faith in pre-trial detention centers to cope with the injustice. Mariya says: “I especially liked letters with photographs. I never felt lonely.\"\nIn January 2021, after more than a year and a half of investigation, the case went to court. “Hundreds of people came to the court,” recalls Marat Abdulgalimov, “Many people came from neighboring cities and republics.” Arsen Abdullaev added: “Some traveled 300-400 km just to shake hands with us, hug us and say a few words of encouragement ... I am so proud of my wife, Suat. When we saw each other in court, she did show how hard this was for her.\nThe prosecutor requested a prison sentence of 7.5 years for Arsen, Marat and Anton and 6.5 years for Mariya, but the court gave only suspended sentences. In addition, the court excluded the charge of involving others in extremist activities from Mariya Karpova's verdict.\nThe court verdict against the four Makhachkala residents has not yet entered into force. The believers pleaded not guilty to the crimes and have the right to file appeals.\nIn a July 7, 2022 ruling, the European Court of Human Rights called the criminal persecution of believers in Russia illegal: \"The forced liquidation of all religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation... revealed signs of a policy of intolerance on the part of the Russian authorities to force Jehovah's Witnesses to abandon their faith and to prevent others from joining it\" (§ 254).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-11-25T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_bc7b581f544e571f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_7aa99a784defba74.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_b3fa4c7e79d96641.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_5ad8ab7fdf4bafc5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/280921.html","regions":["dagestan"],"subtitle":"They Prayed and Discussed the Bible","tags":["suspended","sentence","282.3-1","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","families","rosfinmonitoring"],"title":"A Court in Dagestan Gave Suspended Sentences to Four of Jehovah's Witnesses for \"Extremism.\"","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 14, 2022, the Georgievsk City Court of the Stavropol Territory found Viktor Zimovskiy and the couple Anatoliy and Irina Gezik guilty of extremism for professing their faith. This decision was made by judge Nina Anashkina.\nThe court sentenced Viktor Zimovskiy to 6 years and 2 months in a penal colony (he was taken into custody in the courtroom), Anatoliy Gezik received 4 years and 2 months of corrective labor, and Irina Gezik was given a suspended sentence of 4 years and 2 months. The decision of the court has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believers insist on their complete innocence.\nThe Investigation Department of the Stavropol Territory opened a criminal case against Zimovskiy and the Gezik couple in December 2019. They were accused of organizing and participating in the activity of an extremist organization. According to believers, when searches were carried out in their homes two months earlier, law enforcement officers planted flash drives in them. During the search, Viktor Zimovskiy, who has a disability, felt unwell. Nevertheless, he and 10 other people were taken for interrogation. At that time, there were no arrests.\nThe investigator arrested Viktor after a second interrogation in January 2020. He spent 2 months in jail. At first, Zimovskiy was in a four-bed cell, along with 10 other prisoners. The inmates had to either sleep in turns or lie right on the cold floor. Due to the poor conditions of detention, Viktor fell ill. “In addition, at that time my wife was pregnant, and I could not be around to take care of her,” he said.\nThe investigation took 2 years and 2 months and on February 15, 2022, the case was submitted to the Georgievsk City Court of the Stavropol Territory. The trial lasted 9 months.\nThe courts of the Stavropol Territory are considering 2 more criminal cases against 8 believers, 5 of which are women over 57 years old.\nRussian and international human rights activists have repeatedly emphasized that the ongoing persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation is unjustified. However, the repressions do not slow down: hundreds of innocent believers have already become victims of criminal prosecution.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-11-14T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/161451/image_hu_61e20874bce2581d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/161451/image_hu_f7562e0e67db40c7.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/161451/image_hu_577ae11a1b6b7ca6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/161451/image_hu_fa719243e35c9f82.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/161451.html","regions":["stavropol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["labor","liberty-deprivation","suspended","sentence","families","disability","plant","minors","282.2-1","282.2-2","health-risk"],"title":"Term in a Penal Colony, Suspended Sentence and Forced Labor—Three Jehovah's Witnesses Were Sentenced in Stavropol for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 8, 2022, Vladimir Bykov, judge of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City Court, found the couple Dmitriy and Nadezhda Semenov guilty of extremism and gave each of them 4 years suspended sentence. The verdict can be appealed.\nThe Semenovs learned about the criminal prosecution in September 2021 — a search was conducted in their home, the believers were interrogated and then released on a recognizance agreement. Three days earlier, Maxim Kudantsev, investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kamchatka Territory, opened a criminal case against the Semenov family under Part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (involvement in the activity of an extremist organization). The case was based on a letter with biblical advice to treat others kindly, written by the Semenovs, which was received by local resident Elena Turova. The investigation saw in it “words and statements that encourage actions aimed at joining a confession”. After 10 months of investigation, the criminal case went to court.\nAt the hearing, Nadezhda Semyonova said: “[Turova] replied that her mother had died in the spring and that the situation was very difficult for her. Applying what I had learned from the Bible, namely to love my neighbor and lend a helping hand, I could not ignore her letter. I wanted to answer her and console her in the best way I could.” The woman herself expressed a desire to regularly communicate with the Semenovs on biblical topics. However, later she began to cooperate with the FSB and record these conversations on video.\nDuring interrogation, the key witness for the prosecution admitted that she enjoyed talking with the Semenovs and their friends and that \"it was interesting to study the Bible\". The woman did not hear any extremist statements or calls for violence from the believers. The testimony of the witness at the court session differed from her written ones, and she could not state which of them exactly corresponded to reality. Despite this, prosecutor Pavel Venin asked the court to sentence the couple to 4 years in a penal colony.\nThe believers do not admit their guilt. At one of the hearings, Dmitriy Semenov said: “The Bible taught me to love all people ... I am deeply convinced that if every person on earth tried to apply the principles set forth in the Bible, the world would become much better.”\nIn total, four criminal cases against 8 Jehovah's Witnesses for their faith were opened in the Kamchatka Territory. One of them resulted in acquittal.\nHuman rights organizations consider the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be groundless and unjust. In June of this year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the ban on legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and the criminal prosecution of believers are illegal.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-11-08T16:53:57+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/081653/image_hu_7e65bd5b15068d7b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/081653/image_hu_5816a10a6eda535e.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/081653/image_hu_7c932e51ab364a78.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/081653/image_hu_5391e31b22812d38.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/081653.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","families","282.2-1.1"],"title":"In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Dmitriy and Nadezhda Semyonov Were Given Four Years' Suspended Sentence for Sharing Bible Message","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 8, 2022, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok confirmed the conviction of five believers from Nevelsk — their suspended sentences of two to six-and-a-half years remain unchanged.\nIn January 2022, the Nevelsk City Court of the Sakhalin Region found Sergey and Tatyana Kulakov, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Aleksandr Kozlitin and Yevgeniy Yelin guilty of either organizing or participating in the activity of an extremist organization. Three months later, the Sakhalin Regional Court dismissed the believers' appeal against the verdict.\nThe fact that the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses continues contrary to Russian law, causes bewilderment and misunderstanding among the international human rights community.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-11-08T16:42:57+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/081642/image_hu_61819dfa0160a746.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/081642/image_hu_7d8292f36b1bd4c3.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/081642/image_hu_622324dc68676f44.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/081642/image_hu_d5b1588c03a5c00d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/081642.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","suspended","families","282.2-1","282.2-2","elderly"],"title":"The Court of Cassation Upheld the Verdict Against Five Jehovah's Witnesses from Nevelsk","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 31, 2022, the retrial of the case of Svetlana Monis was completed in the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region. The result was a suspended sentence of 2.5 years for believing in Jehovah God — the same sentence was given by the regional court at the first appeal.\nSvetlana Monis' sentence includes a two-year probationary period, as well as a one-year restriction of freedom. The believer insists on her complete innocence, which she stated at the stage of the debate of the parties. She has the right to appeal the verdict again in the court of appeals.\nThe starting point of the criminal prosecution of Monis was Operation Doomsday, which took place in May 2018 in Birobidzhan. A year and a half later, the believer was accused of participating in the activities of an extremist organization for practicing her religion. Monis' legal battle has been ongoing since March 2020. First, Svetlana was fined, later the regional court toughened the sentence. The cassation returned the case to the stage of appeal, which, in turn, sent it to a new consideration in the court of first instance. The hearings began in the spring of 2022. After seven months, the prosecutor again requested four years of imprisonment in a colony for the believer.\nThe Birobidzhan District Court is also considering the case of Svetlana's husband, Alam Aliyev. It is expected that it will enter the stage of debates in November 2022.\nIn June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights concluded that the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses unleashed in Russia is groundless.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-10-31T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/011521/image_hu_568b36d5d9b9c74.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/011521/image_hu_51de52748a6406e9.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/011521/image_hu_8c00ca79885872bb.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/011521/image_hu_610e692bcd33f530.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/011521.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","282.2-2","suspended"],"title":"The Birobidzhan District Court Again Issued a Verdict in the Case of the Believer Svetlana Monis — 2.5 Years Suspended Sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 20, 2022, the judge of the Lesozavodskiy District Court of the Primorye Territory Sergey Galayuda found Galina Kobeleva guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization only because of her religion and sentenced her to 6 years suspended sentemce—this is exactly the punishment requested by the prosecutor.\nIn court, the believer said, “I still insist that I did not commit any crime. My religious activity was not a continuation of the activities of a liquidated legal entity, but a way of confessing my faith.” The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nOn May 12, 2020, a wave of searches took place in the city of Lesozavodsk, as a result of which four Jehovah's Witnesses—Yevgeniy Grinenko, Svetlana Efremova, Galina Kobeleva, and her son Sergei—became defendants in a criminal case for their faith. In August 2021, due to Galina's illness, her case was separated into a separate proceeding. According to the investigation, the believer was guilty of “assisting Y. A. Grinenko in organizing meetings of the LRO [local religious organization] of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lesozavodsk, acting as a coordinator.” Galina Kobeleva was included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, which made it difficult for her to get a livelihood.\nIn total, the Investigative Committee investigated the case for a year and five months, and in October 2021 it went to court. The hearings went on for almost a year. The accusation was largely based on the testimony of an infiltrated FSB agent, Vladislav Mrachko, who asked Galina to study the Bible with him, and also repeatedly expressed a desire to attend divine services. One of the security officials, detective Severin, stated in court that the reason for the operational actions against Kobeleva was her involvement in the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nIn addition, the conducted psychological-linguistic-religious examination was not objective. For example, Galina's everyday conversation about a meeting with a person at a store and a bus schedule was interpreted by experts as a discussion of \"issues related to attending meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses held in small groups at different times in different districts of Lesozavodsk.\" In addition, the conclusion gave a legal assessment of the actions of Kobeleva, and this is exclusively within the competence of the court. 20 witnesses also refuted the charges brought against Galina Kobeleva. However, the court convicted the believer.\nIn Primorye, 41 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted, 13 of them have been sentenced to suspended sentences for their religion.\nThe European Court of Human Rights considered the persecution of believers to be unjust, and all the persecution of the followers of this religion deployed in Russia was groundless.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-10-20T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/10/210939/image_hu_3565eb1c7fa02276.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/10/210939/image_hu_9f4c789041b61f47.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/10/210939/image_hu_2faaff8c34628381.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/10/210939/image_hu_fc331b4bb452246b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/10/210939.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","suspended","sentence","elderly","families","rosfinmonitoring"],"title":"In Primorye, Galina Kobeleva, 66, Received a Six-Year Suspended Sentence for Practicing the Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"State prosecutor Pavel Venin requests 4 years in a general regime colony for Dmitry and Nadezhda Semenov. At the same time, the prosecutor does not provide evidence of the guilt of the defendants, but reads out only excerpts from the indictment.\n","caseTitle":"The Semyonov case in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2022-10-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk_kamchatskiy/index.html#20221012","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["punishment-request","defense-arguments","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 11, 2022, a panel of judges of the Birobidzhan Regional Court of Jewish Autononous Region overturned the conviction of Oleg Postnikov and his wife Agnessa and sent the criminal case for a new trial to the court of first instance. Believers will once again have to defend their right to freedom of religion in court.\nThe couple faced reprisals for their faith in May 2018, when their house was searched as part of the “Judgment Day” special operation. The prosecution against the Postnikovs was based on the testimony of police officer Yuliya Zvereva and another woman who feigned an interest in Bible study. A hidden video camera was installed in her house to record conversations with believers.\nJudge of the Birobidzhan District Court Marina Tsimarno sentenced Oleg and Agnessa to 5.5 and 5 years of suspended imprisonment respectively in April 2022. The prosecutor requested 5.5 years in a colony for Oleg, and 5 years in a colony for Agnes. It is not yet known why the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict.\nThe Jewish Autonomous Region is the region with the largest number of criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses. There were 19 cases against peaceful believers. Convictions for 14 of them have already entered into force.\n","category":"trial","date":"2022-10-11T15:43:18+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/10/111543/image_hu_544dc443110a1cc2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/10/111543/image_hu_efe39a4201b5e3b.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/10/111543/image_hu_e0de7b461f761c48.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/10/111543/image_hu_ceea1e0966db4732.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/10/111543.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","families"],"title":"An Appeal in Birobidzhan Overturned the Verdict for the Faith of the Postnikov Spouses and Returned Their Case for a New Trial","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 4, 2022, the Kirov Regional Court, chaired by Aleksandr Kulguskin, denied the appeal of six local believers. The verdict of the first instance — 2.5 to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment — came into force.\nAndrzej Oniszczuk, Yevgeniy and Andrey Suvorkov, Maksim Khalturin, Vladimir Korobeynikov and Vladimir Vasilyev insist on their innocence because they practiced their religion legally. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.\nSpeaking with his last word in the Court of Appeal, Andrzej Oniszczuk noted that he had been a Jehovah's Witness for more than 30 years and lived according to Biblical principles. He said: \"As a believer, I never even thought about extremism ... Inner convictions do not allow me to oppose the state system.\" Vladimir Vasilyev also noted: “I profess religious views that are not prohibited by law. I have never had anything to do with extremism.\"\nVladimir Korobeynikov said: “I love my family very much and take care of them. My wife and daughter, who lives with us, have disability of I and II degree. My relations with neighbors are friendly, and they know me as a person who is always ready to help. There is also a characteristic in the case file confirming this. Do extremists have such qualities?”\nMaksim Khalturin emphasized: “My parents, due to their age and illnesses, depend on my help, which is unrealistic for social services to provide. They have no other relatives who can help them. Therefore, if I am deprived of their liberty, they will be put on the brink of survival and will not last long.”\nThe peace-loving views of Andrey and Yevgeniy Suvorkov (stepson and stepfather) had prompted them to do alternative civilian service instead of military service, but in court they were forced to prove that they were not extremists.\nEarlier, four other of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kirov were convicted. For practicing their peaceful religion, they received fines ranging from 200 to 500 thousand rubles.\nDespite the fact that the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a ruling in defense of the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses to hold worship services and joint religious rites and ceremonies, the persecution of believers in the country does not stop.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_87ce803a516d1bc1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_ea9ff580be5037bc.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_8b0abd816dd75bd4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_3eac32f83fd18de8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/10/060947.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended","families"],"title":"Appeal in Kirov Upheld the Verdict Against 6 of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 22, 2022 the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region reconsidered the appeal of Natalya Kriger at the direction of the 9th Court of Cassation of general jurisdiction. The new panel of judges overturned the first-instance sentence of 2.5 years of probation and returned the case for a new trial to the trial court.\nEarlier, 18 Jehovah's Witnesses from Birobidzhan were convicted for their faith and given suspended sentences of 2 to 2.5 years. The sentence of 14 of them came into force.\nRussian human rights activists and the international community condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The ECtHR recognized this persecution to be groundless and unlawful.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-09-22T15:13:13+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/231512/image_hu_d9a71f13d2eca70e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/231512/image_hu_8284238c15c9b44e.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/231512/image_hu_fb0f5664ec8b6f38.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/231512/image_hu_ab95551a913fdbd5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/231512.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Appeal in Birobidzhan Returned the Case Against Believer Natalia Kriger for a New Hearing","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 21, 2022, the Ninth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in the city of Vladivostok upheld the sentence imposed on Anna Lokhvitskaya from Birobidzhan—a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence for her belief in Jehovah God.\nThe criminal prosecution of the Lokhvitsky family began in May 2018 when searches were carried out in the home of Anna and her husband and in the home of her mother-in-law. Later, in 2019, the FSB initiated a case against Anna's husband, Artur Lokhvitsky, and about a year later, Anna herself and her mother-in-law, Irina, were accused of extremism.\nOn July 20, 2021, the Birobidzhansky District Court sentenced Anna Lokhvitskaya to a two-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentence. The believer filed an appeal, but the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region did not grant it.\nIn her cassation appeal, Anna stated that she was a \"victim of discrimination\" and a \"victim of arbitrary criminal prosecution.\" She also pointed out that during the entire period of the investigation and trial, her rights guaranteed to her as a citizen of Russia, including freedom of religion and of expression and respect for personal life, family life, and home, were repeatedly violated.\nArtur Lokhvitsky and his mother, Irina Lokhvitskaya, were also given two-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentences. The cassation court upheld these judgments.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-09-21T09:37:03+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/230937/image_hu_1f99b756f49ae61e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/230937/image_hu_4e33df2fa2e28979.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/230937/image_hu_ca163e2fa1842b2d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/230937/image_hu_3a9dedbd9ab6a75a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/230937.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","families","suspended","282.2-2"],"title":"The Cassation Court Did Not Change the Sentence Imposed on Anna Lokhvitskaya from Birobidzhan for Her Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 20, 2022 the panel of judges of the Trans-Baikal Territory Court headed by Olga Dedyukhina confirmed the sentence to for four of Jehovah's Witnesses in Chita: Vladimir Ermolaev and Aleksandr Putintsev - 6.5 years of a penal colony, Igor Mamalimov - 6 years in a penal colony, Sergey Kirilyuk - 6 years suspended. The verdict of the lower court came into force.\nAll four still insist on their innocence. Addressing the court, Aleksandr Putintsev said: \"Expression of hatred, hostility and violence is incompatible with my views. I respect representatives of other religions and nationalities. I was convicted only for my belief in God. Igor Mamalimov expressed a similar thought: \"I exercise my constitutional right to believe in Jehovah God and live in harmony with my religious beliefs. And it is not a crime. Vladimir Ermolaev reminded that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and Sergei Kirilyuk concluded: \"I am a victim of discrimination... There were no signs of extremism in my actions, which is confirmed by transcripts of audio recordings of worship services and expert conclusions. Moreover, this is confirmed by the witnesses for the prosecution who were questioned.\nThe Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not require the followers of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion to renounce their faith. And according to Article 13 of the Russian Constitution, the state system of Russia is aimed at protecting the ideological diversity, the principle of secular state and, above all, human rights and freedoms, which are proclaimed as the highest value. However, law enforcement agencies continue to erroneously equate the peaceful religious activity of believers with extremism.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-09-20T16:40:19+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/201639/image_hu_a94a9fef05912e51.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/201639/image_hu_167495033cb808b0.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/201639/image_hu_55c7cfa21a8fa200.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/201639/image_hu_2dbddb4739e571e2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/201639.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"Appeal in Chita Affirms Harsh Sentence for Jehovah's Witnesses: Six Years in Prison for Three of Them and Six Years Suspended for One","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 16, 2022, security forces detained two civilians on the street in Velsk, a small town in the Arkhangelsk region. They were taken for interrogation, and then searches were carried out in their home, accompanied by a pickup.\nAt approximately 3:00 pm, a woman, 60, and her son, 28, were met by 8 officials in civilian clothes outside a grocery store. Only one of them flashed his ID. The man and woman were taken to the police station.\nThe police did not explain the purpose of the arrest. The detainees were questioned about their religion, attitude to military operations in Ukraine and to the authorities. The woman was subjected to a personal search.\nAfter interrogation, she was brought home, where they also searched. It was attended by 9 people, including 2 witnesses. Electronic devices, data carriers, the Bible and religious literature were confiscated. The security forces, according to the woman, threw leaflets similar to business cards to these things, on which it was indicated that her son allegedly provides services in setting up access to a site banned in Russia.\nThe woman was then taken to the home of her mother, 88. Law enforcement officers took into account the poor health of the elderly woman and searched only the veranda, shed and bathhouse. After that, her daughter was again taken to the department. According to her, one of the police officers mentioned the case of Eugene Yakku. Mother and son left the police station at one in the morning.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2022-09-16T18:09:56+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/221809/image_hu_4e48eeace5281c2c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/221809/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/221809/image_hu_2006cb736fb1e290.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/221809/image_hu_9c500e805e5fc9ea.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/221809.html","regions":["arkhangelsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","interrogation","families","personal-inspection","plant"],"title":"In the Arkhangelsk Region, the Security Forces Searched and Interrogated Mother and Son. They Are Suspected of Practicing the Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 15, 2022, the Seventh General Jurisdiction Court of Cassation in Chelyabinsk refused to satisfy the prosecutor's cassation submission and upheld the acquittal of Aleksandr Pryanikov, Venera and Darya Dulova.\nThe criminal persecution of believers began in June 2018, when police detained Aleksandr Pryanikov and Venera Dulova, who had disability of hearing, while talking about Bible topics. A month later, a criminal case was opened against them, accusing them of participating in the activities of an extremist organization for discussing the Bible. A year later, the third defendant in the case was the daughter of Venera, Darya Dulova.\nThe court of first instance issued a guilty verdict in January 2021, but in August an appeals court in Yekaterinburg overturned it and returned the case to the court of first instance. As a result of repeated hearings in the new composition, the court again sentenced the believers to suspended sentences. In the spring of 2022, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court overturned the decision of the court of first instance and acquitted the believers. But the prosecutor filed a cassation presentation with the Seventh Court of Cassation.\nAleksandr Pryanikov, Venera and Darya Dulova are defendants in another criminal case initiated for their faith on similar charges.\n","category":"victory","date":"2022-09-15T15:58:43+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/151558/image_hu_976c795f0bac696e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/151558/image_hu_b6ce5571f45a3b21.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/151558/image_hu_d1ee2c3a7b911667.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/151558/image_hu_28bbc2d95f51e70c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/151558.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","282.2-2","acquittal","families","disability"],"title":"An Appeals Court Upheld the Acquittal of Three Jehovah's Witnesses from Karpinsk","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 25, 2022, Yelena Simonova, judge of the Leninskiy District Court of Saransk, sentenced six Jehovah's Witnesses, including a woman and a father of two young children, to gross terms of imprisonment in a penal colony just because of their religion.\nThe prosecutor requested 2.5 years in a penal colony for Shevchuk, Antonov and Korolev, 4 years and 2 months for the Nikulins, and 6.5 years for Atryakhin. Despite the absence of victims in the case, the court assigned real terms of imprisonment to all believers: for Vladimir Atryakhin—6 years, for Georgiy Nikulin and his wife Yelena—4 years and 2 months each, for Aleksandr Shevchuk, Aleksandr Korolev and Denis Antonov—2 years each. The believers were taken into custody in the courtroom.\nThe criminal prosecution of believers began on February 6, 2019, when a series of searches and detentions took place in Saransk. On the same day, the three detainees were sent to custody, where they subsequently spent from 51 (Atryakhin) to 147 days (Nikulin and Shevchuk). They were accused of organizing, continuing, and financing the activities of an extremist organization (Parts 1, 1.1, and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) because of talking about the Bible. The investigation of the case was carried out by the investigator of the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia in the Republic of Mordovia, E. V. Makeev. Long before the ban on legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, back in 2003-2004, he himself was interested in the Bible and, together with his wife, attended services of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nAt the time of Vladimir Atryakhin's arrest, his children were 9 months and 2 years old. According to him, during his stay in the pre-trial detention center, worrying about his family was a difficult test for him. In places of detention, he also faced pressure: “The conditions of life in detention were difficult, especially at first. The staff of the pre-trial detention center tried to humiliate, put pressure on . . . Constant searches. During the day it was impossible to lie on the bed, only sit on the bench. Cold. Instead of a mattress, in fact, a piece of fabric on top of a sheet of iron.\nDenis Antonov lost his business due to a criminal case. He and his wife, Olga, were forced to work odd jobs to take care of themselves and their elderly mother, Olga, in their care.\nYelena Nikulina, while her husband was in jail, was left without a job and a livelihood. Also, she was not allowed to meet with her husband. And a year after the search, the family lost their homes due to a fire. According to Yelena, fellow believers came to the rescue: “During this period [after the fire], we felt like members of a global family. Support poured in from all over the world, and after 4 months we had a small apartment.”\nOther defendants also felt the support of those who are not indifferent. “At the moment, my wife and I have everything we need and even more,” said Denis Antonov. Aleksandr Shevchuk, who is a descendant of Jehovah's Witnesses who were repressed in 1951, recalls: “Letters brought particular joy. Each of them had something just for me.”\nThe Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts to liquidate and ban organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not evaluate the dogma of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain restrictions or prohibitions on individually practicing the above doctrine.\" The European Court of Human Rights declared the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses unlawful.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-08-25T09:14:51+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/08/260914/image_hu_e87da610fd649a5d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/08/260914/image_hu_d5c8b4712e6b1021.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/08/260914/image_hu_83a19ef70e607e8a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/08/260914/image_hu_9d20724239afb088.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/08/260914.html","regions":["mordovia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","minors","families","help-providing"],"title":"A Mordovia Court Sentenced Six Saransk-Based Jehovah's Witnesses, Including a Woman, to Two to Six Years in Prison for Practicing Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 9, 2022, a panel of judges of the Second Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction, chaired by Judge Komarova, upheld the verdict and appeal decision regarding the spouses Rayman, Sergey and Valeria.\nEarlier, on October 9, 2020, the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma found the believers guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and participating in it and sentenced them to 8 and 7 years of probation. In February 2021, the Kostroma Regional Court mitigated this punishment, and then the cassation sent the case back for re-appeal.\nOn March 30, 2022, a panel of judges of the Kostroma Regional Court excluded Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the verdict, and also recalculated the sentence taking into account the 9 and 6 months of restriction of liberty served by Sergey and Valeria. As a result, the Ryman spouses were given 7 and 6.5 years of probation with a probation period of 2 years.\nBased on the results of the cassation, this decision remains in force.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-08-09T16:01:32+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/08/101601/image_hu_dc8575f81c5d6665.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/08/101601/image_hu_c822576f84d4eed9.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/08/101601/image_hu_e5eb3704c54ea3a6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/08/101601/image_hu_8319f01b31028326.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/08/101601.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","cassation","families","suspended"],"title":"The court of cassation finally upheld the sentence to Sergey and Valeria Rayman from Kostroma - 7 and 6.5 years suspended with a probationary period of 2 years","type":"news"},{"body":"Recently it became known that back on August 8, 2022, the Rostov Regional Court toughened the punishment for one of the three believers from Rostov , Arsen Avanesov, who was previously sentenced to 6.5 years in a penal colony, adding another six months to the term.\nIn June 2022, the court of cassation in Krasnodar upheld the verdict against Vilen Avanesov and Aleksandr Parkov, but satisfied the prosecutor’s request regarding Arsen. The believer was again charged with “financing extremist activity”, a charge that the court had previously excluded. Later the case of Arsen Avanesov returned to the stage of appeal, where his sentence was toughened.\nThe judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 7 June 2022 states that “imposition of criminal sanctions for manifestation of religious beliefs amounts to an interference with the exercise of the right to freedom of religion under Article 9 § 1 of the [European] Convention” (264). Despite this, law enforcement officers in the Rostov Region and throughout Russia continue to sentence law-abiding citizens for long terms for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-08-08T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/190846/image_hu_7a051f41a1a9ea12.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/190846/image_hu_c6c59b2f70f80cce.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/190846/image_hu_8bdd78114565f2eb.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/190846/image_hu_17ee621c6620086b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/190846.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":"Instead of 6.5 Years — 7 Years in a Penal Colony","tags":["appeal","2-appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282","families"],"title":"A Second Appeal in Rostov-on-Don Toughened the Sentence for Arsen Avanesov.","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 2, 2022, the 9th General Jurisdiction Court of Cassation overturned the appeal decision in the case of Nataliya Kriger and sent the case for a new trial at the appeal stage. The verdict for faith is considered not to have entered into force.\nOn July 30, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region found Nataliya Kriger guilty of extremism, considering her presence at the services of Jehovah's Witnesses a crime, although this belief is not prohibited in Russia. The court sentenced her to 2.5 years suspended and 1 year of restriction of liberty. The believer appealed the verdict, but on November 25 the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region approved it. Nataliya considered these decisions illegal and filed a cassation appeal.\n“April 19 and May 6, 2018, several families of the Christian religion peacefully gathered together at their homes, read and discussed the Bible, prayed, sang religious songs. This became the basis for criminal prosecution against me. Such persecution was carried out not because I had committed any crime, but because of who I am — a Christian, one Jehovah's Witness,” Nataliya wrote in her appeal.\nAccording to Nataliya Kriger, law enforcement agencies have not established a single fact of her illegal activities. “Even [under surveillance] nothing was recorded to claim that I or any of Jehovah's Witnesses committed or called for illegal acts. Not a single person has been identified who suffered from the activities of believers,” says Nataliya.\nHaving considered the arguments of the believer, the court overturned the decision of the appellate instance, which recognized the sentence for faith as just. The new appeal hearing will be held in a different composition of judges of the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region.\n","category":"trial","date":"2022-08-02T15:35:49+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/08/051535/image_hu_3f9dd9960e1f78d7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/08/051535/image_hu_542037ea2f920886.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/08/051535/image_hu_8195c49bd4606252.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/08/051535/image_hu_c07e0a31486f7424.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/08/051535.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","cassation","282.2-2","suspended"],"title":"In Birobidzhan, the Cassation Sent the Case of Nataliya Kriger, Convicted for Her Faith, to a New Appeal Hearing","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 30, 2022, the Tomsk Regional Court, chaired by Judge Andrey Kaplyuk, mitigated the sentence imposed by the court of first instance and replaced Andrey Kolesnichenko, 52, having changed four years in a penal colony for four years of probation.\nThe hearing was held via video-conferencing, as Kolesnichenko is in the pre-trial detention center in the city of Kolpashevo, which is more than 300 kilometers from Seversk. After the decision of the Court of Appeal, the believer was released. The verdict has entered into force. Kolesnichenko has the right to appeal against it in the cassation procedure.\nIn January 2022, Andrey Kolesnichenko was found guilty by the judge of the Severskiy City Court of the Tomsk Region, Yalchin Badalov. He considered proven the believer's guilt in participating in the activities of an extremist community (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The sentence turned out to be somewhat milder than the prosecutor requested—5 years in prison. The believer was taken into custody.\nOn the same day, the judge of the Severskiy City Court, Svetlana Chebotareva, found guilty and sent to a colony for 7 years the brother of Andrey's wife, Yevgeniy Korotun.\nThe criminal prosecution of both Andrey Kolesnichenko and Yevgeniy Korotun began with searches that took place in July 2020. The Investigative Committee for the Tomsk Region opened a criminal case against Korotun, from which 8 months later he separated the case of Kolesnichenko into a separate proceeding.\nOn December 17, 2021, the 35 member countries of the International Religious Freedom Alliance issued a joint statement in defense of Jehovah's Witnesses who are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. The statement calls for the immediate release of all prisoners and an end to torture, violence, searches and other forms of discrimination against this denomination.\n","category":"trial","date":"2022-06-30T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/07/011108/image_hu_be64779a29383cfc.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/07/011108/image_hu_b1e7f28203b9a5bf.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/07/011108/image_hu_d63719bd84f1d135.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/07/011108/image_hu_f1f4d150e7921ffc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/07/011108.html","regions":["tomsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","mitigation","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"Tomsk Regional Court Replaced Seversk-Based Andrey Kolesnichenko's Four-Year Prison Sentence With a Suspended Sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 27, 2022, Nataliya Nikolayeva, judge of the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Krasnoyarsk, sentenced Jehovah's Witness Yevgeniy Zinich to 6 years in penal colony because he did not renounce his faith in Jehovah God after the confession's Russian legal entities were banned in 2017. The believer was taken into custody in the courtroom.\nYevgeniy Zinich, 56, is a third-generation Jehovah's Witness. His family had already been subjected to religious repression by the authorities: for refusing to take up arms for religious reasons, his grandfather received a 5-year prison term, in 1951, Yevgeniy’s mother and her parents were exiled to Khakassia as part of Operation “North”, and his father was sentenced to 10 years for transporting religious literature. The family of Yevgeniy’s wife, Mariya, also faced a similar situation. During the criminal prosecution of Yevgeniy, his wife, a disabled person of group II, died of a serious illness. The believer takes care of his elderly mother.\n“The wife did not wait for my acquittal. The experiences caused by my criminal prosecution, according to the doctors, became one of the reasons for her premature death, — said Yevgeniy Zinich in his last plea. — My mother, who is already 83 years old, would also very much like to live to see the time when I, her son, will be acquitted. She is very upset that so many people in power do not want to admit the obvious — my faith excludes extremism — and make great efforts to try to prove the opposite”.\nZinich came to the attention of law enforcement agencies in November 2018, then in Krasnoyarsk for the first time there were mass searches of believers. Initially, Yevgeniy was a witness in the case against another believer, Andrey Stupnikov, but over time he himself was accused of organizing “illegal activities of Jehovah's Witnesses.” In December 2020, the couple's apartment was searched. Since October 2021, Yevgeniy has been under house arrest. Investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia Konstantin Zhuikov investigated the case for 9 months. After that, on November 1, 2021, the case was submitted to the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Krasnoyarsk, where it was heard for about 8 months.\nThe decision of the court has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence: “The arguments that all my actions have nothing to do with the alleged crime, but are only the realization of my rights to religious life, guaranteed to me by the legislation of the Russian Federation, my lawyer and I presented in detail to the court. I'm sure they are more than convincing.\"\nIn total, 27 Jehovah's Witnesses, who are defendants in 18 criminal cases, faced criminal prosecution in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Five believers have already been convicted.\nAccording to the decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of October 28, 2021, worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies do not in themselves constitute a crime. Liquidation of legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in this case is not a basis for criminal prosecution of individual believers.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-06-27T16:13:27+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/06/271613/image_hu_492ae5436e154ba8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/06/271613/image_hu_83dd9a37e43f74c1.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/06/271613/image_hu_6a0315a0af0c11a3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/06/271613/image_hu_e544a1c19726aa26.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/06/271613.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["liberty-deprivation","sentence","families","282.2-1","ussr"],"title":"In Krasnoyarsk, Yevgeniy Zinich, a Descendant of Jehovah's Witnesses Who Were Repressed in Soviet Times, Was Sentenced to Six Years in Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 14, 2022, at least 5 civilians were subjected to searches in the town of Baley, Trans-Baikal Territory. These are Lidiya Bzovi, Yelena Baylukova, 71-year-old Tatyana Kuznetsova and the Saranchuk spouses: 75-year-old Valeriy and 71-year-old Tatyana.\nThe elderly believer Lidiya Bzovi is facing religious persecution for the second time in her life. In 1951, by order of Joseph Stalin, she was exiled to Siberia along with other Jehovah's Witnesses. That sad page in the history of Soviet repressions was called Operation North.\nThe searches were initiated by the investigator of the Nerchinsk Interdistrict Investigation Department N. O. Buintseva. In June 2022, she opened a criminal case No. 12202760012000028 under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in extremist activities). The search warrant was given by the judge of the Baley City Court of the Trans-Baikal Territory O. Yu. Shcheglova.\nIn 2020, the previous wave of searches struck local Jehovah's Witnesses in the Trans-Baikal Territory. They were accompanied by beatings and torture. A criminal case was initiated against seven detainees. One of the believers in June 2022 was sentenced to 6 years in prison, two — to 6.5.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2022-06-23T10:01:33+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/omon_hu_cc21e0c1b202fec1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/omon_hu_ffc696cb236da5bb.jpg","webp":"/news/common/omon_hu_4c87d2ce782042cd.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/omon_hu_9c4da176cf33a608.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/06/231001.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","elderly","282.2-2","families","ussr"],"title":"New Searches in Homes of Believers in the Trans-Baikal Territory. For One Victim, History Repeats Itself 71 Years Later","type":"news"},{"body":"The criminal case of the Semyonov spouses is submitted to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court of the Kamchatka Territory. He is appointed to judge Vladimir Bykov.\n","caseTitle":"The Semyonov case in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2022-06-23T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk_kamchatskiy/index.html#20220623","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["to-court","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 6, 2022, Marina Kuklina, judge of the Central District Court of Chita, sentenced Vladimir Ermolaev and Aleksandr Putintsev to 6.5 years, and Igor Mamalimov to 6 years in prison, they were taken into custody. Serhiy Kirilyuk received a 6-year suspended sentence.\nFor Mamalimov and Kirilyuk, the prosecutor requested 6 years of suspended sentence, for Vladimir Ermolaev and Aleksandr Putintsev—7 years of real imprisonment, although there are no victims and evidence of crimes against the state and the individual in the case. Believers resolutely deny the guilt of extremism, the verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nThe criminal case was initiated on January 20, 2020. Six months earlier, the Chita believers noticed that they were being followed, and while relaxing by the river, they discovered tracking devices and hidden audio recordings. On February 10, 2020, FSB officers conducted 50 searches in Chita and other settlements in Transbaikalia. The security forces invaded the homes of the elderly, the disabled, large families and other believers. The search in the house of Sergey Kirilyuk took place in front of his wife, who has a group II disability, and a minor child. During the raid, Vadim Kutsenko was strangled and tortured with a stun gun. He, as well as Vladimir Ermolaev, was detained and placed in a temporary detention facility.\nIn total, 8 believers were suspected of organizing extremist activities, but in January 2021, charges were dropped against Vadim Kutsenko, Aleksey Loskutov, Georgiy Senotrusov and Pavel Mamalimov due to the lack of corpus delicti. The Investigative Committee for the Trans-Baikal Territory investigated the case against Ermolaev, Kirilyuk, Putintsev and Igor Mamalimov for 1 year and 1 month. Then it was taken to court.\nAll four defendants were included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, their bank accounts were blocked. This had a particularly negative impact on the family of Igor Mamalimov, the father of three young children, who is the only breadwinner despite poor health. His wife, Nataliya, does not work due to childcare. Addressing the court, the believer said : “In my heart there is no resentment against anyone who accuses me, and even in my thoughts I do not hold malice against them. Deep down, I don't feel any hatred.\"\nVladimir Ermolaev spent 3 days in a temporary detention center and 50 days under house arrest, after which the investigator took a written undertaking not to leave him. Sergey Kirilyuk spent 5 days in a temporary detention center and was also released on bail. As a result, all four believers remained under house arrest for about 2.5 years.\nSpeaking in court, Sergey Kirilyuk said that thanks to his faith, he changed his way of life: “It was the love of God that prompted me [to start] showing love and care for my wife and children.” Vladimir Ermolaev emphasized in his last plea: “Even if I am convicted, I will not stop believing in Jehovah God.” Aleksandr Putintsev takes the same position: “I am not a fanatic, I am a living person, and I have serious health problems. But it is more important for me to remain faithful to God—this is the meaning of my life.”\nThis is the first conviction under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Trans-Baikal Territory.\nAt the PACE winter session held in Strasbourg in January 2022, the Plenipotentiary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe touched upon the topic of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Referring to the accusation of believers of extremism, she noted: “I think it is clear that this accusation is absurd, but the fact is that several hundred Jehovah’s Witnesses have been arrested and imprisoned simply for practicing their faith.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-06-06T16:26:12+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/06/061626/image_hu_79fbe6765397cec4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/06/061626/image_hu_a2723ee7cd1a0632.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/06/061626/image_hu_34ddca0cacf4adf4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/06/061626/image_hu_5e7042e2f4f64c5e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/06/061626.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","suspended","sentence","families"],"title":"A Chita Court Sentenced Three Jehovah's Witnesses to Sentences Ranging From Six to Six-and-a-Half Years in Prison; Another Received a Suspended Sentence for Believing in God","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 3, 2022, Timur Yusupov, judge of the Pervomaisky District Court of Kirov, convicted six believers and sentenced them to 2.5 to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment, considering reading and discussing the Bible together extremism. Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk, 53, was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months; 29-year-old Andrey and 44-year-old Evgeniy Suvorkov got 6 years and 3 months each; Maksim Khalturin, 47, - 6 years and 2 months; Vladimir Korobeynikov, 69, was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months, and Vladimir Vasilyev, 65, — to 2 years and 6 months. Yuriy Geraskov, who died during the investigation, was also found guilty of extremism, but the criminal case was dismissed due to the death of the defendant. Earlier, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a prison sentence on everyone except Vladimir Vasilyev, while Vasilyev was to be fined 900,000 rubles.\nThe criminal prosecution of civilians in Kirov began with mass searches in 2018. The Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kirov Region opened a criminal case on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, participating in it and financing it. According to the prosecution, the believers “organized meetings of followers and members of this association [Jehovah’s Witnesses] in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs, improving the skills of carrying out missionary activities, and studying religious literature.”\nThe residents of Kirov was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent from 3 to 11 months. After 70 days of imprisonment in solitary confinement, the court placed Vladimir Korobeinikov under house arrest, since his wife is seriously ill, and his daughter Nina is not able to provide her with the necessary support, since she herself is a group I disabled person. The rest of the believers were also under house arrest for 6 to 9 months after imprisonment.\nThe investigation lasted over 2 years. A week before the start of the hearing, Yuriy Geraskov died due to a long illness, aggravated by the stress of the criminal prosecution.\nTraditionally for such trials, there were no victims in the case. Vladimir Korobeynikov, in his last word in court, said: “My convictions are exclusively peaceful, therefore there are no victims in this case. For me, the humiliation of human dignity, the undermining of the foundations of the constitutional order, the incitement of religious or racial hatred are unacceptable. And the prosecution during the entire trial did not provide a single piece of evidence to the contrary!” Andrzej Oniszczuk, in turn, emphasized: “Biblical principles and inner convictions do not allow me to oppose the state system and cause harm and pain to someone.” Vladimir Vasilyev, addressing the court, was perplexed: “Like other disciples of Jesus Christ, by reading everything that is written in the Bible, I am learning to live as Jesus commanded. Can this be called a crime? According to Yevgeniy Suvorkov, \"It is clear that Jehovah's Witnesses are being tried only for their faith, and not for any crime.\" Andrey Suvorkov added: “All our actions were dictated only by love for God and neighbor!” Maksim Khalturin, in whose care the elderly parents are, urged the court: “Please do not bring me to criminal liability for following the commandments of Christ.”\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-06-03T16:27:01+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_315fd7889ab9eccd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_b35d51d65b7b5443.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_6112e07320b7c9e4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_83adeec7efe88f09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/06/031626.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","elderly","died","sentence","suspended"],"title":"Six Jehovah's Witnesses in Kirov, Including a Polish Citizen, Received Suspended Sentences for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 12, 2022, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the verdict against Victoriya Verkhoturova from Nizhny Novgorod. A panel of judges chaired by Nikolay Kozlov found the believer guilty of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, interpreting this as extremism.\nIn November 2021, a lower court sentenced Verkhoturova to 4 years suspended for participation in the activities of a banned organization. The verdict has entered into force. The believer still does not plead guilty to extremism and has the right to appeal the verdict on cassation.\nIn the summer of 2019, the home of Victoriya and her husband Sergey was searched, during which the believers were subjected to psychological pressure. Phones were tapped in the family for a long time and covert video filming was carried out. For 1 year and 10 months, Victoriya was under house arrest and proper behavior.\nThe case featured a secret witness of \"Sidorov\" and a witness for the prosecution, who \"never heard that Viktoriya Verkhoturova involved anyone in a banned organization\", and also \"never saw her on stage with any appeals.\" The other prosecution witness never met Victoriya in person.\nIn total, 16 people in the Nizhny Novgorod region are subjected to criminal prosecution for believing in Jehovah God. Victoriya's husband Sergey Verkhoturov received 6 years of suspended sentence, three more were given 3 years suspended.\nAccording to the statement of the Government of the Russian Federation, “the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated April 20, 2017 and the appeal ruling of the Board of Appeal of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated July 17, 2017 do not provide an assessment of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to profess individually the above religion”. On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the religious services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-05-12T13:50:48+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/131350/image_hu_4ce933f8e296dec7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/131350/image_hu_5da027ee770c4e55.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/131350/image_hu_12dbd243d7c5b427.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/131350/image_hu_4067e316f1a4da39.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/131350.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","families","282.2-2","suspended","hidden-surveillance","secret-witness"],"title":"A Nizhny Novgorod Appeal Upheld Victoriya Verkhoturova's Four-Year Suspended Sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"The Court of Appeal on Sakhalin upheld the verdict against five believers On May 11, 2022, the Sakhalin Regional Court dismissed the appeal of Yevgeny Yelin, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Aleksandr Kozlitin and Sergey Kulakov and his wife Tatyana. The verdict has entered into force.\nThe court of first instance found five believers guilty of extremism. Sergey Kulakov and Yevgeny Yelin, who were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, were sentenced to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment. The court sentenced Tatyana Kulakova, Vyacheslav Ivanov and Aleksander Kozlitin to 2 years suspended sentence for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Believers received such a punishment for reading and discussing the Bible together with fellow believers.\nFor all the defendants, this criminal prosecution was a test of strength. Sergey Kulakov, 60, and his wife have physical limitations — Tatyana, 48, is visually impaired, and Sergey cannot walk without a cane. The head of the family was included in the Rosfinmonitoring list. Bank accounts were also blocked at 51-year-old Vyacheslav Ivanov and 46-year-old Aleksandr Kozlitin.\nThe verdict has entered into force. Believers still insist on their innocence. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.\nThe persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia continues despite the clarification of the Plenum of the Russian Supreme Court that liturgical meetings and conversations about the Bible cannot in themselves be considered extremism. Chairman of the Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev additionally emphacized on February 9, 2022: “Actions that do not contain signs of extremism and consist solely in exercising the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including through the performance of religious rites and ceremonies, do not constitute a crime.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-05-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/121122/image_hu_72ab5982df3cd23f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/121122/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/121122/image_hu_c5560a9383719164.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/121122/image_hu_e9ca12ae62ccc539.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/121122.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","families","282.2-1","282.2-2","rosfinmonitoring"],"title":"A Sakhalin Appeals Court Upheld the Verdict Against Five Believers","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 4, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Khakassia approved the decision of the Ust-Abakan district court about the parole of 71-year-old believer. She was greeted on her way out of the colony by her many friends.\nThe court considered the appeal of the prosecutor against the decision of the judge of the Ust-Abakan district court Maria Zablotskaya of February 22, 2022. A few months earlier the believer had petitioned for parole. The court granted it, but Abakan's assistant prosecutor V. Hasan filed a complaint against this decision. The woman was forced to remain behind bars until the appeal hearing. This further aggravated her health condition, as Valentina suffered a stroke in 2020.\nIn October 2021, the believer, who is convinced that she did not commit anything illegal, had already asked for a commutation of her sentence due to her illness. She had petitioned the same court, but was denied. Her next petition for parole, filed several months later, was granted.\nAlmost three years ago, in April 2019, a criminal case was opened against Valentina Baranovskaya and her son Roman Baranovskiy under the article \"participation in the activities of a liquidated organization.\" This is how law enforcers regarded the usual practice of believers to meet and discuss the Bible in a circle of friends. Mother and son received unprecedentedly harsh sentences: Valentina received two years in prison and Roman received six years. Roman Baranovskiy remains in a penal colony, where he will spend another five years.\nThere are still 13 Jehovah's Witnesses over the age of 60 in prisons at the moment. The oldest is Vilen Avanesov, who will turn 70 in 2022.\nUnfortunately, such unjustified persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses continues in dozens of Russian regions. The world community condemns the persecution of peaceful believers simply because they remain faithful to their religious beliefs.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2022-05-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/050853/image_hu_489a3fdd028e1d83.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/050853/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/050853/image_hu_eb3d8437c6b19e83.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/050853/image_hu_e341af1160f5bd56.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/050853.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["elderly","release","parole","appeal","families","282.2-2"],"title":"The Oldest Believer Was Released From Prison on Probation. The Court of Appeal Approved the Decision to Release Valentina Baranovskaya","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge Marina Tsimarno sentences Oleg and Agnessa Postnikov to 5.5 and 5 years of suspended imprisonment, respectively, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year 6 months with a probationary period of 5 years each.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2022-04-25T15:16:31+03:00","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20220425","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["sentence","282.2-1.1","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On April 25, 2022, Judge Mariya Tsimarno found Oleg Postnikov and his wife Agnessa guilty of involvement in and participation in extremist activities and sentenced them to 5.5 and 5 years suspended sentence, respectively. This is the 16th conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Jewish Autonomous Region.\nThe prosecutor requested 5 and 5.5 years in prison for Agnessa and Oleg, respectively, although there were no victims in the criminal case, no specific facts of extremist actions were presented to the court, only the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses was proved by the defendants. A conditional sentence for faith was imposed on the Postnikov spouses with restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year 6 months with a probationary period of 5 years each: they are forbidden to change their place of residence, to leave the territory of the municipality without the consent of the state body, and they must also appear once a month for registration in specialized government agency.\nOleg Postnikov noted that despite what is happening, they have developed respectful relations with the investigator and court employees. Agnessa Postnikova said that the events she had experienced did not go unnoticed and had a negative impact on her health.\nThe couple faced repressions for their faith in May 2018, when searches were carried out in their house as part of the “Judgment Day” special operation. Almost two years later, Oleg became a defendant in a criminal case, and a year later a second criminal case was opened against him and two cases were brought against Agnessa. FSB investigator I. Fedorov later combined the cases into one proceeding. The believers have been under house arrest: Oleg since February 2020, and Agnessa since March 2021.\nIn June 2021, the consideration of the case began in the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region. One of the witnesses for the prosecution is the notorious police officer Yuliya Zvereva. Her testimony formed the basis of most similar cases against believers in Birobidzhan. Another prosecution witness is a woman who asked the couple to study the Bible. A hidden video camera was installed in her house to record conversations with believers. In court, she said of the benefits of these conversations: “I have become a better person. I could flare up [before]. Now I can keep within the limits”.\nThe verdict did not take effect. Believers insist on their complete innocence and can appeal against it.\nIn total, there are 19 similar criminal cases in the Jewish Autonomous Region against 23 Jehovah's Witnesses, 16 of whom have already been convicted for their faith.\nThe world community resolutely condemns the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Despite this, law enforcement officers in dozens of Russian regions continue to inappropriately persecute Jehovah's Witnesses simply because they do not renounce their beliefs.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-04-25T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/031445/image_hu_dd69e345da5758b4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/031445/image_hu_8347d31b6e156a6d.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/031445/image_hu_5fb08de5bc5698db.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/031445/image_hu_fd1ecd466dd79c86.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/031445.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1.1","282.2-2","sentence","suspended","families"],"title":"The Court in Birobidzhan Sentenced the Postnikov Spouses to Suspended Sentences for Their Convictions","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 15, 2022, Anna Zakharova, judge of the Ussuriysk District Court of the Primorsky Territory, found Vitaliy Ilinykh guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 2.5 years of suspended sentence for religious beliefs (text updated, previously reported on a suspended sentence of 2 years).\nAddressing the court with the last word, the believer noted: “During the investigation, they often hinted at me and even directly told me to change my religion. But it was my religion that made me who I am today. Thanks to Jehovah's Witnesses, I have quit smoking, drinking, using drugs, swearing, disrespecting people, and the list goes on. And now I need to change religion? This would mean betraying Jehovah God, in whom I believe and who showed me the meaning of life.”\nThe first search at the Ilinykh' and his wife's home took place in February, 2019, as part of a criminal case against his mother. In September 2019, investigator E. S. Marvanyuk opened a criminal case against the believer, charging him with organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and later mitigated the charge to participation in extremist activities (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). His home was searched again in October 2019. On the same day, Ilinykh was detained. After 3 days in the temporary detention facility, the court released the believer from custody, and the investigator Marvanyuk placed him under recognizance agreement.\nAfter 13 months of investigation, in November 2020, the case was submitted to Judge Tatyana Pavlenko for consideration at the Ussuriyskiy District Court of Primorye Territory. In March 2021, the Ilinykh case was transferred to another judge, Anna Zakharova. The accusation was based on the testimony of a secret witness, an anti-Jehovah's Witness woman who attended religious services to collect information. At the same time, during interrogation in court, she admitted that she had never heard threats from them against her, calls for violence, genocide or overthrow of state power. Although there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the believer to 4 years of suspended sentence.\nVitaliy Ilinykh looked after his mother, Olga Opaleva, for some time, who also faced criminal prosecution for her faith. During the investigation, the elderly woman suffered a heart attack and a stroke. Due to restrictions imposed by the court, Vitaliy could not fully take care of her.\nThe verdict has not entered into force. The believer insists on his complete innocence and can appeal the verdict.\nOn February 3, 2022, the Ussuriyskiy District Court sentenced another believer, Sergey Melnikov, accused under the same article, to 3 years of suspended sentence.\nAs in other cases against believers, the essence of the charge is that the peaceful legal expression of faith is equated with extremist activity. At the same time, at court hearings, evidence is given only of citizens belonging to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and not of inciting religious hatred by them.\nRussian and foreign human rights activists and politicians pay attention to this legal collision. So, on November 8, 2021, the public committee “Freedom of Conscience” stated: “The decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia should be implemented in judicial practice. The state must admit its mistake, and law enforcement agencies and courts must stop the repressions against Jehovah's Witnesses. The state should apologize to believers . . . The truth of the faith, the correctness of the translation and interpretation of the Bible, as well as the rootedness of the confession in the domestic tradition—all this should not be of interest to the state, which must observe neutrality in matters of religion . . . The definition of extremism in the law should be stated in such a way that under only actions that pose a real public danger—violence, propaganda of violence, calls for violence fell under it”.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-04-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/04/180908/image_hu_869a9850697a1b5b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/04/180908/image_hu_43623c07dfdd0972.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/04/180908/image_hu_14733afdfb34b590.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/04/180908/image_hu_1f38b0d45468c65f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/04/180908.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","secret-witness","families"],"title":"An Ussuriysk Court Sentenced 47-Year-Old Vitaliy Ilinykh to a Two-and-a-Half Year Probation for Believing in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"It became known that on March 28, 2022 the judge of Khostinsky District Court of Sochi Konstantin Sidoruk found four of local Jehovah's Witnesses guilty of extremism. Two of them were sentenced to a penal colony, but they have already served their sentences in the pre-trial detention center. Another two were given suspended sentences by the court.\nThe court sentenced 49-year-old Tatyana Velizhanina to 1 year and 5 months in prison, 55-year-old Vladimir Deshko—to 1 year and 4 months, with a sentence to be served in a penal colony. The believers were not placed in custody as they have actually served their sentences—during the investigation and court hearings, Velizhanina and Deshko spent 11 and 10 months in the pre-trial detention center, respectively, after which they were placed under house arrest (one day spent in custody is equal to 1.5 days of imprisonment, and 2 days of house arrest—to one day in the penal colony).\nThe court sentenced 55-year-old Yuriy Loginskiy and 57-year-old Yuriy Moskalev to 2 years of suspended sentence without restriction of freedom with a probationary period of 2 years. Both believers have been released from house arrest.\nThe believers did not admit their guilt in extremism. The verdict has entered into force.\nIn the winter of 2021, the investigative department for the Khostinskiy district of Sochi of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against four believers under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code. They were arrested and imprisoned in the temporary detention center. Two days after the detention, Yuriy Loginskiy and Yuriy Moskalev were placed under house arrest, and Vladimir Deshko and Tatyana Velizhanina were placed in a pre-trial detention center. Subsequently, Vladimir and Tatyana were also placed under house arrest, they were deprived of the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.\nOn February 21, 2022, after 11 months of investigation, the case was submitted to the Khostinskiy District Court of Sochi. The accusation was based on the testimony of a young man who feigned an interest in biblical teachings. During personal conversations, he collected information about believers and passed it on to the security forces.\nAs in other similar cases against Russian believers, over a month of court hearings, the court only proved that the defendants belonged to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Sochi residents were tried for the fact that they \"held on the territory of the city . . . meetings\", and also \"carried out preaching activities.\" Commenting on the situation, Yuriy Moskalev said: “When I was sitting in the cell, I understood that I was arrested not for some real crime, but for the Word of God, for the truth that I wanted to convey to another. But the mind did not accept this reality of the matter.\nYuriy Loginskiy during the persecution had to face \"arrest, strong emotional stress from his mother, the death of his mother-in-law.\" The repressions were a particularly painful blow for the Deshkos, as their son, Yevgeniy, was also convicted for his faith. And Tatyana Velizhanina’s emotional shock was compounded by a deterioration in her health (she suffered COVID-19 behind bars).\nIn the Krasnodar Territory, 24 Jehovah's Witnesses have already become victims of repression for their faith. Four of them are in penal colonies, and two have served their sentences.\nDespite numerous appeals by human rights activists and clarifications, the Plenum of the Supreme Court in Russia continues to groundlessly condemn believers for peaceful religious activity.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-04-12T09:39:43+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/04/120939/image_hu_2a5e2f95951f5f61.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/04/120939/image_hu_228548741bbe070f.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/04/120939/image_hu_f19d25cddeeabad8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/04/120939/image_hu_f35b67368aea9852.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/04/120939.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","liberty-deprivation","suspended","secret-witness","families"],"title":"A Sochi Court Convicts Four Jehovah's Witnesses, Including a Woman","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 14, 2022, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, presided by judge Angela Sizova, having considered the case of Konstantin Guzev, ruled to make minor changes to the sentence that do not change its essence.\nThe sentence was passed by the Birobidzhan District Court in February 2021. Judge Aleksey Ivaschenko sentenced Konstantin Guzev to a 2.5-year suspended sentence for participation in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 2. Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). In May 2021 the court of appeal confirmed the verdict for the believer, but seven months later the Ninth Court of Appeal of General jurisdiction cancelled this decision and returned the case for a new appeal hearing. That's what took place on March 14, 2022.\nKonstantin's wife Anastasiya is among the seventeen Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan who have been convicted for believing in God. Six more believers are awaiting a court decision.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-03-15T11:18:21+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/151118/image_hu_59f70597708c6640.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/151118/image_hu_68dfb8470b8cadee.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/151118/image_hu_c29dd8b8e57427da.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/151118/image_hu_e75765f37c5889b1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/151118.html","regions":[],"subtitle":null,"tags":["2-appeal","282.2-2","families","suspended"],"title":"A Second Appeal in Birobidzhan Left Unchanged Konstantin Guzev's Sentence: a Two-and-a-Half Year Suspended Sentence For Believing in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 15, 2022, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court overturned the conviction of Aleksandr Pryanikov, Venera, and Darya Dulova for being Jehovah's Witnesses. The believers have the right to rehabilitation. Earlier, the same court initiated a retrial of the believers' case.\nOn July 15, 2021, the Karpinsk City Court of the Sverdlovsk Region again found the believers guilty, giving them a suspended sentence of 1 to 2.5 years.\nVenera Dulova has hearing disability. Her youngest daughter Darya faced criminal prosecution when she was only 18. It became difficult for Aleksandr Pryanikov to provide for his family. During the criminal process, all three believers were under house arrest. In addition, they were included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring.\nIn June 2018, Venera Dulova and Aleksandr Pryanikov were detained for talking about the Bible, which the investigators considered participation in the activities of an extremist organization. A criminal case was initiated. Soon their homes were searched. A year later, Darya became the third defendant in the case.\nThe trial revealed the inconsistency of the allegations. Secret witness \"Osokina\" was unable to give examples of illegal actions on the part of the defendants. She stated that the believers did not cause any harm to either her or her property. Another witness stated that he identified one of the defendants by the color of her hair, but it turned out that the investigator showed him only black and white photographs.\nIn 2020, the Dulovs and Pryanikov became defendants in another criminal case for their faith. They were charged with more serious charges: Venera and Darya - recruitment, and Aleksandr also the organization of extremist activities and the involvement of minors in it. Among the accused were also Alexander's wife Anastasia, Svetlana Zalyaeva and her husband. It is noteworthy that Ruslan Zalyaev does not profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, nevertheless he is suspected of \"participating in the activities of the Local Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Krasnoturinsk by [...] holding conversations in order to promote religious exclusivity.\"\nThe Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation clarified that worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime.\n","category":"victory","date":"2022-03-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/160903/image_hu_ed4b58f6827952e5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/160903/image_hu_ff7e8027879cab0f.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/160903/image_hu_6299b159a501700f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/160903/image_hu_7452c726c10e72da.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/160903.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","acquittal","282.2-2","secret-witness","families"],"title":"The Sverdlovsk Regional Court Overturned the Sentence of Three Karpinsk-Based Believers, Finding Them not Guilty of Extremism","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 9, 2022 panel of judges of Penza regional court presided by Olga Podshibyakina did not satisfy the appeal of Peter and Maya Krupnovs against the sentence of the court of first instance - 2 years of suspended imprisonment for believing in God. The verdict came into force. The believers have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation as well as in international instances.\nThe Krupnovs insist on their innocence and consider the conviction unfair: the court only proved their belonging to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which the believers never hid. At the same time, neither the prosecution nor the secret witness presented the facts of the extremist actions of the defendants. Other witnesses claimed that their preliminary testimony had been falsified.\nA court case against another believer from Nikolsk, Viktor Shayapov, is about to begin.\nPersecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia continues despite a clarification by the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation that worship meetings and conversations about the Bible cannot be considered extremism per se. Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev emphasized on February 9, 2022: \"Actions that do not contain signs of extremism and consist solely of the exercise of the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including through the performance of religious rites and ceremonies, do not constitute a crime.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-03-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/101404/image_hu_e8cb41a926bfc4c2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/101404/image_hu_4245bd6b29d67147.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/101404/image_hu_3a89f241072cb695.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/101404/image_hu_f2636e0bf6ff4b88.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/101404.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","families","suspended","282.2-2"],"title":"An Appeal in Penza Upheld the Conviction of a Married Couple of Jehovah's Witnesses Based in Nikolsk","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 3, 2022, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld the harsh sentence for Jehovah's Witnesses: 8 years in prison for Yevgeniy Ivanov, Rustam Diarov and Sergey Klikunov, and 3.5 years in prison for Ivanov's wife, Olga.\nFour believers were detained and placed in a temporary detention center in June 2020 during mass searches. After that, the men were imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center. Olga Ivanova spent about a year and a half under house arrest, and then waited 4 months for an appeal decision while in a pre-trial detention center.\nAt the hearings in the first instance - the Trusovsky District Court of Astrakhan - dozens of defense witnesses indicated that extremism was alien to the defendants. The prosecutor, in turn, refused to question 20 prosecution witnesses, which limited the right of believers to a full and objective study of the circumstances of the case.\nThe prosecution strategy was reduced to proving that the defendants belonged to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. At the same time, as stated by the Russia’s Government, religion itself is not prohibited. In reality, the security forces do not distinguish between the constitutional right to freedom of religion and participation in the activities of an organization banned by the court. The believers insist on their innocence and intend to appeal the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nAnna Safronova from Astrakhan, who had previously been involved in the case of Ivanov and others as a witness, was also sent to jail in January 2022 by a harsh court decision only for peaceful religious beliefs — she was sentenced to 6 years in prison.\nThe persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia causes great resonance in the legal community. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the ECHR, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are just some of the organizations condemning the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2022-03-04T16:54:03+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_8692188b2f7f9d42.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/041654/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_98d685eeb22d8ef7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_ee98bf6f06023f1e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/041654.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"title":"An Appeal in the City Astrakhan Upheld Prison Sentences for Four Jehovah's Witnesses, Including a Woman","type":"news"},{"body":"Lyudmila and Irina Zinin are being searched as part of a mass raid on the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Kuban. Electronic devices and data carriers are seized.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Lyudmila Zinina in Vyselki","date":"2022-02-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki3/index.html#20220213","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The house of Vasilina Penskaya and her husband Dmitry is being searched on the basis of the decision of the investigator A. A. Garmash. Bank cards, laptops and phones are confiscated from the believer. Law enforcement officers are interested in the religion of the young woman, and also ask if she is familiar with the names they voiced.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Penskaya in Vyselki","date":"2022-02-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki5/index.html#20220213","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A two-hour search is underway in Irina Zinina's house, where she lives with her parents. The search warrant is issued by investigator A. A. Garmash. According to Irina, the police officers searched her and her mother Lyudmila for the addresses of other believers, as well as books and records with the name of God. Electronic devices, data carriers, personal records and a copy of the Bible are seized from women.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Irina Zinina in Vyselki","date":"2022-02-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki6/index.html#20220213","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"In the village of Vyselki and neighboring settlements, searches are being conducted at at least 31 addresses, including Yelena Rumyantseva's. In total, the investigation involves at least 51 people, some of whom are not Jehovah's Witnesses. The search is also taking place at her daughter, Vasilina Penskaya, who lives separately.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Rumyantseva in Vyselki","date":"2022-02-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vyselki9/index.html#20220213","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 20, 2022, the Kursk Regional Court denied Andrey Andreyev, Andrey Ryshkov, Aleksander Vospitanyuk, and Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan their appeals against a guilty verdict. It came into force, almost all the defendants received real prison terms for their faith.\nHowever, on the same day Andrey Ryshkov was released from the pre-trial detention center. He served his term in full while being in custody for almost 2 years.\nAndrey Ryshkov leaves the pre-trial detention center, having served his sentence in full. January 2022 On June 3, 2021, the Industrial District Court of Kursk found 5 Jehovah's Witnesses guilty of extremism for their religion. Andrey Andreyev was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, Andrey Ryshkov — 3 years in prison, Alevtina Bagratyan — 2 years in prison. Alevtina's husband Artem Bagratyan was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, but he served his term while still in jail, and was released in June 2021. The court sentenced Aleksandr Vospitanyuk to 2 years of suspended imprisonment. The believers appealed against the guilty verdict. They still consider themselves innocent of extremism and can appeal the appeal decision to the cassation and international instances.\nMeanwhile, Andrey Andreyev continues to be held in the pre-trial detention center. He has spent more than 2 years behind bars. Alevtina Bagratyan is currently under house arrest.\nThe Federal Security Service of Russia for the Kursk region opened a criminal case against the Kursk believers in September 2019. About a month later, on October 16, groups of law enforcers raided them with searches and accused them of organizing and continuing the activities of a banned religious organization.\nDuring the trial, the defense drew the attention of the court to falsifications in the case file, and several witnesses retracted their earlier testimony, explaining that the investigation put pressure on them. Also, according to them, interrogation protocols contained information they never reported.\nThroughout the trial, the prosecution tried to prove their religious views as Jehovah's Witnesses, which they never concealed. The prosecution never explained what real crimes against the state and society were committed by the believers.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-01-20T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/01/211404/image_hu_8dd827e37817deef.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/01/211404/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/01/211404/image_hu_1f2203a5bd97c64a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/01/211404/image_hu_48bd66790589b3ef.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/01/211404.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","families"],"title":"A Kursk Appeals Court Upheld the Sentence of Five Believers, Including a Woman. Andrey Ryshkov has Served his Sentence and was Released","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 18, 2022 the Kamchatka Regional Court, for the second time considering the case of spouses Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenovs and Vera Zolotova, found them not guilty of extremism. This is the second acquittal of Jehovah's Witnesses charged under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code since the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued an explanation.\n\"I would like to thank the panel of judges for the fair outcome of the case. Appeals hearings are now taking place all over Russia regarding the illegal convictions of Jehovah's Witnesses. We hope that the Kamchatka example will be effective for other judges, and they will take the courage to correct the mistakes made by their colleagues,\" commented Yaroslav Sivulsky, representative of the European Jehovah's Witnesses Association, on the court decision.\nIn September 2020, the Yelizovsky District Court sentenced three local residents to 2 years of suspended sentence, considering that 75-year-old Zolotova and 44-year-old Bazhenovs participated in the activities of an extremist organization by discussing the Bible with fellow believers. The appeal left the verdict unchanged, but the believers appealed it in the cassation instance, which returned the case for a second appeal hearing. The acquittal verdict, issued by judges D. E. Urban, A. Y. Ivakin and O. F. Slobodchikov, came into force immediately.\nTwo months earlier the Ninth Cassation Court in Vladivostok, having cancelled the appellate decision of the lower court, recommended that the regional court take into consideration the explanation of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation from 28 October 2021, which stated that the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses and their joint rites and ceremonies do not by themselves constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code.\nThe Russian government has repeatedly stated that decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses and do not contain restrictions or prohibitions on the individual practice of the above-mentioned doctrine.\"\n","category":"victory","date":"2022-01-18T14:08:30+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/01/181408/image_hu_1b012c9c78b002c7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/01/181408/image_hu_c49029d870991025.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/01/181408/image_hu_66ce638421990f94.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/01/181408/image_hu_24785f441359b71b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/01/181408.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["2-appeal","acquittal","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"title":"A secondary appeal acquitted three believers accused of extremism in Kamchatka","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 16, 2021, the Jewish Autonomous Region Court upheld the sentence to 28-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya: 2.5 years of suspended sentence. By its decision, the panel of judges chaired by Yelena Pyshkina equated communication of fellow believers with each other with “participation in extremist activities.”\nThe verdict entered into force. Lokhvitskaya still insists on her innocence. She has the right to file a cassation appeal and apply to international authorities.\nSpeaking with her last word in the appeal court, the believer drew the court's attention to the fact that the criminal case against her was filled with falsifications and inconsistencies. Thus, the prosecution witnesses, interrogated in the courtroom, were not eyewitnesses of the events imputed to her. In addition, the case of Lokhvitskaya, like other believers from Birobidzhan, is based on the testimony of police officer Yuliya Zvereva, who attended meetings of believers even before the 2017 Supreme Court decision, when they could not be equated with extremism. Zvereva also confirmed before the court that she had not heard any calls to extremism from the defendant.\nAddressing the panel of judges, Anna asked the question: “What law abolished the constitutional right of Jehovah's Witnesses to profess their faith in the circle of fellow believers? There is no such law ... The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited. And religious meetings are one of the forms of expression of faith.”\nFor 1 year and 10 months, Anna was under recognizance agreement. Due to the criminal prosecution, she is deprived of the opportunity to care for her mother. She says: “The status of a criminal and the sentence passed completely limits my ability to help my mother manage household chores, especially in winter. For example, recently she had to hire people to help her around the house and chop wood, although my husband and I used to come to help with this. I am experiencing tremendous suffering from the fact that, having the strength and desire to help my loved one, I am limited in the ability to do so.”\nIn May 2021, the prosecutor declared before the Birobidzhan District Court that “the correction of Anna Aleksandrovna Lokhvitskaya is impossible without isolation from society,” and requested 4 years in prison for her. On July 20, 2021, Judge Vasilina Bezotecheskikh found Anna guilty, but issued a lighter sentence: 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment, 2 years of probation, and 1 year of restriction of liberty. The Court of Appeal upheld this judgment in full. Anna's spouse Artur and his mother Irina were previously sentenced to the same terms under a similar article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nThe case of Anna Lokhvitskaya is one of 19 criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Jewish Autonomous Region. Thirteen believers have already received suspended sentences ranging from 2 to 2.5 years.\nAs in many similar sentences against Jehovah's Witnesses, the court did not indicate which specific actions or words were illegal and constituted a crime. According to a recent clarification of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated October 21, 2021, such a practice is unacceptable. In this regard, Anna Lokhvitskaya asked a rhetorical question: “If the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation does not restrict me as a Jehovah's Witness in how to practice my faith, then why did the district court of our city allow itself to do this?”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-12-16T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/12/171429/image_hu_e0457df9f7eea0f6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/12/171429/image_hu_b64eb4827f21c335.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/12/171429/image_hu_3f72c2a25a86ea89.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/12/171429/image_hu_7bbf67b11e9e2d81.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/12/171429.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Another Appeal in Birobidzhan Dismissed. Verdict to Anna Lokhvitskaya Entered into Force","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 6, 2021 the Rostov Regional Court examined the appeal of 69-year-old Vilen Avanessov and his son, Arsen, as well as 54-year-old Aleksandr Parkov. They are all residents of Rostov-on-Don. The panel of judges headed by Gennadiy Peschanov left the sentence of the first instance unchanged: Parkov and Arsen Avanesov were sentenced to 6.5 years of real imprisonment and Vilen Avanesov - to 6.\nThe verdict came into force. The men insist on their complete innocence. They have the right to appeal the decision in cassation and international instances.\nIn July 2021, the prosecutor requested 7 to 7.5 years in a general regime penal colony for the believers. Vladimir Khudaverdyan, a judge of the Leninskiy District Court, found the law-abiding citizens to be extremists, but slightly commuted the sentence. The believers have de-jure served more than half of their sentence, as they were in the pre-trial detention center for 2.5 years while the investigation and the trial were going on.\nIn the late 1980s, the Avanessovs were forced to flee to Russia because of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, there they suffered repressions because of their faith.\nArsen is worried about his retired parents who have poor state of health. In addition, his mother was left alone without proper support. The investigating authorities did not allow her to see either her husband or her son for more than a year. Aleksandr Parkov had immune system problems. His wife Galina, who in January 2021, was also found guilty under the \"extremist\" article, is very worried about her husband's health: \"The conditions in the detention center are not good, he often had stomach aches.\"\nOn May 22, 2019, officials of the Investigative Committee of Russia conducted mass searches in the homes of Rostov residents suspected of practicing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. On the same day, a criminal case was opened against Parkov, as well as father and son Avanesov for their religious beliefs alone. Immediately after the searches, the men were taken into pre-trial detention.\nThe charges against the believers were based on numerous falsifications. For example, at one hearing the court questioned a secret witness who had been instructed by the FSB to provoke Jehovah's Witnesses to criticize various denominations and the state. Two other witnesses claimed that their testimony was distorted. According to one of them, during the interrogation a whole paragraph of someone else's statements was attributed to her.\nThe believers repeatedly drew the court's attention to the fact that the religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are not extremist activities, but a peaceful manifestation of faith. They also emphasized the peacefulness of their beliefs. \"In their relations both with the authorities and with other people, Jehovah's Witnesses try to be correct, not to respond to rudeness, but to take the example of the first Christians and Jesus Christ,\" said Arsen Avanesov at one of the court hearings.\nEarlier, convictions of six other Jehovah's Witnesses were confirmed in Rostov-on-Don because of their belief in God. They all received two to four years of suspended sentences.\nThe Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on 28 October, 2021, brought attention to the inadmissibility of prosecuting Jehovah's Witnesses for their participation in peaceful meetings. According to its ruling, worship of Jehovah's Witnesses and their joint rites and ceremonies do not by themselves constitute a crime under the Article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code, despite the liquidation and prohibition of their legal entities.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-12-06T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/12/071458/image_hu_8dd9f3abf4d10f5b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/12/071458/image_hu_daa4bcae0d7e2798.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/12/071458/image_hu_41dc7de5f54533a2.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/12/071458/image_hu_4bb656357f5e3180.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/12/071458.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","families","elderly","fabrications","secret-witness"],"title":"Rostov Regional Court Approved Six to Six and Half Years in Prison for Three of Jehovah's Witnesses. They Have Already Served Half of Their Sentence in Pre-Trial Detention","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 29, 2021, Viktor Yakovlev, judge of the Prioksky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod, sentenced 45-year-old Viktoriya Verkhoturova for allegedly participating in the activities of a banned organization.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on her complete innocence. Although there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the woman to 4.5 years in a penal colony.\nVictoria has elderly parents. She is very worried about how worries about her daughter will affect their health. In the hospital where Verkhoturova works, there have recently been many patients with complications after covid. Due to the heavy workload, it is always difficult for her to ask for court hearings.\nAddressing the court with the last word, the believer said: \"I am accused of a serious crime that I did not commit, namely, participation in the activities of an extremist organization. And my whole 'crime' is simply that I call myself one of Jehovah's Witnesses.\" She added: \"As soon as we get together to sing songs, read the Bible, and that's it, are we criminals? Are we going back to medieval Europe when the Holy Inquisition burned people for reading the Bible?\"\nIn the summer of 2019, armed security forces broke into the house of Viktoria and her husband, Sergey. During the search, they threatened the woman with \"terrible conditions in prison, where her psyche will suffer,\" trying to force her to cooperate with the investigation.\nOn March 26, 2020, investigator Oleg Makerov opened a criminal case against the believer under Part 2 of Article 282. 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization).\nThe investigation took 8 months, although in fact it began back in 2018, when law enforcement officers organized surveillance of the Verkhoturov spouses. The special services installed a hidden video camera in the believers' apartment and listened to their telephone conversations. The indictment stated that Verkhoturova's participation in the activities of a banned religious organization \"was expressed in participation in meetings, religious speeches and services at them, and the implementation of preaching activities.\" The accusation was also based on the testimony of two secret witnesses.\nOn November 30, 2020, the case was submitted to the Prioksky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod. Consideration of the case in court took exactly 1 year. At the meetings, the content of the videos, which depicted how believers discuss the Bible together, was analyzed in detail. At the same time, the prosecution did not provide facts of illegal actions on the part of Verkhoturova. \"She sang songs. [...] She did certain rituals: she got up, sat down, \"one of the prosecution witnesses answered the question at the trial about what exactly Viktoria's participation in extremist activities was expressed in.\nViktoriya Verkhoturova became the fifth Jehovah's Witness in the Nizhny Novgorod region convicted of religious beliefs. A month earlier, three peaceful believers from the town of Pavlovo had been sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment. Sergey Verkhoturov, Victoria's husband, was also prosecuted by law enforcement officers. On March 5, 2021, the same Prioksky District Court found him guilty of organizing extremist activities and imposed a 6-year suspended sentence.\nThe religious principles that guide the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses reject extremism, violence and aggression in any form against other people. Believers do not consider themselves entitled to speak out for the purpose of political reforms. Their peacefulness and respect for the laws of the state are known all over the world. On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the divine services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint rituals and ceremonies do not in themselves constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-11-29T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/11/301426/image_hu_5d4165bc744ca321.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/11/301426/image_hu_779cd70b8e4ec0c.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/11/301426/image_hu_711e829ab2f58a67.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/11/301426/image_hu_76402a224244c098.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/11/301426.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Viktoriya Verkhoturova, a Nurse from Nizhny Novgorod, Sentenced to 4 Years of Suspended Term for her Faith in Jehovah","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 25, 2021, the Court of Jewish Autonomous Region approved the sentence of Nataliya Kriger, 43, who was sentenced to 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment and 1 year of restricted freedom for participating in the activities of an extremist organization.\nOn July 30, 2021 Birobidzhan District Court found Nataliya Kriger guilty after considering as a crime her presence at the worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, although this faith is not banned in Russia. The prosecutor asked the court to send the believer to a penal colony for four years and to further restrict her freedom for two years.\nAddressing the court with her last word, Nataliya said: \"What did the court find extremist? That I professed religious beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses with my husband and friends. However, according to Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion. . . . Only Holy Scriptures—the Bible—taught me to truly love people and genuinely care about them. Today my reputation as an honest person is tarnished.\"\nThe verdict of the appellate court went into effect, but the believer has the right to appeal it in cassation and international instances.\nIn 2018, Nataliya's husband, Valeriy Kriger, was also prosecuted under an extremist article. The investigation found him guilty of organizing the activities of a banned organization.\nSeventeen of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan have already been convicted for practicing their faith, and for thirteen of them the sentence has come into force. The Birobidzhan District Court is currently hearing cases on similar charges against six other believers.\nOn October 28 this year the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia ruled that collective religious services of Jehovah's Witnesses do not by themselves constitute corpus delicti under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of Russia.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-11-26T08:44:47+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/11/260844/image_hu_b91114e57ae7928a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/11/260844/image_hu_57e7524e172d90a2.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/11/260844/image_hu_9e6c98f13cd3a5aa.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/11/260844/image_hu_9853adf4abe68b5c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/11/260844.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Appeal in Birobidzhan Approved the Sentence for Faith for Nataliya Kriger","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Kudantsev issues a new resolution of extended content on the involvement of spouses as accused. It says that the Semenovs \"in order to persuade Turova to join an extremist organization, handed her a handwritten letter through her mailbox containing words and statements encouraging her to take active steps aimed at joining the confession ... Having received a response from Turova, they began to hold repeated meetings in her apartment, during which they justified, propagandized and justified the activities of the extremist organization LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","caseTitle":"The Semyonov case in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2021-11-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk_kamchatskiy/index.html#20211126","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["282.2-1.1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 16, 2021, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region affirmed the sentence passed on 59-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya for \"participation in the activities of a prohibited organization\" — 2.5 years of suspended sentence, 2 years of probation and 1 year of restricted freedom.\nAddressing the court of appeal with her last word, the believer stated: \" To speak about God is my right from birth, and it is guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.\" She drew attention to the unfairness and baselessness of the accusation: \"In fact, the victims are me and my family.\"\nOn July 19, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region found Irina Lokhvitskaya guilty of violating the law on extremism, essentially because of a religious practice common to all Jehovah's Witnesses in the world. The believer attended worship meetings and participated in a joint Bible study.\nDuring the trial, the prosecutors presented no evidence that the believer was a threat to society, but zealously demonstrated that she belonged to Jehovah's Witnesses. Thus a certain \"presumption of guilt\" was established in the case of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, in violation of part 1, article 49 of the Russian Constitution, according to which no one may be accused of a crime until proven guilty. As a result, Irina was subjected to discrimination, despite the fact that the Constitution prohibits any form of restriction of the rights of citizens on the basis of religion.\nBy the decision of the court of appellate jurisdiction, the verdict came into force. Irina Lokhvitskaya has the right to file a cassation appeal, as well as to appeal to international instances.\nPersecution of believers in Birobidzhan came into an active phase on May 17, 2018, when law enforcement officers conducted an operation codenamed \"Judgment Day\" against local Jehovah's Witnesses. Nineteen criminal cases were opened against 23 believers in the region. Seventeen of them, including Irina Lokhvitskaya, her son Arthur and daughter-in-law Anna, received suspended sentences ranging from 2 to 2.5 years; 11 sentences are in effect. Most of the cases against Jehovah's Witnesses were initiated and brought to trial by the investigator Dmitriy Yankin.\nDr. Sergey Ivanenko, Ph.D., a religious scholar, analyzed the situation with Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and drew the following conclusion: \"Having found themselves in the role of defendants, Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider themselves guilty and do not intend to abandon their religious beliefs... While they remain Jehovah's Witnesses, they do not consider themselves criminals.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-11-16T16:05:19+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/11/161605/image_hu_9c51ededd660bb12.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/11/161605/image_hu_b57085d0a5f386d0.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/11/161605/image_hu_291d964f9c6c6cba.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/11/161605/image_hu_e96ce5bc73950486.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/11/161605.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"Appeal in Birobidzhan Approved the Verdict for the Faith Against Irina Lokhvitskaya","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 25, 2021, the Trusovsky District Court of Astrakhan sentenced Rustam Diarov, Sergey Klikunov and Yevgeniy Ivanov to 8 years, and Yevgeny's wife, Olga, to 3.5 years in prison. These are the longest sentences that Russian courts have imposed on Jehovah's Witnesses for their religious beliefs in recent years.\n“Eight years - in Russia, a criminal can get even less sentence for murder or rape. Officials called upon to ensure justice put harmless talk about the Bible on a par with horrible crimes,— said Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses.— Earlier, only one believer, Aleksey Berchuk,, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for his faith. If we talk about sentences to women, then the current verdict against Olga Ivanova is a record one. Before her, only 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya, who barely survived these events, was sent to prison under such an article”.\nBelievers in Astrakhan insist on their complete innocence. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed in the appellate instance. If protection cannot be achieved in Russia, lawsuits to international structures are possible.\nYevgeniy Ivanov, a shipbuilder by profession, and his wife Olga, a linguist, were deprived of the opportunity to provide for themselves and take care of their elderly mothers due to criminal prosecution for their faith. Olga's mother recently lost her husband. She underwent two operations and needed medical attention, but her daughter was under house arrest and therefore could not help her receive qualified medical care. The criminal prosecution of the welder Sergey Klikunov deprived his wife and daughter of their only breadwinner. Rustam, a puppet theater actor, also lost his favorite job due to his arrest.\nYevgeniy Ivanov, Rustam Diarov and Sergey Klikunov spent more than 500 days in a pre-trial detention center, while Olga Ivanova was under house arrest. She says: “Your apartment becomes a 'camera' with more comfortable conditions ... without the right to leave the house without the permission of the investigator or the court. To control my movements, an electronic bracelet was put on me. For the first two months, I was generally forbidden to leave my apartment. At the same time, I was not allowed to use the telephone, except for calling emergency services. A ban was imposed on the use of the Internet, as well as receiving and sending letters by mail. For the next 8 months I was allowed two-hour walks, but only in the courtyard of my house and at a strictly defined time. \" With the permission of the investigator, her mother moved to Olga from another city. “It was a huge support for me,” Olga continues. “Friends helped my mother buy groceries. To transfer the necessary things for Yevgeniy to the pre-trial detention center, they arrived early in the morning and stood in line even before it opened. \"\nOn June 9, 2020, mass searches took place in at least 27 families of local believers. More than a hundred of law enforcement officials of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region and regional FSB and Ministry of Internal Affairs took part in the raid. A day earlier, Nikolay Banko, an investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region, opened a criminal case against Sergey Klikunov, Rustam Diarov, Yevgeniy and Olga Ivanova. On May 31, 2021, the case was transferred to the Trusovskiy District Court of Astrakhan.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to appoint the believers from 4 to 8.5 years in prison. In passing the verdict, Judge Aleksey Semin changed these terms slightly.\nJehovah's Witnesses around the world are renowned for their peaceful worship practices. Believers in Astrakhan also gathered to pray and discuss the Bible with fellow believers, but the authorities groundlessly considered this a threat to the security of society and the state.\nHuman rights activists of the Sova Information and Analytical Center state: “We believe that this decision [of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017], which entailed mass persecution of believers under anti-extremist articles of the Criminal Code, had no legal basis, and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination \".\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-10-25T10:50:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_e956aa4a8314c600.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_d45096ba71537356.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_377a74dff7b8b6db.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_d9262728eed85765.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/10/261050.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Unprecedented Verdict in Astrakhan: Three Jehovah's Witnesses Got 8 Years Each, One More Believer - 3.5 years in prison","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 18, 2021, the Ust-Abakan District Court of the Republic of Khakassia refused to release 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya, convicted of her faith, from the colony. The assigned term of imprisonment for the believer expires in January 2023.\nIn June 2021, Valentina filed a petition for release from serving her sentence on the basis of Article 81 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation \"Release from punishment due to illness.\" Baranovskaya's defense provided the court with a medical report confirming the diagnosis.\nBack in the summer of 2020, Valentina was diagnosed with cerebral infarction. Despite this, after the verdict was passed, the woman was placed in the Detention Center No. 1 of Abakan, where she spent about four months.\nThe elderly believer's lawyer appealed to various authorities to draw attention to the situation of the sick woman in the remand prison.\nIn June 2021, Valentina was transferred to a colony to serve a 2-year sentence. After additional examinations, she was prescribed the necessary medications. “The attending physician visited Valentina in the colony and issued his opinion. The administration of the colony agreed with him, they give her everything that is prescribed, they treat her every day. The therapist and the head of the medical unit treat her well. The treatment is good for her,” the lawyer told the believer.\nMeanwhile, Valentina's son Roman Baranovskiy is in correctional colony No. 3 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Trans-Baikal Territory, where he will have to spend about 5 and a half more years just because he did not give up his faith in Jehovah God.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2021-10-18T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer2_hu_8e65ea830d23305d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer2.jpg","webp":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer2_hu_bd25408061f40e20.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer2_hu_1dd92405d6c2c02a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/10/201540.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["mitigation","elderly","families"],"title":"The Court Refused to Early Release 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya From the Colony, Despite Her Serious Illness","type":"news"},{"body":"The Chelyabinsk Regional Court, with the participation of prosecutor Vladimir Makhov, is considering an appeal against the sentence to Vladimir Suvorov on charges of organizing extremist activities. The court upholds the verdict of the first instance.\n","caseTitle":"The case of Suvorov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2021-10-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk3/index.html#20211015","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["appeal","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 15, 2021, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court upheld the sentence to Vladimir Suvorov - 6 years suspended for organizing \"extremist activities\". The verdict has entered into force. The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nThe court of first instance did not satisfy the prosecutor's request to send the believer to jail for 7 years. On July 1, 2021, Oksana Mitina, judge of the Metallurgicheskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk, convicted the 75-year-old Jehovah's Witness and sentenced him to 6 years of suspended imprisonment for talking to people about God, holding worship services, singing hymns and prayers. The judge considered it to be the organization of the activities of a banned community.\nVladimir Suvorov has hypertension and a sick heart. His 73-year-old wife, Valentina, was also prosecuted simply because she is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. The court also found her guilty of extremism and sentenced her to 2 years of suspended imprisonment. All this was a new blow after the couple lost their only son a few years ago.\nIn July 2020, Vladimir Suvorov was included in the \"List of Terrorists and Extremists\" of Rosfinmonitoring. This seriously complicated the financial condition of the elderly spouses. In addition, the believer spent about a year under recognizance not to leave.\nVladimir has been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for almost 30 years. Russian courts began to recognize ordinary religious practices as extremist activities and an encroachment on the constitutional order of Russia. Neither the venerable age of the defendants, nor the absence of victims and evidence of guilt in the case stop judges from sentencing believers.\nThe conflict between law and law enforcement practice in Russia, according to the European Court of Human Rights, occurs due to a number of erroneous stereotypes about Jehovah's Witnesses. The ECHR gave this a legal interpretation.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-10-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/10/180949/image_hu_c5ceb4c8d83d1391.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/10/180949/image_hu_f2f916e0f7f0a11c.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/10/180949/image_hu_f5b8eaefb0ef40f5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/10/180949/image_hu_b4ea3e89ad48b192.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/10/180949.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1","elderly","families","rosfinmonitoring"],"title":"The Court of Appeal in Chelyabinsk Upholds the Conviction of 75-Year-Old Jehovah's Witness Vladimir Suvorov","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 16, 2021, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region did not satisfy the appeal of 37-year-old Tatyana Zagulina. The verdict came into force: the believer was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of suspended sentence and 2 years of restriction of freedom.\n\"I have never participated in anything that would undermine the constitutional order and threaten the security of the state. I don't understand at all how I could be accused of this. The court convicted me, but did not provide a single piece of evidence of my guilt. There is not a single one of my actions and statements that would prove extremist motives. In the case, I never saw evidence of my guilt. My faith, on the contrary, calls to love people and even enemies,\" said Tatyana Zagulina, speaking with her last word before the appeals board. The believer has the right to appeal the court's decision in cassation and international instances.\nOn April 1, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court sentenced Tatyana Zagulina to 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment, finding her guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization, despite the absence of victims and evidence of extremist actions in the case. None of the witnesses questioned in court heard extremist calls from the believer, they all described her as a peaceful and non-confrontational person. According to Tatiana herself, she was convicted only for believing in Jehovah God, so she appealed the verdict.\nIn February 2020, Tatyana Zagulina was included in the federal list of Rosfinmonitoring and her bank accounts and cards were blocked. Due to her recognizance not to leave, the believer has been restricted in her right to move freely for more than 1.5 years. Tatyana's husband, Dmitry, is also facing persecution for his faith, and his bank accounts have been blocked since March 2019. Law enforcement officers actually deprived the couple of the opportunity to fully take care of their school-age child.\nA total of 23 Jehovah's Witnesses are being prosecuted in the Jewish Autonomous Region.\nInternational and Russian human rights activists condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in contemporary Russia. Vladimir Ryakhovskiy, a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, says: \"In our country, the right to religion, including joint religion, is enshrined in the Constitution. The doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses was not forbidden in our country. It turns out that if the followers of some creed gather at home or online, then we are necessarily talking about participation in the activities of a banned organization? No, I don't.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-09-16T16:17:21+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/09/161617/image_hu_ad566ceea04da2a6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/09/161617/image_hu_e3ce7da3e2fdd709.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/09/161617/image_hu_53672d0a0ddd2658.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/09/161617/image_hu_12ae19cd510d29a1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/09/161617.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","rosfinmonitoring","families"],"title":"An appeal in Birobidzhan upheld the verdict for Tatyana Zagulina. The Believer Was Given a 2.5-Year Suspended Sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 9, 2021, the Amur Regional Court upheld the verdict of the first instance court. Jehovah's Witness Konstantin Moiseyenko was sentenced to 6 years of conditional sentence with a following probation period of 4 years and an additional restriction of liberty for 1 year.\nThe verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.\nOn July 14, 2021, the judge of the Zeyskiy District Court of the Amur Region, Alexandr Kozlov, found 45-year-old Konstantin Moiseyenko guilty of \"organizing the activities of a banned organization.\"\nThe accusation was based on the data provided by an embedded FSB agent: a woman, equipped with special equipment, took notes of liturgical meetings. In March 2019, searches were conducted in Zeya in at least five homes of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the Moiseyenko family. Laptops, telephones and personal records were confiscated from believers. Before the start of the trial, the believer spent about one and a half years under recognizance not to leave.\nKonstantin Moiseyenko is a systems engineer by profession, he is married. The court was presented with positive characteristics of the believer from relatives and neighbors, confirming his calm and peaceful disposition.\nTurning to the court of appeal, the believer drew attention to the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are not a threat to society and the state. They live by biblical standards that \"teach people to be honest and respect authority.\" Konstantin Moiseyenko said: \"Instead of constructively cooperating with Jehovah's Witnesses, who are of great benefit to society, the prosecution violates my rights, thereby harming not only me, but the entire society.\"\nMoiseyenko, being a believer, just continued to adhere to his religious beliefs and discuss the Bible with his fellow believers. The Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not prohibited from practicing their religion. Prosecution witness senior FSB operative Nikolay Korendov, speaking in court, said: \"The gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses are chants and Bible readings.\" He added that he had never heard from the defendant calls for the overthrow of state power, any violence or aggression against representatives of other religions or nationalities. He also confirmed that according to Russian law, the Bible, its content and quotations taken from this book cannot be considered extremist. Nevertheless, the court considered the peaceful believer to be dangerous to society.\nKonstantin Moiseyenko is already the second believer in Zeya to be convicted by the court. In 2021, the court sentenced 78-year-old Vasiliy Reznichenko to two years' suspended imprisonment. In September 2021, the Amur Regional Court upheld the harshest sentence handed down to Jehovah's Witness since 2017: 8 years in a general regime colony for 45-year-old Alexey Berchuk. Another criminal case initiated against Yevgeniy Bitusov and Leonid Druzhinin is under preliminary investigation.\nHuman rights activists in Russia and around the world condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in contemporary Russia. Vladimir Ryakhovskiy, a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, says: “In our country, the right to religion, including joint one, is enshrined in the Constitution. The doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses in our country was not prohibited. It turns out that if the followers of some creed gather at home or online, then we are necessarily talking about participation in the activities of a banned organization? No\".\nIn May 2021, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau), in connection with the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which concluded: “We urge you to grant every citizen of Russia the constitutional right to freely profess religion. Please put an end to this injustice! \"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-09-09T14:56:36+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/09/091456/image_hu_f1ce9ef251e2bcc4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/09/091456/image_hu_7f94f78185faaccc.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/09/091456/image_hu_fc0dbabc72ee67b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/09/091456/image_hu_59595750ec9a3d4e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/09/091456.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1","secret-witness","families"],"title":"An Appeal in the Amur Region Upheld the Verdict on Believer Konstantin Moiseenko — 6 Years Probation for Convictions","type":"news"},{"body":"On 6 September 2021, Dmitriy and Nadezhda Semenovs were searched in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and then brought for questioning to the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Kamchatka region. Criminal charges were filed against them under Part 1.1 Article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code. The case is being investigated by senior investigator Kudantsev, who had previously handled Sergey Ledenev's case.\nDuring the searches, a computer, a tablet, two cell phones, a router and a webcam, as well as the New Testament and personal diaries were seized from Semenovs. During the interrogation, both Dmitriy and Nadezhda were threatened that the right to use Article 51 of the Russian Constitution could harm them.\nThe criminal case against the Semyonovs was opened on September 3, 2021. According to the investigation, they \"persuaded, convincing to participate in the activities of an extremist organization\" a resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and other unidentified persons. On the same day, Alexander Kotkov, judge of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court, issued a search warrant in the apartment of Dmitriy and Nadezhda, suggesting that their apartment \"may contain literature, documentation and electronic media containing information of extremist nature, as well as computers and other technical means by which they were induced . . . to join an extremist organization, unidentified during the investigation\".\n","category":"trial","date":"2021-09-08T15:06:22+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_a8c404e2bc8d351e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_314afd7539e86e80.jpg","webp":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_2ad7449984257986.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_34a0012c7c562f22.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/09/081506.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","new-case","282.2-1.1","families","interrogation"],"title":"In Kamchatka, the Fourth Criminal Case Was Initiated for Believing in God. Spouses Nadezhda and Dmitriy Semenov, 36 and 37 Years Old, Are Under Suspicion","type":"news"},{"body":"The Semenovs' apartment is being searched. They seize electronic devices, a router, a webcam, as well as the New Testament and personal diaries.\nNadezhda and Dmitriy are taken to the Investigative Committee for interrogation. They use Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which allows them not to testify against themselves and their loved ones. Spouses are chosen a measure of restraint in the form of a written undertaking not to leave.\n","caseTitle":"The Semyonov case in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2021-09-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk_kamchatskiy/index.html#20210906","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["search","interrogation","recognizance-agreement","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior investigator of the Investigative Committee for the Kamchatka Territory Maxim Kudantsev initiates a criminal case against Dmitry Semenov and his wife Nadezhda. He suspects them of involving other persons in the activities of an extremist organization. According to the investigation, the spouses \"persuaded, persuading a resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and other unidentified persons to take part in the activities of an extremist organization.\"\nThe Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court gives permission to search the Semenovs' home \"in order to find and seize literature, documentation, electronic media containing information of an extremist nature, as well as computers and other technical means with the help of which criminal activity was carried out, as well as other items relevant to the criminal case.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Semyonov case in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy","date":"2021-09-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/petropavlovsk_kamchatskiy/index.html#20210903","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["new-case","search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"In the early morning of August 18, searches were carried out in Sochi at three addresses at least as part of a criminal case against 25-year-old Danil Suvorov. The believer was detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. The next day, the court ruled to send him to a pre-trial detention center.\nAt 6:30 in the morning, law enforcement officers invaded Danil Suvorov. Electronic equipment was confiscated from the believer. At the same time, the security forces were looking for Danil at the house of other believers living in the village of Vesyoloye, Adler District, Sochi. There the search was carried out under the direction of the senior investigator of the RF IC for the Krasnodar Territory R. A. Shevriyev. Law enforcers were looking for religious literature. They confiscated electronic equipment, personal notes, postcards and a book about Jehovah's Witnesses, religious scholar Sergey Ivanenko. After the searches, the detainees were taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee. Everyone except Danil was later released.\nAnother search took place at the elderly woman's house. Law enforcement officers mistakenly believed that the woman was the mother of Danil Suvorov. Her son, Danil’s fellow believer, was summoned for interrogation.\nDanil Suvorov is accused of committing a crime under Part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, Suvorov, “using his authority as a spiritual leader ... of Jehovah's Witnesses, took active steps aimed at persuading, recruiting and otherwise involving ... [a local resident] in the activities of a banned extremist ... [organization] on the territory Sochi \". This is how law enforcement officers qualified ordinary peaceful talk about the Bible. The criminal case is being investigated by the senior investigator of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory A. G. Andrianov.\nThis is the third criminal case for faith in Sochi and the 12th in the Krasnodar Territory. Six Jehovah's Witnesses from the region have already been convicted and sentenced to between 13 months and 7.5 years in prison.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2021-08-20T10:38:47+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_4c19bccc616a0461.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_e7ed3c04c528ed3b.jpg","webp":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_e58593e77498609.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_3097a2541128b86e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/08/201038.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","sizo","interrogation","new-case","282.2-1.1","families"],"title":"Searches of Jehovah's Witnesses Were Again Held in Sochi. 25-Year-Old Believer Is Detained","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 19, 2021, the judge of the Birobidzhan District Court, Vasilina Bezotecheskikh, found the peaceful believer Anastasiya Guzeva guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation, 2 years of probation and 1 year of restriction of freedom.\nThe believer did not admit her guilt. Turning to the court with the last word, she stressed: “Although I have been seriously charged, there are no victims of my actions, as is probably usually the case in criminal cases. There is no direct intent, no active actions, no socially dangerous acts, no humiliation of human dignity, no objective and subjective aspects of the crime, no facts that any of my actions have caused harm, damage, suffering to others. Therefore, I did not hide my eyes from shame and always came and went to court sessions with a clear conscience.” Anastasia Guzeva intends to appeal the verdict in the appellate instance.\nBefore the criminal prosecution, the believer worked at a music school, where she established herself as a responsible and non-conflict employee. Her husband Konstantin also worked there. When the caretaker, a former police officer, learned about the Supreme Court's decision regarding Jehovah's Witnesses, he called the Guzevs into his office and said: \"You are extremists, and extremists have no place in a children's institution.\" First, Konstantin was fired, and later Anastasiya. The believer is perplexed: “According to the labor law, a person cannot be fired from his job just because of his religion. In fact, my husband and I faced religious discrimination. \"\nIt all started with the fact that in May 2018, they came to the Guzevs with a search that lasted 10 hours. The police officer in charge of the task force said his relatives were Jehovah's Witnesses. Obviously, therefore, law enforcement officers behaved politely and carefully. Nevertheless, because of what happened, Anastasiya experienced severe stress and for a long time experienced panic when she heard a knock on the door.\nIn July 2019, a criminal case was opened for faith against Konstantin, and on February 6, 2020, Anastasiya became the accused. For six and a half months, the case against her was investigated by Denis Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia in the Jewish Autonomous Region. Since February 19, 2020, the believer has been under recognizance not to leave, and on February 27, 2020 she was included in the Rosfinmonitoring List of Terrorists and Extremists.\nOn August 19, 2020, the case went to court. The prosecution was witnessed by police officer Yuliya Zvereva, who also testified in at least 15 other trials against Birobidzhan believers. She admitted that she had not heard any extremist statements from any of them.\nThe court hearings in the Guzeva case lasted about a year. The prosecutor asked the court to sentence 41-year-old Anastasiya to 4 years in prison and 2 years of restraint of liberty. The prosecution did not present any concrete evidence that the believer participated in extremist activities. At the hearing, Guzeva remarked: “Video files were presented as 'evidence', which showed the study of the Bible and religious literature in the circle of fellow believers. The prosecution interprets these lawful actions as unlawful. But at all times, believers expressed their love for God by praying, gathering together to worship, studying and discussing the Holy Scriptures... All participants in the process could see firsthand that the deeds, words, thoughts, goals, motives of Jehovah's Witnesses are including mine, are directed only for good.\"\nThe persecution destroyed the usual way of life of a peaceful family and confused relatives, including Anastasiya's elderly mother. Nevertheless, relatives support the spouses. The Guzevs also appreciate the help that co-religionists provided throughout the persecution — they sent them letters of support, postcards, and helped financially.\nDuring the judicial debate, Anastasiya emphacized that the Russian courts did not prohibit the professing and dissemination of the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and, in fact, these beliefs are \"the prevention of extremism\".\nA total of 23 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Jewish Autonomous Region have already been prosecuted for their faith. 16 of them, including Anastasiya's husband, Konstantin Guzev, were convicted and sentenced to various suspended sentences.\nApril 1, 2021 at the press conference “70th Anniversary of Operation North”. Lessons of repression \"religious scholar Sergey Ivanenko emphacized:\" The policy of forceful suppression of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has been carried out in the Russian Federation since 2017, is futile. This is evidenced by the lessons of Operation North and the analysis of the current situation, including the steadfastness of Jehovah's Witnesses in upholding their beliefs. It seems expedient, from the point of view of the state interests of Russia, to implement a set of measures for the return of Jehovah's Witnesses to the legal field.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-08-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/08/191119/image_hu_adb06358af837a1c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/08/191119/image_hu_22aed4809132c0cd.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/08/191119/image_hu_b2c66a1a09c0c2f0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/08/191119/image_hu_63b20b7468f34efd.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/08/191119.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["suspended","sentence","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Another Conviction for Faith in Birobidzhan. The Court Gave Anastasiya Guzeva 2.5 Years Suspended Sentence for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"Alexander Chepenko, investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chelyabinsk Region, who initiated almost all cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in this region, separates materials from the case of Vladimir Suvorov regarding Vadim Gizatulin, Olga Zhelavskaya and Irina Mikhailenko into separate proceedings.\nThe believers are suspected of \"deliberately participating in the activities of a banned local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses ... in the form of participation in religious meetings ... and also carried out preaching work among the inhabitants of Chelyabinsk and the Chelyabinsk region.\"\n","caseTitle":"The case of Gizatulin in Chelyabinsk","date":"2021-08-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk5/index.html#20210811","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["new-case","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Olga Opaleva, a 69-year-old pensioner from Primorye, has been prosecuted for her faith in Jehovah for the third year. The security forces searched and detained the believer, knowing that she had a heart attack the night before. A few months later, on the way to the hearing, Olga suffered a stroke. In another city, Olga's son, Vitaliy Ilinykh, is on trial for his convictions.\nThe criminal case against Olga was initiated on November 12, 2018. A few days later her house was searched. Recalling those events, Olga says: “They took a grinder and sawed the door for me. They asked me: ‘Why didn’t you open it?’ I couldn’t answer, because I had a heart attack right the night before”. Despite this, law enforcement officers forcibly took the elderly woman for questioning to the investigator. Olga Opaleva spent the next two days in a temporary detention center. The believer says: “After a heart attack, of course, I felt very bad. They put handcuffs on me, brought me to court, put me in a cage.\" The judge put the elderly woman under house arrest.\nA few months later, Olga Opaleva suffered a stroke when a Federal Correctional Service vehicle came for her to take her to the hearing. As a result, an ambulance took her to the intensive care unit of a local hospital. The believer's lawyer Aleksey Izbrekht says: \"According to the documents, she was admitted to a medical institution in a serious condition.\" Vitaliy, Olga's son, recalls: “When I saw her in this state, to say simply that I was worried is, in principle, to say nothing. When our eyes met, the first thing she did was smile, she burst into tears. \"\nJust a few days later, Vitaliy Ilinykh himself was detained because of his faith in Jehovah God. Now both mother and son are involved in criminal cases. Vitaliy explains: “With the criminal prosecution of my mother, the litigation began, which now affected me. As the investigator told me, if you remain Jehovah's Witness, in fact, if you have not renounced your religion, then you are an extremist. When I tried to explain what is the difference between a faith and a legal entity, the investigator simply refused to listen and said: “I don't care. I do my job, I am told what to do and I do it. \" The court chose a preventive measure against Vitaliy in the form of a recognizance not to leave the place.\nOlga Opaleva's lawyer notes: “She is accused of talking to people on biblical topics. And such talk about the Bible is imputed by the investigation as recruitment. The prosecution itself does not deny the fact that no damage, no real damage from Opaleva's actions arose.” He adds: “To suspect such people in actions of an extremist nature is, of course, an absurd accusation.”\nOlga and Vitaliy assure that the persecution did not deprive them of their peaceful convictions and did not shake their faith in God. Vitaliy is sure: “It's better with God in prison than without God at liberty.”\n","category":"eyewitnesses","date":"2021-08-09T16:01:50+03:00","duration":"3:52","image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/08/091601/image_hu_5a41927df4da94f5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/08/091601/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/08/091601/image_hu_991add508d76db1.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/08/091601/image_hu_4e55e3c04d1f4fa4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/08/091601.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["video","elderly","health-risk","families"],"title":"\"After a Heart Attack, I Was Put Into a Cage in Handcuffs.\" The Story of the Persecution for Faith of Olga Opaleva and Her Son in Primorye","type":"video"},{"body":"On July 30, 2021, the judge of the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, Vasilina Bezotecheskikh, sentenced 43-year-old Nataliya Kriger to two and a half years in prison for participation in the activities of a banned community—this is how the investigation interprets reading and discussing the Bible with friends.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on her complete innocence.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a sentence of 4 years in prison and 2 years of restriction of freedom on the believer, with the obligation to report twice a month at the FSIN supervisory institution.\nWhen Nataliya was only a year old, her mother died, and the girl ended up in an orphanage. At the age of 6, her grandmother took little Nataliya to live with her. Many years later, due to a hip fracture, Nataliya's elderly grandmother stopped walking. The believer took care of her grandmother until her death in February 2020.\nSpeaking in court with her last word, Nataliya Kriger recalled how her grandmother was able to instill in her the biblical norms of morality, thanks to which she completely changed: “I was a very naughty child even in my teens and caused considerable difficulties. But from the very childhood, noticing any injustice or humiliation, I reacted sharply. During my school years, I went to the karate section in order to protect myself. Like most teenagers, I was influenced by peers: I began to smoke, get drunk and swear heavily. Even my relatives and friends did not trust me.”\n“I have learned to express tender feelings for my grandmother, to hug her, and not to shout at her and be insolent to her,” Nataliya continues. “The Bible taught me to treat her with great love, kindness, trembling ... I think she would be very surprised now that I'm on trial for extremism.\"\nIn May 2018, the house of the Kriger family was searched. Then a criminal case was opened against Nataliya's husband, Valeriy Kriger. Two years after these events, in February 2020, Denis Yankin, an investigator of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, opened a criminal case against Nataliya. Then the believer was placed on recognizance agreement.\nThe investigation lasted 6 months, and on August 19, 2020, the case was referred to the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region. At the time of admission to the court, the case consisted of more than 30 volumes.\nOne of the prosecution witnesses was police officer Yuliya Zvereva, who also testified in a number of other cases against Jehovah's Witnesses from Birobidzhan: Svetlana Monis, Anastasiya Sycheva, Tatyana Zagulina and Konstantin Guzev, whom the court sentenced to suspended sentences.\nA total of 23 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Jewish Autonomous Region have been prosecuted. Many of them have already been convicted, others are still awaiting a court decision on their cases.\nThe groundlessness of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses on the basis of religion has been repeatedly emphasized by Russian and foreign experts. In May 2021, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau) sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin condemning the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-30T14:33:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/301433/image_hu_6a8553675120f5a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/301433/image_hu_9a845fad1bace0ba.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/301433/image_hu_8d5a2c44179769e7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/301433/image_hu_a76ff108d03c8367.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/301433.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"In Birobidzhan, Nataliya Kriger Received 2.5 Years of Suspended Term for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 29, judge of the Leninskiy District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Vladimir Khudaverdyan, found three local believers guilty and sentenced Alexandr Parkov and Arsen Avanesov to 6.5 years, and Vilen Avanesov to 6 years of actual imprisonment. The court considered it a crime of extremist orientation to discuss the Bible and Christian teachings.\nThe believers de jure have already served about half of their term, since they were in a pre-trial detention center for more than 2 years, while the investigation and the trial lasted.\nVilen, Arsen and Alexandr do not admit their guilt in extremism. Speaking in court with the last word, Vilen Avanesov said that after the ban on legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia in April 2017, he did not stop professing the faith, and this right is enshrined in the country's Constitution: “Why am I here, in the dock? Despite all this, I have not lost my faith in God and people, my conscience is clear. \"\nArsen Avanesov, in turn, emphasized: “A person must overcome any craving for violence and rebellion in himself if he wants to become Jehovah's Witness. And this fact makes the accusation of extremism on Jehovah's Witnesses simply absurd.\"\nAlexandr Parkov told the court that the Bible-based beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses encourage them to create, not destroy. \"The Bible helps to correct the negative aspects of a person,\" he said.\nThe criminal case against the believers was initiated on May 20, 2019. On the same day, security officials conducted searches in 15 houses of Rostovites, who were suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In some cases, riot policemen, breaking into apartments, used force. Father and son Avanesovs, as well as Alexandr Parkov, ended up behind bars on the same day.\nDuring the trial, it became clear that the accusations of extremism were groundless. There was not a single victim in the case. During the court interrogations, several witnesses stated that the investigator Chaikin had fabricated their testimony. Nevertheless, the prosecutor asked the court to appoint the believers from 7 to 7.5 years in a general regime colony.\nThe litigation and imprisonment have dramatically affected the lives of the three families. Arsen Avanesov was the main breadwinner. Since he and his 68-year-old father ended up behind bars, Arsen's mother was left without due care.\nAfter the searches and arrest of Alexandr Parkov, his eldest daughter, who at that time was expecting a child, began to experience complications due to stress. And the believer himself was diagnosed with an immune disease.\nIn January 2021, the wife of Alexandr Parkov, Galina, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months of suspended sentence — the case was initiated at the same time as the case against her husband, but he was later separated into a separate proceeding. After the verdict, she told what she had to endure: “There was a shock. The injustice towards me and my husband was acutely felt. The first months were spent fighting the fear. The interrogations were difficult (I attended 8 interrogations). The investigator often shouted, pressed and wanted to hear what suited him. After each interrogation, I recovered for several days.\"\nHowever, the most difficult thing, in her words, is to cope with the absence of a loved one nearby. “My husband means a lot to me. I can't imagine life without him. We have always done everything and always together. And he was taken away, and millions of decisions from day to day had to be taken by herself. Alexandr’s condition worried most of all. Conditions in the pre-trial detention center are not very good, and he often had stomach aches. Longing for her husband tormented every day,” — said Galina.\nThe persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Russian authorities is groundless, since the Supreme Court did not prohibit professing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses individually or in community with others. The ban applies exclusively to legal entities, but not to the faith itself.\nTatyana Moskalkova, Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, referring to the growing number of criminal cases against believers, said in her report to the President of Russia: “These events make one think about the existence of a conflict between the constitutional right to profess one’s religion individually or jointly with others and signs of extremist activity, specified in article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. […] Vague criteria for classifying religious materials as extremist are unacceptable, when virtually any federal judge at his own discretion can prohibit any book, image, video or audio recording.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-29T17:51:50+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_78ce21270a19cf80.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_d5fe1ac6c526ac59.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_d8e86e601fea90b3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_f467abd3f8e11abf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/291751.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","families","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"In Rostov-on-Don, Three of Jehovah's Witnesses Receive From Six to Six and a Half Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"In Yalta, 33-year-old Petr Zhiltsov, who was previously involved as a witness in the case of Taras Kuzio, is detained. Senior Investigator of the Second Investigation Department (for the investigation of cybercrimes and crimes in the field of high technologies) of the First Investigation Department of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Senior Lieutenant of Justice V.A. Novikov initiates a criminal case against the believer under Part 1 of Article 282.3 and accuses him of \"committing intentional grave crimes of an extremist nature, for which there is a maximum penalty of imprisonment of up to 10 years.\" The investigation charges the believer with \"financing an extremist organization\" and \"organizing the activities of an extremist organization.\"\nIn addition, Novikov initiates a criminal case against Zhiltsov, as well as Daria Kuzo, the wife of Taras Kuzo, Sergey Lyulin and Tadevos Manukyan, under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In relation to Daria, a preventive measure is chosen in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kuzo and others in Yalta","date":"2021-07-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/yalta2/index.html#20210729","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","282.2-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"From the materials of the criminal case against believers Anton Olshevskiy and Sergey Yermilov, materials against their wives, Ekaterina Olshevskaya and Valentina Ermilova, as well as against Kristina Golik, whose husband was sentenced to 7 years in prison for his faith, are separated into separate proceedings.\nAnother charge is brought against 27-year-old believer Maria Portnyagina. This criminal case is initiated by the investigator of the SO of the FSB in the Amur Region, Senior Lieutenant of Justice V. S. Obukhov. The women are charged with a crime under Part 2 of Article 282. 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The investigation claims that they \"being in the city of Blagoveshchensk ... were directly involved in... religious events.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Golik and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2021-07-22T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk3/index.html#20210722","regions":["amur"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On July 20, 2021, Judge Vasilina Bezotecheskikh of the Birobidzhan District Court of the EAD sentenced Anna Lokhvitskaya to 2.5 years' probation for participating in the activities of a banned organization. The verdict can be appealed. The believer insists that she wasn't involved in any extremism.\nSpeaking in the debate she stressed that she had no criminal intent: \"What is the intent? That I read the Bible? That I sang songs of praise to God? There is not a single person who has been harmed by my contrived accusation of \"willful\" criminal acts. My life in general, as well as the actions I am charged with, are solely peaceful in nature. If there is no hate or animosity in the motives, there is no corpus delicti. Although there were no victims in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the believer to four years in a penal colony with further restrictions for another two years.\nJust the day before her mother-in-law, Irina Lokhvitskaya, was sentenced in exactly the same way, and in February 2021 her husband, Artur Lokhvitsky, was sentenced. In April 2021, the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region confirmed Arthur's verdict on appeal - the believer received a 2.5 year suspended sentence.\nThe case against Anna was initiated by D. Yankin, an investigator of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the EAD, on February 6, 2020. About 7 months later, on August 19, 2020, it was transferred to court. According to the judge's decision, the case was heard behind closed doors, without the presence of the audience, the media, or even relatives. Since the start of the criminal case in February 2020, the believer was under house arrest.\nThe case of Anna Lokhvitskaya is among 19 criminal cases against 23 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Jewish Autonomous Region.\nOn April 20, 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to a request from a believer, stated: \"The step taken [the Supreme Court decision of April 20, 2017] has not restricted the right of citizens to freedom of religion... Participants of a liquidated organization may independently worship, including as part of religious groups that do not require registration, on the understanding that this is not related to the conduct of extremist activity. Nevertheless, Russian courts continue to convict Jehovah's Witnesses.\nForeign figures have also repeatedly stated that religious discrimination against Jehovah's Witnesses is inappropriate and that persecution must cease.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-20T20:20:56+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/201520/image_hu_755d5312cbae88e4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/201520/image_hu_6ad1dc47b5dfaf42.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/201520/image_hu_181f8b4a23be2bf5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/201520/image_hu_82fc8b3b79cf0883.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/201520.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"In Birobidzhan the Court Gave Anna Lokhvitskaya a 2.5 Year Suspended Sentence for Her Belief in Jehovah. Such a Sentence Had Already Been Imposed on Her Husband and Mother-in-Law","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 19, 2021, the judge of the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, Vasilina Bezotecheskikh, found 59-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya guilty of participating in the activities of a banned religious community. She was sentenced to 2.5 years of probation and 1 year of restriction of freedom. The prosecutor asked for 4 years in prison for Irina.\n“The accusations [of extremism] against me are unsubstantiated and unfounded. I have been one of Jehovah's Witness for 28 years. The acquaintances I meet are shocked, they are outraged that I am being persecuted for my faith, they understand that I am far from extremism. Therefore, I am not ashamed to look people into eyes, I have not done anything illegal, ”said Irina Lokhvitskaya in her last plea on July 16. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nThe case against Irina Lokhvitskaya was initiated on February 6, 2020. She became the accused after her son, Arthur, who was convicted on similar charges, and his wife Anna, whose case is handled by the same judge as the Irina's.\nThe investigation was conducted by Denis Yankin, senior forensic investigator of the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region. He also organized criminal prosecution against seven more believers from Birobidzhan. There are five women among them. The investigation lasted six months, and on August 21, 2020, 26 volumes of the case against Irina Lokhvitskaya were transferred to the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region. By the decision of the judge, the hearings were held behind closed doors, the believer was deprived of the support of relatives and the right to publicity of the trial. The trial lasted over 9 months. During the trial, no evidence was presented that Irina incited religious hatred or spoke out against the state. There were no victims in the case either.\nThe persecution of believers in Birobidzhan intensified on May 17, 2018, when the security forces conducted an operation codenamed \"Doomsday\" against local Jehovah's Witnesses. In the region, 19 criminal cases were initiated against 23 believers. 13 of them, including Irina Lokhvitskaya, have already received suspended sentences ranging from 2 to 2.5 years.\nReligious service is an integral part of the legitimate religious activity of any denomination. The Federal Law of the Russian Federation \"On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations\" guarantees all citizens the right to \"perform services ... and ceremonies, teach religion and religious education ... have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.\"\nLegal scholars and human rights activists both in Russia and abroad unanimously condemn the actions of the authorities against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation. Back in June 2018, speaking in defense of believers, Russian human rights activists emphasized: \"If society does not protect Jehovah's Witnesses, if they are not restored to their rights, this will mean that anyone can be declared an extremist.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-19T13:47:07+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/191347/image_hu_46a667e076d55f07.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/191347/image_hu_525dbef30f0847b7.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/191347/image_hu_b3161a38380b08f7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/191347/image_hu_716b9f9a2df09719.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/191347.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","families","282.2-2"],"title":"The Court in Birobidzhan Gave Irina Lokhvitskaya 2.5 years Suspended for Confessing the Faith of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 15, 2021, the judge of the Karpinsk City Court of the Sverdlovsk Region Vera Bazuyeva found Aleksandr Prianikov, as well as Venera and Darya Dulova guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization. Their case was re-tried in the same court after the previous verdict was overturned.\nThe court sentenced Aleksandr Prianikov to 2 years and 6 months suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of two years, Venera Dulova—2 years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 2 years, Darya Dulova—1 year of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 1 year.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believers insist on their complete innocence.\nAt the first consideration of the case in 2020, the prosecutor asked the court to appoint suspended sentences for all three believers. And although there is still not a single victim in the case, this time the state prosecutor insisted on a more severe punishment for Aleksandr and Venera—3 years in prison, and for Darya— 2 years of suspended term.\nVenera Dulova is hearing impaired, caring mother of three, and a loving wife. Her youngest daughter Darya was only 18 years old when a criminal case was opened against her.\nVenera Dulova has been under recognizance agreement since August 2018, and Aleksandr Prianikov since September 2018. The same preventive measure was chosen for Darya on July 24, 2019. This limited the movement of the three until the end of the preliminary investigation in April 2021. In addition, they were included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, which means the blocking of all their bank accounts.\nRepeated searches and the need to constantly attend court hearings negatively affected their ability to work and provide for themselves and their families financially. “Every time after the search it felt like we were robbed. I had to buy laptops and telephones twice, because I need these devices for my self-employment,” said Aleksandr.\nOn June 14, 2018, the police detained Aleksandr Prianikov and Venera Dulova during a conversation on biblical topics. Their telephones, storage media, personal records were seized in order to check for extremist materials. Copies of passports and other documents were made, and fingerprints were taken.\nSoon, the security forces conducted a series of searches at the Dulovs' house, at the dacha of their relatives, as well as at the Prianikovs' apartment in their absence. During the subsequent interrogation, Venera and Darya were subjected to psychological pressure in order to find out the whereabouts of Prianikov.\nThe case was initiated on July 30, 2018. It was investigated by the Investigation Department in Krasnoturyinsk of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Sverdlovsk Region. The investigation lasted just over a year, after which the case went to court, where for 5 months it was considered by judge Svetlana Gabbasova. In January 2020, Judge Gabbasova found them guilty. All received suspended sentences of up to 2.5 years.\nHowever, on August 6, 2020, the sentence was overturned by the Sverdlovsk Regional Court on appeal. As a result, on August 20, the case was returned to the Karpinsk City Court for reconsideration in a new composition, chaired by Vera Bazuyeva. The new sentences were almost identical to the previous ones.\n“The indictment says a lot about my motives, that I was allegedly driven by hatred, I realized that my actions would be harmful. In fact, this is slander. It is impossible to ascribe such motives to me without having an ounce of evidence of this. On the contrary, my sincere desire to help people prompts me to talk about God and the Bible,” said Aleksandr Prianikov in his last plea.\nIn her appeal to the court, Darya Dulova noted: “I think you will agree, Your Honor, that this is the dream of any law enforcement agency: people who are ready at any time to come to the aid of their neighbors, non-conflict and non-aggressive. And these people are being persecuted now.”\n“I am worried that huge funds and efforts are directed not against real extremists, but against young students, pensioners, mothers of many children, fathers of families,” Venera Dulova emphasized in her last word.\nIn court testimony, believers have repeatedly emphasized how Bible teachings have positively influenced their lives. Faith helped them to become responsible and peaceful citizens, to break off with bad association, to become more patient and kind. However, the prosecution continues to insist that the peaceful confession of Aleksandr Prianikov, Venera and Darya Dulova of their faith is a dangerous crime for society and the state.\nMeanwhile, in 2020, the Dulovs and Aleksandr Prianikov became involved in another criminal case for faith. More serious charges were brought against them: Venera and Darya were charged with recruiting into an extremist organization, and Aleksandr with organizing extremist activities and involving minors into it. Aleksandr's wife Anastasia was also among the accused, as were Svetlana Zalyaeva and her husband. The second case went to the same court on April 29, 2021.\n“All people, including members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, must be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, without discrimination. […] We therefore call on the Russian Federation to conduct prompt, effective and thorough investigations into all reports of such acts,” the European Union statement said.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-15T23:48:18+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/161427/image_hu_cffe7038204a22e3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/161427/image_hu_c91fe60e3c25f842.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/161427/image_hu_aa76e47c1d896326.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/161427/image_hu_375cf2364ce78376.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/161427.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["retrial","suspended","sentence","282.2-2","families","disability"],"title":"The Re-Examination of the Criminal Case for Faith in Karpinsk is Over. Defendants Received Suspended Sentences from 1 to 2.5 Years","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 14, 2021, the judge of the Zeysky District Court of the Amur Region, Alexander Kozlov, sentenced 45-year-old IT engineer Konstantin Moiseyenko to 6 years probation suspended sentence on charges of organizing extremist activities. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, state prosecutor Erika Schechtel asked the court to sentence the believer to 6 years in prison in a penal colony.\nOn March 21, 2019, in Zeya, searches were carried out in Zeya in the home of Konstantin Moiseyenko and several other believers. 10 days before that, V.S. Obukhov, an investigator of the FSB of Russia for the Amur Region, opened a criminal case against Konstantin for his faith under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The investigation lasted 16 months. On August 31, 2020, the case of Konstantin Moiseyenko was received by the Zeysky District Court of the Amur Region. At the time the case was submitted to the court, it consisted of 11 volumes.\nThe charge relied on video recordings of the services received by an embedded FSB agent. The woman showing an interest in the Bible was provided with special equipment for audio and video recordings.\nAlso involved in the case was Olga Averina, an expert, associate professor of the Department of Philosophy of the Far Eastern Institute of Management, who, contrary to the official statements of the Russian authorities that Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to practice their religion in groups, stated in her expert opinion: “The very fact of holding meetings of followers of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses” is a confirmation of the continued activities of the [banned] organization. ”In fact, the RF Supreme Court did not prohibit practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nKonstantin Moiseyenko explained that Jehovah's Witnesses come to church services voluntarily out of a desire to worship God, and the very presence at church meetings is not a crime or a threat to the security of the state, as the investigation argued: “Why [the investigator] came to this conclusion is completely incomprehensible .. My only intention was to worship God. \" Speaking with the last word, the believer asked the court: “When sentencing, please explain how I can be Jehovah's Witness, how I can keep God's commandments set forth in the Bible so that I do not face the penalty of imprisonment for a period of 6 to 10 years under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ”. He added: “More than 20 years ago, I made a choice and made a decision — to devote my life to fulfilling the will of God. Promises must be kept. Therefore, I firmly intend to continue to adhere to the decision made. I don't want to give up my beliefs. On the contrary, I want to remain loyal to Jehovah God. Devotion is not 90%, not 95%, but 100%. \"\nMoiseyenko spent about 2 years and 4 months under recognizance agreement. The court hearings lasted over 10 months.\nA criminal case against the believer was initiated simultaneously with another case against another inhabitant of Zeya —78-year-old Vasiliy Reznichenko, a USSR labor veteran. He has already received a suspended sentence of 2 years. At the end of June 2021, two other believers from the Amur Region were sentenced to unprecedentedly high sentences: Alexey Berchuk and Dmitriy Golik received 8 and 7 years in prison, respectively. Only 15 believers in the region faced criminal prosecution simply because of their faith in Jehovah God.\nAs in the case of other Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, the criminal case against Konstantin Moiseyenko was initiated only because he did not renounce his religion. Even the prosecution witnesses were unable to confirm the facts of any unlawful actions of the believer. For example, FSB officer Korendov admitted that Jehovah's Witnesses are known to him for not resorting to violence in resolving conflicts and adhering to high moral standards. The videos presented in the court only confirmed the peaceful nature of the religious meetings of believers.\nAccording to Alexander Verkhovskiy, head of the “Sova” information and analytical center and member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, the logic of the sentences handed down to Jehovah's Witnesses in different regions is impossible to understand. “Probably not a single campaign of persecution has been unfolded at such a rate recently. Now the punishments are gradually getting tougher,— he noted.— The ban of Jehovah's Witnesses is, in fact, illegal, because it is based on the fact that they ... assert the superiority of their faith ... But this is such a generally accepted opinion among believers that it is their faith is the truest, which is not clear how anyone at all came to persecute for this. \"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-14T14:46:07+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/141446/image_hu_6bbc1ca423a33f23.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/141446/image_hu_8d9ee79045b3f484.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/141446/image_hu_3f635616d68f0d1f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/141446/image_hu_12a54c4967868579.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/141446.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"The Verdict Announced to One More of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Amur Region. Konstantin Moiseyenko From the City of Zeya Was Given a Six-Year Suspended Sentence for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Jehovah's Witnesses from Karpinsk, Alexander Pryanikov, Venera, and Daria Dulov, delivered their final statements in court. The verdict is scheduled for July 15, 2021\n","category":"trial","date":"2021-07-13T18:38:57+03:00","duration":null,"image":false,"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/131838.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["final-statement","first-instance","families","disability"],"title":"","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 24, 2021, the Abakan City Court convicted 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya and her son, Roman. Both are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Following the verdict, they were immediately taken into custody from the courtroom. Sadly, three months later the appeal court upheld the unjust verdict. They were cruelly and inhumanely sentenced to two and six years in prison, respectively.\nYegiazar Chernikov, attorney: “There is no way that it can be said that they committed any crime. They were just practicing their religion.”\nFriends of the family say what happened is beyond their comprehension: “Why did they imprison such an old and sick woman, and for that long?” A friend of Valentina: “When the ruling was announced, someone was crying quietly because it was impossible to accept this without tears.” A friend of Roman: “It lies outside the realm of human reason that they could possibly be “extremists.””\nHer sentence is the first one in modern-day Russia where a court has convicted and imprisoned a female Witness for her faith, and a 70-year-old at that. She is also the first Witness to be imprisoned for participating in, not organizing, a banned organization. Prior to this, Jehovah’s Witnesses who were accused of violating this article were fined or given a suspended prison sentence.\nAbout the reasons and prerequisites for the absurd verdict says lawyer Yegiazar Chernikov: “The main grounds for prosecuting Valentina and her son are once again the [Supreme Court] decision, which I would call egregious, that was handed down on April 20, 2017. On page 32 of the decision, the Supreme Court specifically noted that the ruling did not interfere with or violate the rights of citizens to meet together or worship freely. Nevertheless, the courts of the Russian Federation who are using this decision are totally ignoring the language in that section.” There is a curious detail in the case. “The charges were based on the evidence of one woman, who, pretending to want to study the Bible, recorded everything on camera; all their discussions, and handed it over to the FSB,” says Valentina's friend, who followed the trial.\nThe criminal case against Valentina and Roman was initiated in April 2019. Their home was subsequently searched. Then in July 2020, due to being under constant stress, Valentina suffered a stroke. Yegiazar Chernikov, attorney: “She was hospitalized, and then they discovered that she had heart problems as well. But despite those circumstances, the court still decided that she needed to be imprisoned, isolated from society.” A friend of Valentina: “Sometimes they had to call an ambulance five or six times a week because her blood pressure would skyrocket, and she would have problems with her heart.”\nDespite Valentina’s health problems and advanced age, the detention authorities forced her to wash the floor of her cell. According to their friends, Valentina and Roman are managing to stay positive despite being imprisoned and separated. In letters, Valentina relates that she eagerly awaits the time when they will be released and reunited. A friend of Roman: “Roman is very worried about his mother. I know that for now, while they’re still in the pretrial detention facility, they’re allowed to write to each other.”\nHow did the Baranovskys meet the hardships that befell them? A friend of Valentina: “The Baranovskiys handled this persecution in a praiseworthy manner. They never panicked. They remained calm and viewed it as something to be expected, and what every Christian should be ready for.” The lawyer who visited Valentina in the detention center said: “Every time I met Valentina, I never heard her express any negative sentiments with regard to her persecutors. She understands what is happening and why it is happening. But she will not renounce her faith just to make life easier, although she was given the opportunity to do so in the course of the investigation.”\nEven this shameful and inhuman verdict did not frighten Valentina and Roman. They remain loyal to their faith. Their friends hope that justice will soon be restored and that this elderly mother and her son will once again enjoy freedom.\n","category":"eyewitnesses","date":"2021-07-06T15:54:15+03:00","duration":"4:14","image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/061554/image_hu_7150e9bccbff1efc.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/061554/image_hu_c8c3630c287eabd4.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/061554/image_hu_b8313f06bd855f38.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/061554/image_hu_8c981d4885c36228.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/061554.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","families","liberty-deprivation","elderly","sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"What Happened in Abakan? Details Around the Sentence that Sent a 70-Year-Old Woman and Her Son to Prison for Believing in Jehovah","type":"video"},{"body":"On July 1, 2021, Oksana Mitina, a judge of the Metallurgical District Court of Chelyabinsk, found an elderly believer guilty of organizing the activities of a banned organization. She sentenced Vladimir Suvorov to 6 years of conditional imprisonment.\nThe believer will be deprived of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the activities of religious organizations for a period of 5 years, and will also be restricted in freedom for 10 months with a trial period of 4 years.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence Vladimir Suvorov to 7 years in prison.\nThe 75-year-old believer suffers from hypertension and serious heart problems. In 2013, he lost his only son. In March 2021, Vladimir's wife, Valentina, received a 2-year suspended sentence for her faith.\nThe case was initiated on January 16, 2020 by Aleksandr Chepenko, an investigator for the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Chelyabinsk Region. The investigation was entrusted to 8 investigative officers and lasted almost 10 months. In November 2020, the case was filed with the Metallurgical District Court of Chelyabinsk. The case materials amounted to 17 volumes, more than 200 witnesses were interviewed. The court hearings lasted about 8 months.\nIn July 2020, Vladimir Suvorov was included in the \"List of Terrorists and Extremists\" of Rosfinmonitoring, which is why he was limited in terms of financial support from the state. The believer spent about a year under recognizance agreement.\nSpeaking his last word in court, Suvorov noted: “Neither the Supreme Court, nor the Constitutional Court, nor the Government of the Russian Federation considers it illegal to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. [...] However, the prosecution presents me with a choice: either I refuse to worship God in the circle of people close to me, or I will be prosecuted. I believe that it is illegal to force me, on pain of criminal liability, to go against faith and conscience.\"\nVladimir, a former theater actor, has been a Jehovah's Witness for 28 years. He notes: “I am charged with communicating on biblical topics. All over the world, Jehovah's Witnesses are known to cherish family ties and to have strong marriages. This is not because they are better or worse than others. Not. Jehovah's Witnesses are ordinary people with their own positive qualities and their own shortcomings. But the principles of the Bible are important to us. \"\nIn total, criminal cases were opened against 4 believers in the Chelyabinsk region. Two of them have already been sentenced. Dmitry Vinogradov and Valentina Suvorova received a suspended sentence of two years in prison. The case of Pavel Popov is at the stage of preliminary investigation.\nThe prosecution regarded Suvorov's conversations with people about God, his holding of divine services, the performance of chants and prayers as a crime, and the presence of literature in electronic form was declared \"measures of conspiracy.\" Vladimir himself has repeatedly emphasized at the trial that he only dealt with matters familiar to any believer.\nThe groundlessness of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses on the basis of religion has been repeatedly emphasized by Russian and foreign experts. In May 2021, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau) sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin condemning the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-01T14:17:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/011417/image_hu_4f5e4923e39dcb1c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/011417/image_hu_92a11e1f0e5b1316.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/011417/image_hu_732118a7e579831c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/011417/image_hu_384794120917df04.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/011417.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","elderly","282.2-1","families"],"title":"75-year-old Vladimir Suvorov from Chelyabinsk was sentenced to 6-year suspended sentence for faith in Jehovah","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge of the Metallurgichesky District Court of Chelyabinsk, Oksana Mitina, finds the elderly believer guilty of organizing the activities of a banned organization and sentences him to 6 years of suspended imprisonment with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the activities of religious organizations for a term of 5 years, as well as restriction of liberty for 10 months and a probationary period of 4 years.\n","caseTitle":"The case of Suvorov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2021-07-01T14:15:22+03:00","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk3/index.html#20210701","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["sentence","suspended","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 21, 2021, the judge of the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, Aleksey Ivashchenko, sentenced 30-year-old Jehovah's Witness Yevgeniy Yegorov to 2.5 years of probation and 1 year of restriction of freedom for meeting with fellow believers, considering it \"participation in the activities of a banned organization.\"\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence. “In this trial, I have heard more than once that I am being tried for extremism, I am not being tried for my religious beliefs,” Yevgeny said in his last word. “But there is no evidence of my «extremism». I’m under the trial for participation [in an extremist organization], but participation was expressed in Bible study, which is part of my faith. But in the same time I’m under the trial not for my faith. So who will explain to me, a legally uneducated person, what is my crime? \"\nYevgeniy Yegorov is an aspiring writer. In May 2018, his apartment was searched and he lost his manuscripts. The persecution for the faith deprived a young family man of the opportunity to take proper care of a young child.\nThe persecution of Yevgeniy Yegorov and other peaceful believers in Birobidzhan began in May 2018 after a large-scale operation codenamed “Doomsday”. A criminal case against Yegorov was initiated on July 29, 2019. It was investigated by the Investigative Department of the Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region. On December 23, 2019, the case file went to court. The prosecutor asked to impose a punishment on the believer in the form of 4 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony plus 1 year of restraint of freedom.\nYevgeniy's mother, Larisa Artamonova, was convicted under the same criminal article. In April 2021, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region toughened the decision of the lower court and replaced her with a fine of 10,000 rubles for 2.5 years of probation and 1 year of restraint of liberty. In total, 10 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been convicted for their faith with varying degrees of punishment in the Jewish Autonomous Region. For another 4 believers, the trials are nearing completion.\nAll cases were initiated only because the believers peacefully confessed their religious beliefs and gathered for services. The world community unequivocally classifies this as a violation of fundamental human rights.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-06-21T14:02:32+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/211402/image_hu_a4d79acf90509d54.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/211402/image_hu_5e1eba430f47b928.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/211402/image_hu_fb219f0707640f56.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/211402/image_hu_1eabe41088078349.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/211402.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"The Court in Birobidzhan Sentenced Yevgeny Yegorov to 2.5 Years Suspended for Discussing the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 16, 2021, the judge of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court, Ksenia Chipiga, rejected Sergey Verkhoturov's appeal against an unjust sentence for faith. It went into force.\nThe believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nOn March 5, 2021, the judge of the Priokskiy District Court, Denis Kiselev, found Sergey Verkhoturov guilty of organizing the activities of a banned community and sentenced him to 6 years of suspended prison term with a probationary period of 4 years. The prosecutor requested 7 years in prison for the believer and another 1 year of restriction of freedom.\nSergei Verkhoturov was detained on July 17, 2019 during searches under the sanction of investigator Aliya Chesebiyeva. Earlier, back in May 2018, he was under surveillance—the police received the right to wiretap his phone and view pages on social networks for 90 days. However, the day after the arrest, the Nizhniy Novgorod District Court refused to arrest the believer and ordered his immediate release from custody in the courtroom. He was chosen a milder measure of restraint—a ban on certain actions.\nTogether with Sergey, his wife Victoria is also under criminal prosecution. The investigation accuses her of participating in the activities of an extremist organization.\nAt one of the trial hearings, portions of video recordings were viewed that discussed the behavior of Christians during ethnic, religious and political conflicts. Sergey emphasized: “Believers learn to show love for all people, obey the authorities, not to pay back with evil for evil, and to forgive others. All this is odd for an extremist organization.”\nDuring his testimony, the defendant stated that he did not consider himself guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. “This is an unfounded accusation that insults my dignity,” he said. It was thanks to his faith that Sergey became a respectable citizen of his country, abandoned bad habits and stopped showing aggression towards others. “I am a peacemaker and I am proud of it,” he stressed.\nTotally 15 Jehovah's Witnesses have been prosecuted for their faith in the Nizhniy Novgorod Region. Cases against 10 believers are under investigation, and 4 more believers are already at the dock in the court of first instance.\nRussian and international human rights activists unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and urge them to stop it immediately. The letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation says: “Members of a liquidated organization can independently practice a religious faith, including as part of religious groups that do not require registration. During the consideration of the case [in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation], neither the legitimacy of the religious beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, nor the ways of expressing them were assessed.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-06-17T09:19:31+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/170919/image_hu_e93a51f05e45c2a1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/170919/image_hu_dfb1ee0dae0864a5.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/170919/image_hu_bd951d95d8e39600.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/170919/image_hu_5ccfe68267329bb2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/170919.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1","families"],"title":"Appeal in Nizhniy Novgorod Upheld the Verdict for Faith against Sergey Verkhoturov","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 15, 2021, Artyom Bagratyan left the pre-trial detention center and was released. About two weeks earlier, the Industrial District Court of Kursk sentenced the the believer to 2.5 years in prison, but Artyom had already served this term while in custody.\nThe years spent in the pre-trial detention center were a test for Artem: he suffers from serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Every day his blood pressure rose, and his blood sugar level reached 26 units, and he had severe headaches. Being kept in a cold cell with non-closing windows led to a severe cold. In this state, Artem had to repeatedly go to court hearings.\nIn addition, the courts of the Kursk region do not provide food for the defendants. During lengthy court hearings, Artyom's health deteriorated sharply due to irregular nutrition, so that he had to seek emergency medical help. Nevertheless, judge Oksana Ivanova unreasonably extended the term of the believer's detention in the conditions of the pre-trial detention center that were contraindicated for him. Due to his illness, Artyom needed a special diet, but the only thing that was available to him was buckwheat and kefir in the store of the detention center.\nArtem and his lawyer filed at least 15 petitions and appeals to various authorities: human rights organizations, Rospotrebnadzor, the Investigative Committee, the prosecutor's office - with a request to provide qualified medical care. Only after that the believer was placed for treatment in a medical unit.\nOne day he discovered that the funds from his account were gone, and the parcels from his relatives came opened. The administration deliberately did not give Artyom the Bibles that his friends sent. The believer repeatedly asked the head of the pre-trial detention center to provide him with the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Holy Scriptures, but the requests remained unanswered. Letters from all over the world, of which more than 1000 came, became a great support for Artem.\nAll the time he was in custody, Artyom could not communicate with his wife, Alevtina, who was prosecuted in the same criminal case as her husband, but received 2 years in prison. She is still under house arrest. Artyom saw Alevtina only during the trials, when they were placed in the same cage. After the release, the Bagratyan family was reunited.\nThe unfounded accusations of extremism by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses separate loved ones, ruining their fates. Whole families go to jail. Russian human rights activists and the international community demand an end to religious repression in Russia. The unfounded accusations of extremism by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses separate loved ones, ruining their fates. Whole families go to jail. Russian human rights activists and the international community demand an end to to religious repression in Russia.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2021-06-15T08:39:01+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/160838/image_hu_e0ff9bba6cf6937f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/160838/image_hu_a5432ca6f5189218.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/160838/image_hu_4303d1d5fd62159f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/160838/image_hu_7c002dc13b116c55.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/160838.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families"],"title":"One of Convicted Jehovah's Witness, Artyom Bagratyan, Was Released After Serving His Entire Sentence for Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"At 6 o'clock in the morning, Vadim Baltachev, a senior investigator of the investigative department for the city of Asha of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee for the Chelyabinsk Region, comes to the house of 28-year-old Andrey Fedorov with a search, accompanied by FSB operatives. The security forces seize an external hard drive and a computer system unit, mobile phones, a flash card, personal records and a bank card.\nThe search lasts about 2 hours.\nAt the same time, the security forces searched the neighboring house where Andrey's father, 53-year-old Vadim Fedorov, lives, who is at work. When a believer returns with his wife from a neighboring city, he is informed that in his absence a search was carried out and a Bible, a computer, a Bible game and 2 walkie-talkies were seized.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Fedorov in Asha","date":"2021-06-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/asha2/index.html#20210611","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 3, 2021, the Kursk Industrial District Court sentenced 5 Jehovah's Witnesses for their religion. Andrey Andreev was sentenced to 4.5 years in a colony, Andrey Ryshkov in the form of 3 years in a colony, Artem Bagratyan in the form of 2.5 years in a colony, his wife, Alevtina, in the form of 2 years in a colony. Their co-religionist Alexandr Vospitanyuk was given a 2-year suspended sentence.\nThe decision was made by judge Oksana Ivanova. Andrey Andreev was found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the others were found guilty of participation in it (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Andreev, Ryshkov and Artem Bagratyan remain in jail, and Alevtina Bagratyan, who has actually served her sentence in jail and under house arrest, will continue to wait for the verdict to come into force at home with a tracking bracelet on her leg.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. Believers insist on their complete innocence. There is not a single victim in the case. The prosecutor asked the court to impose even harsher punishment on them: for Andrey Andreev - 7.5 years in prison, for Andrey Ryshkov - 4.5 years, for Alevtina Bagratyan - 4 years, for Artem Bagratyan - 3.5 years and the same was for Aleksandr Vospitaniuk.\nArtem Bagratyan suffers from diabetes mellitus and other chronic diseases, his condition requires inpatient treatment. In 2019, an ambulance was called for him right during one of the meetings. In the Kursk pre-trial detention centre, his condition worsened to critical, but the management and doctors of the isolation ward for a long time denied him proper treatment and the necessary diet, after which he was hospitalized. Alevtina Bagratyan has an elderly mother who needs her help.\nAll five believers were imprisoned immediately after being detained in 2019 and 2020. Aleksandr Vospitanyuk, a father of 3 children, left the IVS 2 days after the arrest, Alevtina Bagratyan was transferred from the detention centre to house arrest a year and 2 months later. Andrey Ryshkov has already spent more than a year in a pre-trial detention centre, and Andrey Andreev and Artem Bagratyan have spent more than a year and a half.\nThe case against five Kursk believers was initiated on September 12, 2019, and was investigated by the FSB of Russia in the Kursk region for 11 months. On August 11, 2020, the case materials were transferred for consideration to the Industrial District Court of Kursk. The case was heard for about 10 months.\nDuring the court proceedings, it became known that a certain A. Grisko, pretending to be interested in the Bible, kept a record of conversations with Alevtina and transmitted information to the FSB officers. Several witnesses in court retracted their earlier testimonies, explaining that the investigation put pressure on them, and information appeared in the protocols that they did not report. The defence also drew attention to the falsifications in the case materials.\nThroughout the trial, the prosecution argued that all the defendants profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their faith in God is \"a continuation of the activities of an extremist organization.\" However, believers have never hidden their religion, and no religion is banned in Russia.\nThe groundlessness of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses based on religion has been repeatedly emphasized by Russian and foreign experts. Historian Alexandr Guryanov, during a recent round table dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the deportation of Jehovah's Witnesses to Siberia, noted: \"There is some particular bitterness on the part of the government towards this particular confession.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-06-03T15:27:45+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/031523/image_hu_446e248fdfc03969.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/031523/image_hu_bd6ef993ae303064.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/031523/image_hu_76b6f5dc922f39ab.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/031523/image_hu_d4ca470a30e0f9ae.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/031523.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","families","suspended"],"title":"In Kursk, a Court Sentenced Five Believers. Four of Them, Including a Woman, Were Assigned From 2 to 4.5 Years in Prison","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 24, 2021, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Khakassia denied Valentina and Roman Baranovsky their appeals against the lower court's unprecedentedly cruel sentence. For the first time a 70-year-old woman was sentenced to actual imprisonment.\nValentina Baranovskaya suffers from a variety of illnesses. She suffered an ischemic stroke in July 2020 and needs constant medical supervision. Roman is her only son, she depends on his help.\nThe verdict came into force. Believers still insist on their innocence. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nThe first instance sentence was handed down on February 24, 2021. The assistant prosecutor of Abakan Svetlana Shestakova asked to sentence 69-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya to 5 years in prison and a year of restricted freedom, Roman - to 8 years in a colony with the same restriction. Judge of Abakan city court Elena Shcherbakova sentenced Valentina Baranovskaya to 2 years in prison under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in an extremist organization), and her son Roman - to 6 years in prison under Part 1 of the same article (organization of an extremist organization).\nLate in the evening of April 10, 2019, armed law enforcement officers in masks invaded the homes of at least three residents of Abakan. On the same day, criminal charges were filed against him and his mother.\nOne of the prosecution witnesses stated in her testimony that she \"dislikes ... [the Baranovskiy family] because they are Jehovah's Witnesses.\" Meanwhile the right to choose and practice any religion is enshrined in Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and the statement of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights of 20.06.18 says: \"The [Supreme] Court decision does not contain conclusions about banning the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as such\".\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-05-24T19:21:52+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_37807d5168cd8f43.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_976239dcf968843a.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_88ca824f7d211ff4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_6667ca2c6a5104d5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/241921.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["liberty-deprivation","elderly","families","health-risk"],"title":"The verdict came into force: Valentina Baranovskaya, 70, Is Sentenced to a Penal Colony for Two Years, Her Son is Sentenced for six years. They Are Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge of the Chekhov City Court of the Moscow Region Irina Pantela convicts four believers: Yuriy Krutyakov — 6 years with a probationary period of 5 years; Zinaida Krutyakova — 2 years and 3 months with a probationary period of 2 years, Konstantin Zherebtsov — 2 years and 2 months with a probationary period of 2 years, Vitaliy Nikiforov — 2 years with the same probationary period.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Nikiforov and Others in Chekhov","date":"2021-05-24T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chekhov/index.html#20210524","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["sentence","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On April 29, 2021, the Karpinsky City Court received the second case against Aleksandr Pryanikov, Daria and Venera Dulov. This time, there are three more defendants in the case: Anastasia Pryanikova, Svetlana Zalyaeva and her husband Ruslan, who is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses. The case will be considered by judge Vera Dranitsyna.\nThe investigation accuses the believers of violating other articles of the Criminal Code, for which a more severe punishment is provided - up to 10 years in prison. All six are suspected of involving third parties in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In addition, investigator A. S. Spirin saw a crime in the fact that the Zalyaevs raise their children in accordance with the Gospel commandments. For this, they and Aleksandr Pryanikov face from 5 to 8 years in prison under Part 4 of Article 150 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - involvement of a minor in a crime. Also, the spouses Zalyaeva and Anastasia Pryanikova are accused of participating in the activities of a banned association, and Alexander Pryanikov is accused of organizing this activity under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for which he faces from 6 to 10 years in prison.\nAlexander Pryanikov, Daria and Venera Dulov have been defending their faith in court for more than two and a half years. The criminal prosecution began on July 30, 2018, when the first case was initiated against them under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – participation in the activities of a banned organization. A verdict had already been passed in this case - the believers were given suspended sentences, but the court of appeal overturned this decision and sent the case back to a lower court for consideration by another judge.\n","category":"trial","date":"2021-05-14T08:33:36+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer_hu_e61407e80aeeed36.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer_hu_c14b36c0a2ff5d39.jpg","webp":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer_hu_405964db8d174b22.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/referee%27s%20hammer_hu_685714836a74948b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/140833.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["first-instance","families"],"title":"Six accused and new articles. Court hearings in the second case against Jehovah's Witnesses begin in Karpinsk","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 12, 2021, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region increased the sentence of Svetlana Monis, who was previously found guilty of extremism because of her belief in the Jehovah God. She was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment conditionally with a probation period of 2 years.\nThe believer was also sentenced to 1 year of restriction of freedom. She is not allowed to change her place of residence, must report to the Federal Penitentiary Service on a monthly basis and not to leave the boundaries established by the Service.\nThe verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on her innocence. She has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nOn February 15, 2021 Vladimir Mikhalev, Judge of the Birobidzhan District Court of the EAO, found the believer guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization and sentenced her to a fine of 10 thousand rubles. Despite the mildness of the first instance court verdict, Svetlana Monis appealed it.\nThe prosecution of 44-year-old Svetlana Monis, a foreign-language teacher, began a year and four months after the opening of a criminal case against her husband, Alam Aliyev, who is accused of Part 1 of the same article. In parallel with the court hearings, Svetlana has to take care of her elderly grandmother, who lives separately.\nSpeaking in court, Svetlana Monis said: \"I did not commit a crime against the state or against its constitutional order. I was not involved in any extremist organization. I would like to draw the court's attention once again to the fact that I am standing before you not because I committed any crime, but precisely for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Father, Jehovah God.\"\nSvetlana had been under house arrest for more than 16 months, and in October 2019 the court seized her car.\nThe criminal prosecution of the believer was the result of a large-scale operation codenamed \"Judgment Day,\" which took place in Birobidzhan on May 17, 2018. About 150 law enforcement officers took part in it.\nAs a result, 23 people, including Svetlana Monis and her husband, became the subjects of 19 criminal cases. Ten believers have already been sentenced to fines or suspended sentences. On appeal, Elena Reino-Chernyshova and Larisa Artamonova, whose cases were similar to those of Svetlana Monis, received harsher sentences and received suspended sentences instead of a fine.\nOne of the witnesses for the prosecution in the Svetlana Monis case was police officer Yulia Zvereva, who allegedly identified Monis on the videos. However, during the preliminary investigation witness Zvereva did not identify Svetlana Monis, so the information she gave in court was unreliable.\nYulia Zvereva herself, who acted as a witness for the prosecution in several trials against believers from Birobidzhan, admitted that she had not heard any extremist appeals from any of them. According to her, the services were peaceful, and the topics of family and child-rearing were discussed.\nThe Memorial Human Rights Center considers Jehovah's Witnesses in pre-trial detention and under house arrest to be political prisoners. \"They are persecuted solely and directly for their faith and beliefs, for the exercise of their rights to freedom of conscience and association, guaranteed both by the Constitution and international norms,\" said Sergei Davidis, a member of the Council and head of the \"Support for Political Prisoners\" program.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-05-12T19:09:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/05/121909/image_hu_8b3a0767f2e9cbf4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/05/121909/image_hu_b455e3c6ad46df34.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/05/121909/image_hu_cd0bdeb13f90304a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/05/121909/image_hu_2bda4d085e142cf4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/121909.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"The Appeal in Birobidzhan Toughened the Sentence Against Svetlana Monis: She Was Sentenced to 2.5 Years of Suspended Imprisonment","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 8, 2021, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region did not satisfy the appeal of a resident of Birobidzhan, 35-year-old Artur Lokhvitskiy, who had previously been sentenced to 2.5 years of probation for his faith. During the hearing, the judge forbade the believer to quote the Bible, threatening additional punishment.\nOn February 2, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region sentenced Artur Lokhvitskiy to 2 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment with a 3-year probationary period and the obligation to report to the police once a month. The prosecution requested 4 years in prison. The verdict was passed under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). The believer appealed against this decision in the appellate instance - the regional court.\nThe appeal hearing on April 8 began with Judge Vladimir Shibanov emphatically forbidding a believer to talk about God and his faith, despite the fact that the right to profess religion is enshrined in the Russian Constitution; the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is also not forbidden. During the believer's speech, the judge repeatedly interrupted him, threatening to \"call him to justice.\"\nArtur himself said that he had not committed anything criminal: “The court [of the first instance] followed the lead of the state prosecutor, who proceeded from the erroneous assumption: everything that is somehow connected with the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, everything is extremist and everything that is prohibited, and therefore, it is only necessary to prove that a person professes the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, then the crime is proven. \"\nIn the last word in the court of appeal, Artur reasoned: “From the Bible I learn that it is necessary to love neighbors, to love enemies and not to repay evil for evil. Agree, would an extremist do this? This is some kind of strange extremist! [...] The case does not contain victims and other data on the nature and amount of harm. In this whole case, my family and I were the victims. [...] Hours of video, which were examined in court, captured the usual religious activities: believers pray, perform religious chants, read and discuss the Bible and spiritual topics, talk about their faith in God. There are no extremist appeals, no mass distribution of extremist materials. There is not even a single offensive or obscene word. \"\nThe court did not heed the arguments and upheld the conviction, which took effect immediately. Nevertheless, a believer has the right to appeal against it in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.\nArtur Lokhvitskiy is an electrician by profession, works in the fire department. He spent about one and a half years under recognizance not to leave. Artur's family was also affected by the criminal prosecution. Following him, his wife, Anna, and his mother, Irina, became accused under a similar article. As a result of the criminal prosecution, Anna suffered serious emotional trauma and had to undergo expensive treatment.\nSecurity officials have been monitoring believers in Birobidzhan, wiretapping their telephone conversations and conducting covert video filming since the spring of 2017. In May 2018, a special operation of the FSB took place in the city, codenamed \"Judgment Day\", in which 150 law enforcement officers took part. As a result, 19 criminal cases were initiated against 22 believers, among whom was Artur Lokhvitskiy.\nThe investigation into the Lokhvitskiy case lasted 5 months. On December 24, 2019, the case went to court. During the trial, there was no evidence that the believer had committed at least one real criminal act. The entire logic of the accusation was based solely on the fact that Artur is one of Jehovah's Witnesses and he discusses the Bible with others. Even the prosecutor's office admitted that there are no extremist actions of the defendant in the videos of the services with the participation of Artur Lokhvitskiy.\nIn the Jewish Autonomous Region, 10 believers have already received various sentences. With regard to 10 more believers, court decisions are on the way.\nBoth in Russia and abroad, there are regular calls to stop mass religious repression that violates Russian law and the Constitution. Even the Russian government stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-04-08T21:27:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/04/12/image_hu_7db50eb8523616ef.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/04/12/image_hu_cc9a0a060c24914.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/04/12/image_hu_eaa0134f6e5fccf5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/04/12/image_hu_8428ab5fce438c8f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/04/12.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"An appeal filed in Birobidzhan upheld Artur Lokhvitskiy's conviction for practicing his faith - a two-and-a-half year probation","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 1, 2021, Yuliya Tsykina, judge of the Birobidzhan District Court, found Tatyana Zagulina guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization. She was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment and 2 years of restriction of freedom.\nTatyana's religious convictions as a Jehovah's Witness were the only grounds for the verdict. It has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on her complete innocence.\nDespite the absence of victims in Tatyana Zagulina's case, the prosecutor asked the court to send her to a general regime colony for 4 years.\nA criminal case was opened against the 36-year-old mother of a minor child a year after her husband Dmitriy Zagulin was charged in another criminal case, also under an “extremist” article.\n“I personally have never allowed not only statements, but even hints of the possibility of ethnic and religious hatred or the need to commit any illegal actions,” Tatyana said in her last plea. “It turns out that I am in the dock for the wrong reason, not because I committed some real crime and therefore dangerous to society, but for being a Christian, for being Jehovah's Witness. When FSB officers came to raid our home, I asked them what they were looking for. They answered: ‘Everything related to the Bible.’ It turns out they were looking not for something that could be really connected with extremism, but for something that is connected with faith in God.\"\nThe case against Tatyana Zagulina was initiated on February 6, 2020. It was investigated by the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region. The accused was under recognizance agreement for 400 days. After 6 months of investigation, on August 19, 2020, the case was brought to court.\nThe prosecution witness, an employee of the cafe where Tatyana and her friends held weddings and get-togethers with their children, confirmed in court that they only partied in the cafe, behaved “decorously and nobly, ate, drank tea, danced, no problems arose \". However, the prosecution tries to portray such get-togethers as meetings of a banned organization.\nAnother witness, a police officer Zvereva, noted in court that she had not heard any extremist calls from either Zagulina or any other Jehovah's Witness. According to her, Tatyana was a simple listener at worship sessions, and the meetings themselves were held peacefully, the topics of family and raising children were discussed.\nIn total, 19 criminal cases were initiated in the Jewish Autonomous Region against 23 Jehovah's Witnesses. Currently, 12 believers from Birobidzhan are forced to prove their innocence in court and defend their peaceful convictions.\nIn Russia, as in other countries, calls are regularly heard to stop the massive repression of Jehovah's Witnesses. Sociologist Massimo Introvigne, director of the International Center for the Study of New Religions (Italy), wrote about the members of this religion: “They are peaceful people who reject violence and have never used violence themselves. The only connection between Jehovah's Witnesses and violence is that they are victims of violence.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-04-02T10:06:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/04/2/image_hu_82e871d33fe06f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/04/2/image_hu_42d1d7dbe052ea8f.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/04/2/image_hu_353e2155b588ddaf.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/04/2/image_hu_dce0fac0a6ace1e6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/04/2.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","families","minors","282.2-2"],"title":"Birobidzhan-based Tatyana Zagulina was handed a two-and-a-half year probation for reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 22, 2021, the Rostov Regional Court considered Galina Parkova's complaint against the verdict of the lower court. She asked to be found not guilty of committing a crime under the article \"participation in the activities of a banned organization.\" But the appellate panel upheld the verdict.\nThe verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on her innocence. She has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nEarlier, the Lenin District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Galina Parkova to 2 years and 3 months of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 2 years and 3 months.\nRepresentatives of the prosecutor's office, A.P. Chebrikov and I.V. Napalkova, requested 3 years of probation for the believer and 1 year of restriction of freedom with a 4-year probationary period.\nThe criminal prosecution divided Galina's life into “before and after”. She is forced to do odd jobs in order to provide for herself, as well as support her husband, who has been in custody for over a year and a half on charges of “extremism”.\nGalina Parkova herself has been under recognizance agreement for about 7 months, her bank accounts have been blocked. Together with her husband, they are included in the list of Rosfinmonitoring: a list of individuals allegedly related to extremist activities or terrorism.\nOn May 22, 2019, officers of the Investigative Committee of Russia conducted searches in at least 15 houses of Rostov citizens who were suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. So the husband of Galina Parkova ended up behind bars, and two weeks later, on June 6, 2019, a criminal case was instituted against her.\nOn the same day, investigator Kalnitsky opened criminal cases for faith under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 also against Olga Ganusha and Lyudmila Ponomarenko. Now women are under recognizance agreement.\nGalina Parkova, using her freedom of religion, invited fellow believers to her home and discussed the Bible with them, and also shared her beliefs with neighbors and relatives. The investigation interprets this as participation in the activities of a banned organization and campaigning to persons who are not followers of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. However, all these actions are the right of every person, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.\nRussian and foreign opinion-makers and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-03-23T15:42:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/03/14/image_hu_211072adbca23f5e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/03/14/image_hu_83d116eea969661.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/03/14/image_hu_592ef7c081bebe27.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/03/14/image_hu_3fa96e0821bfe6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/03/14.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"A Rostov-on-Don appeals court upheld Galina Parkova's guilty conviction for practicing her faith","type":"news"},{"body":"The FSB investigator brings final charges against Oleg Postnikov under Parts 1.1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nAccording to the investigation, communicating with a resident of Birobidzhan L. P. Kabak, the Postnikov spouses \"with the tacit consent of each other, that is, a group of persons, while each, acting intentionally ... persuaded her to participate in the activities of the banned religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2021-03-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20210315","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["interrogation","282.2-1.1","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"CLARIFICATION. On March 11, 2021, the Metallurgicheskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk labeled Valentina Suvorova's, a retiree, activities as extremist because she “sang songs” and “prayed to Jehovah God.” The believer was given a two-year suspended sentence with additional restrictions on certain activities for a period of six months and a one-year probationary period (initially it was reported that the believer was given a one-year suspended sentence).\nAddressing the court with her last word the day before the verdict, Valentina Suvorova noted: “The cases of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are currently being conducted in Russia, are taking place before the eyes of the whole world. And in this case, the reputation of our country suffers greatly, turning it, in fact, into a totalitarian state. \" She continues: “The criminal case against me has no legal basis and does not obey logic and common sense. I am an extremist without extremism. It doesn't work that way. Today they put the stigma of an extremist on me, accuse me of a grave crime, trampling my good name in the mud. \"\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor recommended to the court that the believer be sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment in a colony.\nValentina Suvorova worked as a teacher at school in Chelyabinsk for 30 years. She bears the honorary title of \"Labor Veteran\". With her husband, Vladimir, she has been married for half a century. Several years ago, this friendly family suffered a series of tragedies: their beloved and only son Igor died of blood cancer, Valentina's mother died 2 years later, then her sister died, and her younger sister was paralyzed after a stroke. Before the Suvorovs family had time to recover from these shocks, investigators came to their house with a search. This happened on March 26, 2019, about a week after a criminal case was initiated on participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nThe investigation was initiated by the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Chelyabinsk Region. For about a year, investigator Chepenko collected evidence that the believer \"deliberately talked about faith with the residents of the city of Chelyabinsk, sang chants, prayed to Jehovah God, and studied religious literature.\"\nThe prosecution took advantage of the testimony of an embedded agent Lilia Ruzayeva, who often spoke with Valentina on biblical topics. “We loved her as a daughter,” the believer said in her last word. - We met with joy, with treats. […] She spoke warm words of consolation, seeing how much grief and misfortune I endured that I live on pills alone. How can you drink tea, hug a person, receive flowers from him and betray him at the same time? Only now I fully understand what pain Jesus Christ experienced when he was betrayed by his own disciple Judas Iscariot. \"\nSince December 5, 2019, the believer has been under recognizance not to leave. On February 7, 2020, the case was sent to court.\nIn the same Metallurgicheskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk, a case is being heard against Valentina's spouse, 75-year-old Vladimir Suvorov. Another believer, 57-year-old Dmitry Vinogradov, is defending his beliefs in the Central District Court of Chelyabinsk.\nHuman rights defenders of the international society \"Memorial\" drew attention to the incompatibility of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses with common sense: “It is absurd when Jehovah's Witnesses convicted under Soviet rule are recognized as victims of political repression in accordance with the Federal Law on Rehabilitation (1991) - and at the same time are sent to the prisons of the current followers of Jehovah's Witnesses. \"\nRussian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Back in 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation presented a report to the President, where she drew attention to the unjustified criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. In January 2021, at a meeting with the Human Rights Council, President Putin re-ordered the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to deal with violations of the legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations.\nThe conflict between law and law enforcement practice in Russia, according to the European Court of Human Rights, occurs due to a number of myths around Jehovah's Witnesses. The ECHR gave this a legal interpretation.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-03-12T16:21:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/03/8/image_hu_ad7a23b1320e9e5e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/03/8/image_hu_e0fd54d879ed5b37.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/03/8/image_hu_964830f61c868b19.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/03/8/image_hu_15b964e22bf71210.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/03/8.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["elderly","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"A Court in Chelyabinsk Sentenced 73-year-old Valentina Suvorova, a Labor Veteran, to a Suspended 1 Year for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"The Metallurgichesky District Court of Chelyabinsk found Valentina Suvorova guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced her to 2 years of suspended sentence with restriction of liberty for a term of 6 months with a probationary period of 1 year.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Suvorova in Chelyabinsk","date":"2021-03-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk/index.html#20210311","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["sentence","elderly","suspended","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 26, 2021, the Kostroma Regional Court, having considered the appeal of the Rayman spouses, canceled the longest suspended sentence for faith - 8 and 7 years. Earlier, a lower court found Sergey and Valeriya guilty of organizing and participating in extremist activities.\nThe Court of Appeal excluded the \"organization\" from the charges against both believers (part 1 of Art. 282.2) and commuted Sergey's and Valeriya’s sentences to 3 and 2 years of suspended imprisonment respectively.\nThe verdict came into force. Believers still insist on their innocence. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nOn October 9, 2020, Dmitriy Balayev, judge of the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma, sentenced Jehovah's Witnesses Sergey and Valeriya Rayman to 8 and 7 years of suspended sentenced, respectively. With the filing of the state prosecutor Ivan Bogomolov, the court found the believers guilty of both organizing and participating in extremist activities (parts 1 and 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The state prosecution asked the court to give them a suspended sentence of 7 years of imprisonment for both.\nThe couple have been married since 2015. Sergey is an interior decoration specialist, and in his free time he is engaged in cooking and video filming. Valeriya is a makeup artist and hairdresser who loves to bake and make interior items from concrete.\n“The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses has not been prohibited by any court,” Valeriya told the Court of Appeal in her last word. “I led the ordinary life of a believer. My life, my beliefs and views have nothing to do with extremism. I have not committed any crime. I ask you to look at this situation from the point of view of common sense and give us back our good name. \"\n“We live in a state governed by the rule of law,” Sergey Rayman said in his last word. “Not so long ago, even Human Rights Day was celebrated. And according to Article 28 of the Constitution, I have the right to have religious beliefs, disseminate and act in accordance with them. \"\nSergey Rayman was placed in a cramped solitary confinement cell for 2 months with a ban on correspondence and reading the Bible because of the map of ancient Palestine it contains. He then spent a month under house arrest with an electronic tracking bracelet on his leg and 90 days under a ban on certain actions. Valeria had to spend 2 days in the temporary detention facility and 179 days under the ban on certain actions. The spouses could not communicate with each other for some time because of the court decision.\nThe pursuit of the Ryman spouses began in the early morning of July 25, 2018, when armed special forces used crowbars to smash the door to their apartment at gunpoint. Law enforcement officers accompanied their actions with caustic comments regarding the religion of believers. Friends who came to the Rayman spouses found the apartment empty with signs of a burglary on the door. Sergey and Valeria were sent to a temporary detention center.\nIn September 2019, the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma returned the Rayman criminal case to the Kostroma prosecutor's office. At the same time, the court emphasized that in the case of spouses \"there is a legal right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has not been prohibited.\" The court pointed to the \"vague\" wording of the indictment. Neither in the materials of the criminal case, nor in the register of legal entities, nor in any other documents, there was no confirmation that the young people were founders or members of a local religious organization in Kostroma. The accusation is unfounded in relation to the fact that the Rayman couple held meetings of a religious organization. At the same time, not a single name of the participants in such meetings is given.\nThe Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma is hearing the case of another local believer, Dmitriy Terebilov.\nRussian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The conclusion of the state religious expert examination on the doctrine and the corresponding practice of the religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses says: spreading faith, violates the rights of other citizens. On February 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to practice their religion both individually and collectively.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-02-26T20:00:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/18/image_hu_507117618ca38aae.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/18/image_hu_b06ec1ed7eb2d65b.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/18/image_hu_bdab805b3f54039a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/18/image_hu_f552189b192a30e4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/18.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","mitigation","282.2-1.1","282.2-2","suspended","families"],"title":"A Kostroma appeals court commuted Sergey and Valeriya Rayman's strict sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"D. V. Antonov, senior investigator of the Magadan Region Directorate of the FSB, initiates a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. against 67-year-old Galina Pechko.\nThe investigator combines criminal cases against several believers into one proceeding. The case is assigned No. 11807440001000013.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2021-02-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20210226","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 24, 2021, Abakan city court passed an unprecedentedly cruel sentence: for the first time a woman, who is also elderly, was sentenced to imprisonment. For the first time, a person is imprisoned under the milder part of article 282.2 (participation in a banned organization) of the RF Criminal Code. This is the case of Valentina Baranovskaya.\nHer son, Roman Baranovskiy, was sentenced to 6 years in prison under a stricter part of Article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code (organization of activities of a banned organization). The criminal case was based on recordings of conversations between believers, from which it follows that they practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are no extremist statements in their conversations. There are no victims in the case.\nThe verdict was handed down by Judge Elena Shcherbakova. The verdict did not come into force; it will be appealed. Both believers insisted on their complete innocence. After the verdict was pronounced, both believers were taken into custody. They will be placed in the SIZO.\nIn the summer of 2020, just before the court hearings began, Valentina was diagnosed with cerebral infarction or ischemic stroke. The defendant, according to doctors' estimates, was in the hospital in moderate condition. Valentina will be 70 years old in April 2021.\nSuch a cruel punishment was recommended by the state prosecutor, Svetlana Anatolievna Shestakova of the Abakan prosecutor's office. On February 1, 2021, during the debate, she asked to sentence Roman Baranovskiy to 8 years in prison, while for Valentina Baranovskaya the prosecutor recommended 5 years in a penal colony.\nIn reply to the charges of \"harming people and the state\" Valentina answered in her last statement that the Bible helped her to become peaceful, fair, loving people and God and taught her to respect the authorities and their laws. She stressed that despite the ban of the legal entity - the local religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses of Abakan (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation from 20.04.2017) - everyone has the right to practice their religion according to Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.\nRoman Baranovsky said in his last statement: \"I am accused, in fact, of confession of faith, because exactly the actions of confession of faith, according to the prosecution, are evidence of my illegal activities, namely: singing songs glorifying God, praying together and discussing the Bible in my home with my friends and acquaintances, and the fact that we agreed to meet with each other for this purpose. And this is in the 21st century! Is this really possible? How could it undermine the constitutional order of our country?\"\nOn April 10, 2019, armed law enforcement officers broke into the home of Roman and his mother Valentina.\nShortly before that, on March 21, 2019, A. Pachuev, a senior investigator of the Investigative Department for the city of Abakan of the Investigative Committee of the RF for the Republic of Khakassia initiated a criminal case against the believers under Article 282.2 part 1 of the RF Criminal Code (organization of activities of a banned organization). Later Valentina's indictment was lowered to part 2 of Article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code (organization of activity of a forbidden organization). Later Valentina's accusation was downgraded to part 2 Article 282.2 (participation in the activities of a liquidated organization) of the RF Criminal Code.\nAll in all, there are two criminal cases pending in the Republic of Khakasia. The second case, in which six believers from Abakan were involved, was separated from the Baranovskiys’ case.\nThe Baranovskiys' case was being investigated for one year and two months prior to coming to the Abakan city court on June 15, 2020.\nThe indictment revealed violations of the requirements of criminal procedural law, due to which the prosecutor returned the case to investigator O. Ermakova to \"rewrite the indictment and eliminate the detected violations\".\nBefore retiring in 2006, Valentina worked as an accountant and economist, while Roman did some finishing work. Their friends, colleagues, and relatives are perplexed as to how this peaceful and decent family can be accused of such monstrous things as extremism.\nRussian and international legal scholars unanimously condemn the actions of the authorities against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation.\nFor example, human rights activists from the international society Memorial highlighted the incompatibility between the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and common sense: \"It is absurd that Jehovah's Witnesses convicted under the Soviet regime are recognized as victims of political repression in accordance with the 1991 Federal Law on Rehabilitation - while they are simultaneously imprisoned as Jehovah's Witnesses today.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-02-24T16:31:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_37807d5168cd8f43.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_976239dcf968843a.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_88ca824f7d211ff4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/16/image_hu_6667ca2c6a5104d5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/16.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","families","elderly"],"title":"In Khakasia, a 70-year-old Woman Was Sentenced to 2 Years in a Penal Colony for Faith. Her Son Was sentenced to 6 Years in a Colony. They Are Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 18, 2021, Aleksey Ivashchenko, a Birobidzhan District Court judge of the Jewish Autonomous Region, handed a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence to Konstantin Guzev, a law-abiding construction worker, for participation in extremist activities. In addition, Guzev was given a two-year probation period with the obligation to report once a month to a supervisory authority.\nThe prosecutor asked for 4 years of imprisonment in a penal colony of general regime and an additional 1-year restriction with the obligation to report once a month to the supervisory authorities. The verdict has not come into force. There are no victims in the case. The believer pleaded not guilty and would appeal the verdict. Konstantin Guzev spent the last year and a half being released on his own recognizance.\nThe Birobidzhan District Court is also hearing the case of Konstantin's wife Anastasia, accused of a similar article. The couple faced discrimination on religious grounds - they were forced to resign from the music school. The management motivated this by the fact that \"extremists\" in the children's institution had no place.\nOn May 17, 2018, a large-scale operation codenamed \"Judgment Day\" took place in Birobidzhan, involving 150 law enforcement officers.\nThe criminal case for faith against Konstantin Guzev was initiated on July 29, 2019. The case was separated from the materials of the criminal case against Alam Aliyev. The case was investigated by the Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Jewish Autonomous Region. The investigation lasted about 5 months. The prosecution was based on video footage secretly filmed during religious meetings of believers, and on the testimony of police officer Zvereva, who also acted as a prosecution witness in the cases of Evgeny Golik, Anastasia Sycheva and Tatiana Zagulina.\nOn December 23, 2019, the case went to the Birobidzhan District Court of the EAD. During the court hearings, the prosecutor officially declared the defendant's house the scene of the crime. The charges essentially boiled down to the fact that Konstantin Guzev was reading the Bible with friends at his home via Skype. In court, the believer noted, \"The evidence presented by the prosecutor only confirms that I practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In other words, it proves that there was no corpus delicti in my actions.\"\nIn the Jewish Autonomous Region, one of the regions with the largest number of criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses, 19 cases were brought against 22 believers. Eight local Jehovah's Witnesses have already been convicted for these peaceful people exercising their constitutional right to freedom of religion. Earlier, Judge Alexei Ivaschenko sentenced another believer, Igor Tsarev, to 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment. Ivaschenko is also considering the case of Yevgeny Yegorov.\nKonstantin Guzev became the 70th resident of modern Russia to be punished under a criminal article merely for his profession of faith in the God Jehovah. A suspended sentence with probation condemns the believer to a life of constant fear, since he could go to prison at any time if law enforcement authorities deem his individual confession of faith \"an extension of the organization's activities.\nRussian human rights organizations, as well as the international community, consider the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia unlawful. The Russian Government has stated repeatedly that the Russian courts' decisions to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations 'do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses and contain no restriction or prohibition to individually profess the aforementioned doctrine'. At the end of January 2021, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin again instructed the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to deal with \"violations of the legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and religious associations.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-02-18T12:32:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/12/12_2_hu_24a7328428e5d472.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/12/12_2_hu_25c39a40800174b1.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/12/12_2_hu_4cc118e59441bbc.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/12/12_2_hu_5978365e5393beea.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/12.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","suspended","work-restrictions","282.2-2"],"title":"A sentencing for a 70th Jehovah's Witness. A Birobidzhan court handed Konstantin Guzev a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence for practicing his faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Major I. Fedorov combines all 3 criminal cases against the Postnikov spouses into one proceeding. The investigation interprets peaceful conversations of believers on spiritual topics as the activities of a banned organization.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2021-02-18T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20210218","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Vladimir Mikhalyov, a city of Birobidzhan (Jewish Autonomous Region) District Court judge, found Svetlana Monis guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization on February 15, 2021. The verdict has not yet come into force. The believer is insisting on her complete innocence.\nSvetlana was under house arrest for 495 days. Despite her progressive nearsightedness from an early age, Svetlana became a teacher of foreign languages. Lately she has been taking care of her elderly grandmother, who lives alone.\nThe persecution of Svetlana Monis began one year and 4 months after a criminal case was brought against her husband, Alam Aliyev. This happened after the notorious large-scale operation codenamed \"Judgment Day\" with the participation of 150 security forces.\nThe case was initiated on September 26, 2019. Svetlana was one of the believers against whom FSB investigator D. S. Yankin opened at least 12 criminal cases for extremism. The criminal case of Svetlana Monis was investigated by the Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Jewish Autonomous Region. Investigator D. S. Yankin investigated the case for 5 months. The case was taken to court on 3 March 2020; the hearings, with interruptions, lasted more than 11 months.\nThis is the 6th conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses in the region and the 67th conviction in the entire country.\nThirteen criminal cases against believers are at various stages of review in the Birobidzhan District Court.\nAccording to Article 28 of the Russian Constitution, everyone has the right \"to freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and to act in accordance with them. This right extends to believers of all views and beliefs, including Jehovah's Witnesses. No court in Russia has ever recognized the religion or beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses as criminal. Such a decision is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Obviously, it is impossible to ban people, ideas, beliefs, thoughts and feelings.\nThe world community, in particular representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, unequivocally condemns the religious repression of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. They assert that \"Jehovah's Witnesses should be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression, without discrimination.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-02-15T15:06:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/8/image_hu_aed68666265b49d7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/8/image_hu_725825f4e97a1b5c.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/8/image_hu_7a814cedc287d00a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/8/image_hu_4b974de3f7ab42b5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/8.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","fine","282.2-2"],"title":"A sentence for 67th Jehovah's Witness. A Birobidzhan court ordered Svetlana Monis to pay a fine for believing in God","type":"news"},{"body":"The deputy head of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, Major I. Fedorov, initiates a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against Agnessa Postnikova on the basis of the report of the FSB operative D. Krupetsky. According to the investigation, the Postnikovs \"formed a criminal group,\" and the believer, \"approving the activities of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses\" and \"sharing its extremist goals ... became part of the LRO.\nFedorov also opened a criminal case against Agnessa Postnikova under Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2021-02-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20210212","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","282.2-1.1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 2, 2021, Olga Klyuchikova, judge of the Birobidzhan district court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, sentenced 35-year-old Artur Lokhvitskiy to 2 years and 6 months in prison conditionally with a 3-year probation period and the obligation to report to the police once a month. The sentence has not come into force.\nThe verdict was handed down under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The judge considered the discussion of the Bible among fellow believers to be participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The state prosecutor N. Breycher demanded four years in a penal colony and one year of additional restrictions for a peaceful believer. At the same time, there is not a single victim in the case. The defendant does not plead guilty and notes that even the prosecution did not prove the existence of a crime.\n\"In my opinion, the entire judicial investigation proved that the worship meetings that I am charged with are exclusively peaceful, lawful, non-threatening religious activities that were not prohibited by any court. Therefore, there was no crime,\" said Artur Lokhvitskiy, speaking in court with his last word.\nSince the spring of 2017, believers' phones have been tapped and there has been hidden video recording of their worship meetings. In May 2018, in the city of Birobidzhan, an FSB special operation with the participation of 150 law enforcement officers, code-named \"Judgment Day,\" took place against local Jehovah's Witnesses. As a result, 19 criminal cases were initiated against 22 believers.\nThe case against Artur Lokhvitskiywas initiated on July 31, 2019. It was investigated by the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Jewish Autonomous Region. The investigation lasted five months. The accusation brought against the believer was based on secretly made video recordings of worship services, where moral and spiritual topics were discussed. On December 24, 2019, the case went to trial. Hearings had been going on for more than a year. The conviction of Artur Lokhvitskiy was the 3rd conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Jewish Autonomous Region.\nArtur Lokhvitskiy is an electrician by profession and works in the fire department. He spent about a year and a half under house arrest. Arthur was followed by his wife, Anna, and mother, Irina. His wife, Anna, suffered serious emotional trauma as a result of the criminal prosecution and had to undergo expensive medical treatment.\nArtur Lokhvitskiy became the 62nd believer in Russia to be convicted after the Russian Supreme Court liquidated the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations.\nRussian and foreign figures and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. These include the RF Commissioner for Human Rights, the RF Presidential Human Rights Council, the RF President, prominent Russian public figures, the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses and do not contain restrictions or bans on the individual practice of the above-mentioned doctrine.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-02-02T17:07:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/2/2_2_hu_2022a223e5b42701.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/2/2_2_hu_a14502378ab87a07.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/2/2_2_hu_23b3f46917883c62.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/2/2_2_hu_ba4158e552c64a45.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/2.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families","hidden-surveillance"],"title":"A Birobidzhan court handed a sentence for believing in God. Artur Lokhvitskiy received a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 1, 2021, during a debate in the Abakan City Court, the prosecutor asked to sentence 46-year-old Roman Baranovsky to 8 years in prison and a year of restricted freedom. For his 69-year-old mother, Valentina Baranovskaya, who suffered a stroke, the prosecutor requested 5 years in prison with the same restriction.\nUpdate. The record cruel punishment for believers was requested by Assistant Prosecutor Svetlana Anatolievna Shestakova As Valentina Baranovskaya stated during one of the court hearings, the prosecutor voiced accusations of extremism, which consisted in the fact that “Baranovskaya ... decided to participate in the joint confession and dissemination of the Christian faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, namely: to perform religious services, to introduce people with the Holy Scriptures and biblical teachings, principles and norms of the indicated religious teaching. \" “Whatever accusations the prosecutor voiced, the key thought is that I have read and still read the Bible and discuss what I have read with others,” said the believer, firmly rejecting allegations of extremist actions and motives.\nRoman Baranovsky, in his testimony to the court, also stated that he did not commit extremist actions. Moreover, the knowledge from the Bible helped him to become a more decent citizen - to give up bad habits and learn to get along with people. “For 25 years I tried to be an exemplary citizen of my country, and now the prosecution proposes to declare me an extremist,” Roman Baranovsky said, adding that during the trial “not a single witness, neither the investigation, nor the prosecutor” indicated what kind of crime he committed.\nA criminal case under article part 1 art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of a banned organization) against the mother and son of the Baranovskys was initiated on March 21, 2019. Later, the charge of Valentina was softened to part 2 of art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of a liquidated organization). As a crime, believers are charged with the peaceful services of Jehovah's Witnesses, at which they discussed the Bible together with their fellow believers, prayed and sang religious songs, which the investigation interprets as a continuation of the activities of prohibited organizations, although the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in Russia.\nThe requested penalty for Roman Baranovsky is the longest since the ban in 2017 of legal entities, organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Prior to that, the record was set by the Pskov prosecutor, who requested 7.5 years for Gennadiy Shpakovskiy, whom the court sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, but the court of appeal replaced the sentence with a suspended sentence.\n","category":"trial","date":"2021-02-01T21:44:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/02/1/image_hu_e9b34589c9808313.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/02/1/image_hu_71fc2a6e97b2375f.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/02/1/image_hu_616b8822ecbda822.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/02/1/image_hu_710faffa8a3b09d9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/02/1.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["prosecutor-request","families","elderly"],"title":"A Khakassia prosecutor requests a record-breaking eight-year prison sentence for Roman Baranovskiy for practicing his faith and a five-year sentence for his mother","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 26, 2021, judge of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Snezhana Fedorova, sentenced Galina Parkova to 2 years and 3 months on probation with the same probation period. The court considered the participation of a believer in peaceful religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremism.\n“I am allegedly being judged not for my faith, but for extremism, but no signs of this grave crime have been found. During the trial, we examined the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, and the indictment now and then flashes phrases: “bowed her head for prayer”, “sang along” ... There is a substitution of concepts. The religious life of an individual is presented as the activity of a prohibited legal entity, ”Galina Parkova said in her last word to the court on the eve of the verdict. She drew attention to the fact that there are no victims in the case, and her convictions are aimed at helping, not harming people. “An extremist without extremism, like borscht without vegetables, does not exist! My conscience is clear before God and before the law, ”said the believer.\nThe criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 (participation in the activities of an extremist organization) against Galina Parkova was initiated on June 6, 2019. The investigation was supervised by the First Investigation Department of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.\nGalina and two of her fellow believers (the cases of Olga Ganusha and Lyudmila Ponomarenko are separated into separate proceedings) were accused of participating in meetings at which prayers were sounded and Bible discussions were held, which the security officials considered a threat to the security of society and the state. The logic of the accusation was based on the erroneous thesis that the confession of faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is \"a continuation of the activities of an extremist organization.\" As a consequence of this approach, instead of searching for and proving the guilt of the defendants, the prosecutor's office was busy \"proving\" that they professed a certain religion, despite the fact that the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is not prohibited. Having “proved” the religion of the defendants, which they did not hide anyway, the investigation proposed to interpret this fact as the activity of a banned legal entity. On these grounds, the prosecutor recommended for Galina Parkova 3 years of probation, 1 year of restriction of freedom with a 4-year probationary period.\n\"The absurdity of the logic of the prosecution did not embarrass Judge Fedorova, and she passed a guilty verdict, equating a peaceful believer with dangerous criminals. The verdict has not yet entered into force,\" said Yaroslav Sivulsky, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nDuring the criminal prosecution Galina Parkova is under recognizance not to leave. She is forced to do odd jobs in order to support herself and help her husband Alexander, who, together with two other co-religionists, has also been in jail for more than a year and a half for their faith.\nThe case of Galina Parkova is one of 9 criminal cases for her faith in the Rostov region. In relation to Ruslan Alyev and Semyon Baibak, the court has already passed convictions. Alyev was sentenced to 2.5 years suspended imprisonment, and Baybak - 3.5 years suspended. Believers will appeal against sentences. Galina Parkova became the 62nd inhabitant of modern Russia, in respect of whom the court has already passed a guilty verdict for their faith.\nRussian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Among them are the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, prominent public figures of Russia, the foreign policy service of the European Union, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ... The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teaching individually.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-01-26T16:54:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/01/6/image_hu_b8dd6a2eebbeb6d6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/01/6/image_hu_49a772ca518cbe69.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/01/6/image_hu_3b9c449d5692e0df.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/01/6/image_hu_d381aa3c20175d31.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/01/6.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","families"],"title":"A sentence for discussing the Bible has been imposed in Rostov-on-Don. Galina Parkova received a two-year-three-month suspended sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 20, 2021 Olga Klyuchikova, judge of the Birobidzhan district court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, sentenced Yevgeny Golik under part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist association): 2.5 years of suspended sentence with a probation period of 3 years and restriction of freedom for 1 year.\nThe state prosecutor requested that he be sentenced to 4 years in a penal colony. There were no victims in the case. The believer pleaded not guilty and asked for a full acquittal. The verdict did not come into force.\n\"I am against extremism, violence and brutality. I have never felt hatred towards people and have never encouraged anyone to do so. All my actions were presented on video. I studied the Bible with the perpetrators, and this was not prohibited by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation,\" Golik said in the defendant's last statement.\nBefore becoming a Jehovah's Witness, Yevgeniy Golik served in the army in Chechnya and has state awards for participation in combat operations. After becoming acquainted with the Bible, he got rid of drug addiction.\nFor almost a year and a half, he has been under house arrest, which limits his freedom of movement. It all began in May 2018, when an FSB special operation with the participation of 150 law enforcement officers, code-named \"Judgment Day,\" took place against local Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Birobidzhan. As a result, 19 criminal cases were opened against 22 believers. On July 30, 2019, a criminal case was opened against Yevgeniy Golik. His case was investigated by the Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Jewish Autonomous Region. The investigation went on for about five months, and on December 23, 2019, the materials were transferred to court. The trial lasted 13 months.\nDuring the appearance in court, a witness for the prosecution, a police officer, was unable to explain what exactly the \"crime\" of Yevgeniy Golik consisted in. She only referred to the fact that the townspeople were unhappy with the defendant's religion. They didn't hear any extremist slogans from the believers. Believers gathered to pray and discuss the Bible with co-religionists, which the security forces considered a threat to state security and the constitutional order. The entire logic of the accusation was based on the speculative thesis that belief in God is \"an extension of the activity of an extremist organization. As a consequence of this approach, instead of searching for and proving the guilt of the defendants, the prosecutor's office was busy \"proving\" that they practiced a particular religion, even though no religion is banned in Russia. Having \"proved\" the defendants' confession, which they had never concealed, the investigation suggested that this fact should be automatically interpreted as the activities of a banned legal entity. The absurdity of this logic did not embarrass the court, and it equated peaceful believers with dangerous criminals.\nThe conviction of Yevgeniy Golik was the first in the Jewish Autonomous Region. In January 2021 several more sentences for believers in this region are scheduled to be announced. Yevgeniy Golik became the 60th resident of modern Russia to be convicted of believing in God after the Russian Supreme Court liquidated the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations.\nRussian and foreign figures and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. These include the RF Commissioner for Human Rights, the RF Presidential Human Rights Council, the RF President, prominent Russian public figures, the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses and do not contain restrictions or bans on the individual practice of the above-mentioned doctrine.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-01-22T09:23:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/01/2/image_hu_7c4ea7588ce7cb9f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/01/2/image_hu_8228481b0358385c.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/01/2/image_hu_6b227b22e6641183.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/01/2/image_hu_b95a99ed144d43ee.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/01/2.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","suspended","282.2-2"],"title":"Yevgeniy Golik, 44, of Birobidzhan was convicted for his faith. He received a two-and-half year suspended sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 30, 2020 Pervomaiskiy District Court of Omsk sentenced Sergey Polyakov to 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony, he was taken into custody. Another 3 women were given a suspended sentence by the court: Anastasia Polyakova 2 years 6 months, Gaukhar Bektemirova 2 years and 3 months, Dinara Dyusekeeva 2 years.\nThe verdict has not entered into force, believers will appeal against it. Sergey Polyakov will wait for the appeal while in jail.\nSergey Polyakov and his wife Anastasia, a radiophysicist and lawyer, led a usual life until June 2018, when a criminal case was initiated against them. About two weeks later, in July, their house was searched, during which Sergei was severely beaten. The spouses were later sent to a detention center where they spent 154 days in solitary confinement - Anastasia was the first woman Jehovah's Witness in the history of modern Russia to be imprisoned for her faith. The couple spent another 91 days under house arrest. On July 13, 2018, they filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights.\nThe veterinary doctor Dinara Dyusekeeva and her friend Gaukhar Bektemirova were under investigation about a year after the Polyakovs. In the summer of 2019, a case was also filed against them, which was connected to the case of Anastasia and Sergei, and the believers were under obligation to appear.\nThe women were charged with involvement, while Sergei Polyakov was charged with organizing and financing a banned religious organization. This is how the investigator qualified the fact that the believers talked to others about God and gathered for religious service together.\nDuring the trial, none of the interviewed witnesses confirmed that the defendants had caused them any harm or made threats, although some witnesses criticized the religious views of believers.\nAmong the evidence of their \"guilt\" were 20 biblical cartoons and the Bible in different languages. As in other cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, there are no victims in criminal cases against the Polyakovs, Dyusekeeva or Bektemirova.\nThe defendants themselves, testifying, explained that they \"exercised their constitutional right to spread their religious beliefs\" because \"Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation applies to all believers. They categorically rejected their involvement in extremism.\nAs Sergey Polyakov stated in his last word, the history of Jehovah's Witnesses persecution in the Soviet Union proved that believers do not threaten society and respect the authorities. His wife Anastasia brought arguments to the judge proving that she and her husband and fellow believers are judged solely for their faith in Jehovah, not for crimes.\n\"My desire for peace is connected not only with my non-participation in military conflicts, but also with my rejection of violence against other people,\" Gauhar Bektemirova said. \"I am confident in my rightness. My position is shared by many reasonable people around the world,\" Dinara Dyusekeeva noted in her testimony. On November 10, the believer made a last word in the process, emphasizing: \"Neither I nor my friends have committed any crime.\nJudge Denis Pershukevich ignored inconsistencies in the case and the arguments of the believers, admitting all 4 defendants guilty of extremism. Sergey Polyakov will have to go to the colony for his faith. The court decided to include 5 months of believer's stay in the pre-trial detention center and 3 months under house arrest as the time served. The sentence did not come into force, the believers will appeal against it.\nRussian human rights organizations, as well as the international community, consider the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be illegitimate.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-11-30T19:22:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_44c83bdba91ae661.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_47b9c37fa528caf0.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_d4789da9a42df955.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_170b8fb513ea6966.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/11/12.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"title":"An Omsk court sentenced a 48-year-old Jehovah's Witness to a three-year sentence in a correctional facility. His wife and two other women received a suspended sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge of the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk Denis Pershukevich sentences Sergey Polyakov to 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. At the same time, the court decides to include 5 months of the believer's stay in a pre-trial detention center and 3 months under house arrest in the served term. The court sentenced Anastasia Polyakova to 2 years and 6 months of probation. Gaukhar Bektemirova and Dinara Dyusekeyeva also receive suspended sentences of 2 years and 3 months, as well as 2 years, respectively. Believers do not agree with the guilty verdict and will appeal against it.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2020-11-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20201130","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 12, 2020, armed officers of the FSB and the Investigative Committee roughly invaded at least six families of believers in the towns of Maiskiy and Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkaria). Among the victims was the family of a believer, Yuriy Zalipaev, who was acquitted by the court only a month ago.\nEarly in the morning in Tyrnyauz there was a knock at the door of a believing woman diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. Through the door, she was told that they had come to help her fight the virus. When she opened the door, eight security officers entered the apartment. Despite the hostess's bad health, a search was conducted in her apartment to find 'drugs, weapons and prohibited items'. In another apartment, a 61-year-old believer was prevented from approaching her bedridden mother for several hours to give her medicine and food. In another case, a 54-year-old man with a high fever was forced to stand half-naked in a draught facing the wall. Finally, a 15-year-old boy was kept in a separate room with two members of the armed forces at his side.\nAt the same time, in the town of Maiskiy, Vadim and Mariya Zalipaev woke up from a heavy noise and saw their yard filled with people. Some of them were wearing weapons, camouflage and balaclavas, while others wore black civilian clothes. Among the people in black, Zalipaevs could see Sergey Svetikov, an FSB officer who had been repeatedly found guilty of falsifying operational materials against Jehovah's Witnesses, in particular against their father and father-in-law Yuriy Zalipaev, who had been acquitted a month earlier by a court of first instance. The law enforcers did not explain the purpose of the visit, so the believers did not open the door. Then the law enforcers broke the window and broke the iron entrance door with a sledgehammer. They justified their actions with the words: \"We come to you with all our hearts, but you...\". For six hours under the leadership of Svetikov and with the active assistance of two witnesses, the operatives were looking for smartphones: they scattered things, turned the bed over, trampled it with dirty shoes. From time to time, they made derogatory remarks about the Zalipayevs. After the search of the spouses, they were taken for questioning to the police station in Maysky, and then to the Investigative Committee of Tyrnyauz, 120 kilometers away from home.\nThe searches were initiated by Shamil Gyatov from the Investigative Department for Elbrusskiy District of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. (The same person, working as deputy head of the Investigative Department in the town of Maysky, previously participated in the initiation of an illegal criminal case against Yuriy Zalipaev). The order for searches in Tyrnyauz was issued by the judge of Elbrusskiy district court Tahir Gergokov at the request of the investigator for especially important cases A. Nashapigov.\nA criminal case was opened against the believers under part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code. The investigator interpreted the peaceful meetings of believers as 'inclination of residents to participate in an extremist organization by providing them with religious literature of extremist character, conversations and beliefs during secret meetings.'\nThe searches lasted 5-10 hours each. Electronic devices, personal records, postcards, photos and flash drives were seized. After the searches, believers were taken to the police station and then to the Investigative Committee, where they were interrogated by Major Zalim Kenetov. Attempts of the believers to use Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation caused irritation of the law enforcement officers: 'You learned about Article 51, now I will not be so polite with you.' Some heard mockery and threats to themselves and their loved ones. In addition, the believers were not provided with copies of court orders and protocols of searches and interrogations.\nUpdate. The Zalipaev family spent the whole day in the corridors and offices of law enforcement agencies. Few days later all family members showed signs of coronavirus infection: loss of smell, fever, chest and kidney pain. Doctors refuse to make the diagnosis officially. It is not known whether the organizers of mass events with the number of participants of about 100 people were brought to responsibility for neglecting the anti-quarantine requirements.\nIn connection with Yuriy Zalipayev's illness, the appeal hearing in the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, scheduled for November 27, 2020, did not take place. The hearing was postponed and scheduled for December 11, 2020 10:00.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2020-11-27T18:55:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/vtorzghenie%20v%20hmao_hu_24ad70e1aa0e2a2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/vtorzghenie%20v%20hmao.jpg","webp":"/news/common/vtorzghenie%20v%20hmao_hu_f1aae88eb07ca8e5.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/vtorzghenie%20v%20hmao_hu_d2d4237a735db5c7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/11/10.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families","health-risk","minors","interrogation","282.2-1.1"],"title":"After Yuriy Zalipayev acquittal, law enforcers raided peaceful believers across towns of Kabardino-Balkaria","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge Denis Pershukevich in the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk begins, but does not finish, read out the verdict in the case. The announcement of the verdict will continue on Monday, November 30.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2020-11-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20201127","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 9, 2020, Dmitry Balayev, judge of the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma, sentenced Jehovah's Witnesses Sergey and Valeriya Rayman to 8 and 7 years of probation, respectively. This is more than the state prosecutor asked. The believers' guilt is a joint home Bible discussion. The verdict has not entered into force.\nThe court found the believing spouses guilty both in organization and participation in activity of extremist organization (part 1 and 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). State prosecution asked the court to sentence them to 7 years conditionally each. Believers continue to insist on their complete innocence.\n\"The very fact that they were found guilty under 2 mutually exclusive articles at once already testifies to complete misunderstanding of the matter among law enforcers, - said Yaroslav Sivulskiy from the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, - In reality Sergey and Valeriya simply enjoyed their constitutional right to freedom of religion, no extremist activity is being involved\".\nSergey and Valeria Rayman during the sentencing in court. Kostroma. 9 October 2020 \"For some reason, any attempt to exercise their religious beliefs, which no court has banned, is a crime from the perspective of the investigation. No one was harmed by my actions, and the indictment clearly states: 'No victims’. They could not have been, because the main motive of all my actions is love for people. I am not ashamed of my beliefs that helped me to become a worthy man,\" Sergei Rayman said in his last word.\nValeriya Rayman, addressing to court with last word, has told: \"The persecution by the authorities has had an impact on our life, on our physical and emotional health. And now, for over two years, we have been living under constant stress and anxiety. And all this is due to the unfair accusation of extremism. I have not committed any crime and my conscience is clean before everyone.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-10-09T16:16:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/10/4/image_hu_4b5827d6e374f75c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/10/4/image_hu_61a5246850d4700e.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/10/4/image_hu_c2a4891807e82d05.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/10/4/image_hu_acbdb08a82b67035.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/10/4.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","families","sentence"],"title":"In Kostroma, the Court Sentenced a Family of Jehovah's Witnesses to the Largest Probation Period During Religious Persecution in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 8, 2020, the judge of the Zasviyazhsky District Court of Ulyanovsk, Galina Soshkina, sentenced 6 law-abiding local residents professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses to various terms of imprisonment suspended from 2 years and 2 months to 3.5 years. Until the verdict comes into force, they will be under recognizance not to leave.\nSergey Mysin was sentenced to 3.5 years of suspended imprisonment plus 10 months of restriction of freedom, his actions were reclassified under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. His wife, Natalia Mysina, was sentenced to 2 years and 2 months of suspended imprisonment plus 7 months of restriction of freedom. Mikhail Zelensky was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment plus 8 months of restriction of freedom. Andrey Tabakov was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months of suspended imprisonment plus 10 months of restriction of freedom. Aleksandr Ganin was sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment plus 9 months of restriction of freedom. Khoren Khachikyan was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months of suspended imprisonment plus 7 months of restriction of liberty. The property of believers has not been confiscated, it has been seized.\nThe state prosecutor asked for a sentence of 3 to 7 years in a colony with the confiscation of savings and cars in the amount of 1.57 million rubles, which were seized. The believers themselves asked the court to fully acquit them.\nSergei Mysin told the court in his final statement: \"Neither I, nor my family, nor my friends are extremists, and never have been. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I am not guilty either before the law of my country, or before my conscience, or before the Creator, Jehovah God\" (full text).\nAndrei Tabakov told the court: \"The indictment says that each of us committed a deliberate crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state. But I don't understand how exercising my constitutional right to have beliefs and share them with others can lead to such serious consequences for the state. I don't understand how you can call extremists people who, even at the cost of their own lives, reject any violence\" (full text).\nKhoren Khachikyan said: \"I do not presume to teach those who undertook to eradicate the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, but there is one simple and very important feature: the stronger the persecution of a sincerely believing Christian, the stronger his faith becomes\" (full text).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-10-08T15:51:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/10/3/image_hu_8a696096c5fce514.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/10/3/image_hu_182aeee2c8d15134.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/10/3/image_hu_ee2dd714f8226f67.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/10/3/image_hu_412381955eeac695.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/10/3.html","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"A verdict was passed on 6 believers in Ulyanovsk. All of them were sentenced to suspended imprisonment for terms up to 3.5 years","type":"news"},{"body":"As a result of prosecutorial inconsistencies, Judge Olga Barabash unexpectedly returned the criminal case of a Vladivostok believer to the prosecutor. This occurred on September 29, 2020, after the defendant's concluding remarks were heard in court. The prosecutor requested a three-year suspended sentence for faith.\nA criminal case is usually returned to the prosecutor's office in connection with violations in the accusation that cannot be eliminated during the trial. The decision to return the case of Elena Barmakina notes that \"from the text of the indictment it is not possible to establish the extremist orientation of the defendant's actions in her cult activities: in reading and discussing texts from the Bible ... participating in the performance of religious chants and prayers, and watching video sermons, despite the fact that freedom of religion is a constitutional right. [...] The event of the crime in the plot of the prosecution is not described specifically, in the opinion of the court, this circumstance indicates non-compliance with the requirements of paragraph 3 of part 1 of article 220 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, since it is not possible to establish what specific actions prohibited by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, where, when, in what way the defendant committed, which is essential for resolving the criminal case on the merits of the charge.\nThe persecution of Yelena Barmakina began more than 2 years ago. In the early morning of July 2018, a group of masked armed security forces invaded her 90-year-old grandmother's apartment. Elena and her husband, Dmitry, both believers, were also in the apartment. Dmitriy was taken away in handcuffs and imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center for 447 days. A year later, the case was initiated against Elena herself. She was found guilty of extremism because of her religion, charged, and her bank accounts were blocked. All this had a noticeable impact on the financial well-being and health of the family.\nOn the eve of the return of the case to the prosecutor, not yet aware of the upcoming court ruling, Yelena Barmakina said in her last word: \"I am happy that I am not suffering for crimes. I didn't steal, I didn't kill, I didn't blackmail anyone, I'm not a fraud. I suffer because I worship God. Of course, it does not surprise me that such events occur, but it sometimes surprises others. Why persecute Jehovah's Witnesses who do not take up arms at the cost of their lives and freedom? History shows that they never had a confrontation with either the Stalinist regime, or the Nazi regime, or the authorities of any other country. The attack has always been one-sided, and an attack on a group of obedient to the authorities, truly religious, fundamentally peace-loving people.\nThe decision to return the case to the prosecutor's office has not entered into force, it can be appealed to the Primorsky Regional Court.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-09-29T10:45:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/09/11/image_hu_7c24d0eb7f292426.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/09/11/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/09/11/image_hu_eeffcb23bef646d5.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/09/11/image_hu_e404b77ae6a6b90.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/09/11.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["case-to-prosecutor","families"],"title":"\"Discussing the Bible is not an extremism.\" The court, instead of sentencing believer Barmakina, returned the case to the prosecutor","type":"news"},{"body":"Kamchatka residents Vera Zolotova and spouses Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenovs were found guilty of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization. Sentence was announced on September 25, 2020 in Yelizovsky district court. Believers do not admit guilt and consider the events to be religious persecution.\nIt is noteworthy that when the court passed its sentence, it reclassified the article of the prosecution. Investigators and prosecutors considered that believers were guilty of \"organization\" of extremist community (part 1 of article 282.2 of RF Criminal Code) and the court eventually declared them guilty of \"participation\" in it (part 2 of article 282.2 of RF Criminal Code). In addition, the state prosecution recommended imposing an unbearable fine on the believers: 1,200,000 rubles for the Bazhenovs and 400,000 rubles for Vera Zolotova. However, the court sentenced all three to 2 years conditionally with a probationary period of 3 years and subsequent restraint of freedom for 6 months.\n\"The situation in Yelizovo clearly showed that the articles of the Criminal Code were applied to believers in a completely arbitrary manner. In reality we are not talking about any organization or any participation in any kind of extremism. People simply study the Bible together, pray and learn to love their neighbors in the spirit of the Gospel. They're infinitely far from extremism,\" said Yaroslav Sivulsky of the European Jehovah's Witnesses Association.\nThe prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yelizovo began in the summer of 2018. The city residents were searched in August that year. Among the 11 detainees were former schoolteacher Konstantin Bazhenov, his wife Snezhana, who worked as a teacher at school, their minor daughter, and pensioner Vera Zolotova. The believers were taken to the temporary detention center. Konstantin spent 8 days in the pre-trial detention center. Snezhana and Vera were released after 2 days. All of them, except for the minor, were taken to sign up for not leaving.\nThese peaceful citizens were accused of holding joint worship services and conversations with others about God, which the operatives considered to be the organization of the banned extremist organization.\nFour days before the verdict, on September 21, 2020, the defendants delivered their last word, saying that they were being prosecuted for reading the Bible and praying to Jehovah.\n\"I have the right to have my religious beliefs, live in harmony with them and share them with others. This right gives me both God and Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation\", - said in an appeal to the judge Vera Zolotova.\nKonstantin Bazhenov asked the judge to allow him to continue \"to gather peacefully and openly with friends to read the Bible and sing songs of praise to our God Jehovah\". And his wife, Snezhana, reminded that Jehovah's Witnesses had already been repressed in the USSR, but were later rehabilitated by the state.\nLaw enforcers mistakenly accept the religion of citizens for participation in the extremist organization's activities. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"do not evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine, and do not contain restrictions or prohibitions on individual practice of the above doctrine.\nThe court's decision has not entered into force. Believers will appeal against it.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-09-25T21:37:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/09/10/image_hu_90e6d400b65cd012.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/09/10/image_hu_c86f1b9e6bd29eb6.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/09/10/image_hu_2f6497d14e7f9c2c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/09/10/image_hu_66d319b908187f24.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/09/10.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","families","elderly"],"title":"Two Years of Conditional Imprisonment for Faith.  A 73-year-old Woman and a Married Couple Sentenced in Kamchatka","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 27, 2020, the FSB department for Sakhalin region stopped criminal prosecution for religious activities of two Nevelsk residents, 50-year-old Vyacheslav Ivanov and 23-year-old Dmitry Kulakov.\n\"This positive event indicates that, if the law enforcement agencies wish, they are able to conduct an objective investigation and do not give in to the trend of harmful to society persecution of peaceful believers. I want to believe that the same result will come to other criminal cases, which were groundlessly prosecuted only for religious beliefs,\" - commented the situation representative of the European Jehovah's Witnesses Association Yaroslav Sivulsky.\nIvanov and Kulakov were detained in July 2019 when they were talking to local residents about God and the Bible. On the same day, they were released. Later a criminal case was initiated against the believers under part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. According to the case materials, Dmitry and Vyacheslav \"by prior conspiracy... conducted conversations with residents.... at home, trying to impose on them the ideas that were preached by a religious association liquidated by court order in connection with extremist activities\".\nIn October 2019 the houses of the men were searched. The seized publications, audio cassettes, disks, a laptop and a telephone were sent by law enforcement agencies for examination, which found no signs of extremism, hatred, hostility or degradation of dignity on religious grounds. In addition, the expert concluded that the submitted materials did not support the idea of superiority of one religion over another.\nAfter reviewing the facts, FSB investigator Melnikov D. S. terminated the criminal proceedings because, as stated in the ruling, \"the actions of Kulakov and Ivanov are of a general religious nature related to the right to practice a religion that is not prohibited in the Russian Federation, which is guaranteed by Article 28 of the Russian Constitution. As recalled in the document, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not assess the legality of Jehovah's Witnesses' religious beliefs or the ways in which they were expressed. No crime was found in the actions of Vyacheslav and Dmitry.\nThus, Dmitry Kulakov is no longer a defendant in a criminal case. However, Ivanov Vyacheslav is still a suspect in another criminal case opened against five Sakhalinians, including Dmitry Kulakov's parents - Tatiana and Sergei.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2020-09-24T08:09:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/09/8/image_hu_18a2be88764acce8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/09/8/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/09/8/image_hu_46d1871d7a9e08a4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/09/8/image_hu_f116ad52193a4235.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/09/8.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["case-dismissed","families"],"title":"On Sakhalin, the FSB Stopped Criminal Proceedings Against Believers for Talking About God - Not a Crime","type":"news"},{"body":"Captain of Justice D. V. Antonov, senior investigator-criminalist of the investigation department of the FSB Directorate for the Magadan Region, initiates another criminal case against Yevgeny Zyablov under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremism). The new case is assigned a 12007440001000020 number. It is combined with the 11807440001000013 case into one proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2020-08-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20200809","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 6, 2020, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court overturned the sentence of Alexander Pryanikov, Venera, and Daria Dulova, who were conditionally convicted six months ago for a term of 1 to 2.5 years. The case is being returned to the Karpinsky City Court for consideration by another judge.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-08-06T17:26:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/08/3/image_hu_c8ae4f80b481df50.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/08/3/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/08/3/image_hu_388db195b5ad1025.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/08/3/image_hu_a8777e00c1b159b4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/08/3.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","families"],"title":"The Sverdlovsk Court Overturned the Conviction of Three Jehovah's Witnesses From Karpinsk","type":"news"},{"body":"FSB officers search the house of Yuri Chernykh and his wife Yelena. After the searches, they are taken for interrogation to the FSB department in Prokopyevsk. It turns out that the investigative actions are taking place in the framework of the criminal case against Andrei Vlasov.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Yelena Chernykh in Prokopyevsk","date":"2020-07-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/prokopyevsk/index.html#20200712","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["interrogation","search","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Vladimir Suvorov gets acquainted with the documents on the case. The investigator also interrogates Suvorov's wife, Valentina, as a witness. A separate criminal case had previously been initiated against her. The investigator notifies Suvorov of his intention to bring charges against him.\n","caseTitle":"The case of Suvorov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2020-06-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk3/index.html#20200615","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["interrogation","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 11, 2020, Natalia Senchenko and Olga Ivanova, judges of the Kirovskiy district court of Astrakhan, decided to send three believers to the detention center: Sergey Klikunov, Rustam Diarov, and Yevgeniy Ivanov. All three have families. Judge Nadezhda Melikhova put under house arrest Yevgeny Ivanov’s wife, Olga.\nJune 9, 2020 in Astrakhan, about one hundred of law enforcement officers searched two dozen families of local Jehovah's Witnesses. That day, investigators detained for three days Sergey Klikunov, 45, Rustam Diarov, 46, Evgeniy Ivanov, 43, and his wife, Olga Ivanova, 37.\nAs of June 12, 2020, 34 people are languishing in Russian prisons for their faith in Jehovah. Another 142 people, after having been behind bars for several years to many months, have been changed to a milder measure, such as house arrest, a ban on certain actions, or a not-exit subscription. The longest person behind bars is Dennis Christensen from the City of Orel (3 years and 1 month). The longest sentence was passed on 61-year-old Gennady Shpakovsky from Pskov (6.5 years in prison).\nThe Astrakhan judges, justifying their decision on the strictest measure of restraint for peaceful believers, draw attention to the fact that they carried out \"an encroachment directed against the foundations of the constitutional order.” In particular, Judge Natalia Senchenko notes in her ruling that \"Diarov's involvement in the crime is confirmed ... by the testimony of a witness about the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose activities differ from the traditional principles of Christianity.”\nUnder what article are the Astrakhan believers charged? On June 8th , a criminal case was brought against them by a senior investigator for investigation of particularly important cases of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Astrakhan region, N. P. Banko. Three men are charged under part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of extremist activity). Olga Ivanova (she's the judge's namesake) is charged with part 2 of article 282.2 (participation in extremist activities). The charges directly go back to the Supreme Court decision of 20 April 2017 on liquidation of all registered Jehovah's Witnesses organizations. Although religion itself was not banned, which is emphasized by the Russian government, law enforcement officials do not distinguish between the inherent right of everyone to freedom of religion and participation in the activities of an organization whose activities are prohibited by the court.\nLawyers and human rights activists both in Russia and abroad unanimously condemn the actions of the authorities against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2020-06-12T13:03:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/colony4_hu_fbb0f6cf1b601cc0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/colony4_hu_51441f02ed3083fc.jpg","webp":"/news/common/colony4_hu_d4437787afa78821.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/colony4_hu_ceca8910487919d5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/06/11.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","house-arrest","families","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"In Astrakhan, the Court Put Three Jehovah's Witnesses Behind Bars and Placed the Wife of One of Them Under House Arrest From Prison","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 19, 2020 the investigation expanded the list of defendants in the second criminal case of Pryanikov and others in Karpinsk. New suspects were Anastasia Pryanikova and the Zalyaevs. Now three Uralian families are being prosecuted on far-fetched extremism charges.\nIt is noteworthy that three of the six suspects, Aleksandr Pryanikov, as well as Venera and Darya Dulova (a mother and her daughter), have already been sentenced to suspended terms on charges of involvement in extremist activities in January 2020. The court decision was appealed, while a new criminal case was opened against the believers under part 1.1 of article 282.2 (\"involvement in an extremist organization\"), which implies a more severe punishment - up to 8 years in prison.\nIn March the house of Ruslan and Svetlana Zalyaev was searched as part of the investigation of this case. On the 19th of May they together with Aleksandr Pryanikov's wife Anastasia were included in the list of suspects under part 2 of article 282.2, and two days later A.S. Spirin, senior investigator of the Investigative Department of Krasnoturyinsk city, took from them a recognizance not to live and proper behavior.\nIt is noteworthy that Ruslan Zalyaev is not a Jehovah's Witness, nevertheless he is suspected of \"participating in the activities of the Local Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Krasnoturinsk by [...] holding conversations in order to promote religious exclusivity.\"\nIt is clear from the decree on the measure of restraint for believers that criminal prosecution is carried out on religious grounds. Svetlana Zalyayeva, the Pryanikovs and the Dulovs family are charged with the fact that they have not stopped communicating with others about God and gather for religious meetings - similar accusations have been made against entire families in the past.\n\"Harmless believers are accused of 'grave crimes,' but there are no victims or any signs of real crimes against the individual or the state in the case,\" comments Yaroslav Sivulsky of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, noting that groundless religious repression leads to open condemnation of Russia by the international community.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-05-28T13:45:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/05/20/image_hu_2d0903fd643331b5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/05/20/image_hu_ba79b5bab4143086.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/05/20/image_hu_12e70f6b89c34f3c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/05/20/image_hu_cd75a6b8b5ab82ce.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/05/20.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","new-case","282.2-2","282.2-1.1"],"title":"Three More People Prosecuted for Their Faith in the Sverdlovsk Region. Six Defendants Are in the Case Now","type":"news"},{"body":"Since 2016, at least 18 cases of harassment of the children of Jehovah's Witnesses have been recorded in various regions of Russia. Five such episodes occurred in January 2020. Dozens of minors suffered from religious persecution.\nUnder the pretext of \"treatment for coronavirus\", in the early morning of March 30, 2020, in the city of Volchansk (Sverdlovsk region), security forces invaded the apartment of the Zalyayev family. Investigator Vladimir Sudin kept the spouses and their 2 minor children naked in the corridor until he read out the search warrant and seized the phones of all family members. After the search, Ruslan Zalyaev, the father of the family, was taken to the police station for interrogation. There he was interrogated about his attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses, threatened with a prison term for his faith and an unenviable fate for his children: \"Think, you will be imprisoned, and the children will be sent to an orphanage.\"\nOn January 17, 2020, a man and two women, one of whom was in the uniform of a law enforcement officer, interrogated a sixth-grader during a break in one of the schools in Georgievsk. In violation of the law, the interrogation was conducted without the presence of parents or legal representatives. The child was asked questions on a tape recording, asking if he or his parents were Jehovah's Witnesses and if he knew any of the representatives of this faith. Four days later, on January 21, this student was interrogated during the lesson - the boy was asked the same questions. Earlier, a series of searches took place in Georgievsk, and a criminal case was opened on suspicion of believers of extremism. The schoolboy's mother, who is raising him alone, is very alarmed by the situation. According to her, she has almost stopped sleeping at night and is afraid to let the child go to school.\nAnother interrogation of a minor took place on January 16, 2020 in one of the western regions of Russia. Before that, the investigator intended to come to school and interrogate the child \"in front of everyone.\" The boy's parents came with him for questioning at the law enforcement department. The child was asked if he knew any of the believers, including those who are now accused of extremism. Earlier, the security forces interrogated the relatives of the teenager, consolidating the trend of religious persecution of entire families. Now the child's relatives are very concerned about the possible development of events.\nAccording to one of the lawyers, in the Smolensk region, parents were often frightened by deprivation of parental rights. \"There was an attempt to interrogate a minor in Smolensk in May 2019. Then the police came to the school, took the mobile phone from the teenage girl and tried to interrogate her with the participation of the school psychologist. This was avoided thanks to the intervention of the mother, \"says a lawyer with knowledge of the situation in the region.\nOn January 19, 2020, two children , aged 9 and 12, were interrogated in Kazan after security forces broke into the apartment of a local resident, Tatyana Obizhestvit. All her guests, including children, were taken for interrogation to the Department for Combating Organized Crime. During the interrogations, the security forces intimidated believers.\nOften, security forces invade residential buildings with searches in the morning and evening, greatly frightening sleeping children. This is exactly what happened in Sochi in October 2019, when a group of armed special forces broke into Vyacheslav Popov's house through a balcony, breaking the handrails and breaking the windows.\nIn some cases, law enforcement officers acted disproportionately harshly. In July 2019, in Kaluga, during the arrest of Roman Makhnev, the security forces put his 15-year-old daughter barefoot on the street. For a long time, the girl stood in the rain while the search was going on. At this time, publications from the Federal List of Extremist Materials were planted under her bed.\nIn the spring of 2019, in Yemanzhelinsk (Chelyabinsk region), after a search, law enforcement officers detained parents, leaving the children under the supervision of acquaintances. Under similar circumstances, in November 2018, in Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Territory), security forces took away the parents of a one-year-old child for interrogation, leaving the baby with his grandmother.\nIn December 2018, during a search in Neftekumsk (Stavropol Territory), the security forces stripped the minor to his underwear.\nOn June 26, 2018, in Shuya (Ivanovo region), security forces took a 10-year-old girl to the branch of the Investigative Committee and interrogated her. In the presence of the school psychologist, the child was forced to reveal the religion of the family, she burst into tears from stress. Law enforcement officers put pressure on the girl's mother, threatening to open a case on involving minors in \"committing a crime\" - reading the Bible, praying, meeting with fellow believers.\nDuring a special operation in Polyarny (Murmansk region) in May 2018, special forces soldiers broke down the door to Roman Markin's apartment. At gunpoint, they laid him and his 16-year-old daughter face down on the floor. After the search, Markin's daughter was taken away and interrogated until 3 a.m.\nIn August 2017, during a raid on believers in Neftekumsk, security forces arrested a group of 18 people, including children. The police brought them to tears, interrogating them for 3 hours about their attitude to religion. The interrogations were conducted despite the protests of the parents, without explaining the rights and obligations of minors.\nShortly after the Supreme Court's decision to ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses legal entities in April 2017, three cases of pressure on children in schools in Bashkortostan, Rostov and Kirov regions became known at once. In the suburbs, the school principal threatened to transfer the parents of an 8-year-old girl to another form of education. As it turned out, the girl was singing songs of Jehovah's Witnesses, and also talked about God with a classmate.\nChildren of believers faced harassment on religious grounds even before the Supreme Court's decision. In 2016, at least 25 law enforcement officers disrupted a worship service in a local community in St. Petersburg. Among those present were minors who were interrogated by the security forces.\nIt is generally accepted that children and the elderly require special care from society and the state. However, in Russia, a misinterpretation of the legislation on extremism jeopardizes not only the religious freedoms of these categories of citizens, but also their physical and emotional health.\n","category":"discrimination","date":"2020-04-06T13:48:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":false,"permalink":"/en/news/2020/04/6.html","regions":["sverdlovsk","stavropol","smolensk","krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["minors","families","search","interrogation","review"],"title":"Little Victims of Big Injustice. Children of Jehovah's Witnesses Are Detained, Interrogated, Humiliated","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 20, 2020, the investigator D. Melnikov opened another criminal case under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against local resident Tatyana Kulakova. Criminal investigations are under way against her husband and eldest son, Dmitriy. The youngest of the Kulakov family, Yevgeniy, for reasons of conscience, asks to replace his military service with alternative civilian service (ACS). However, the authorized bodies unreasonably deny his request, threatening criminal prosecution for \"evading military service.\"\nMore than a year has passed since the first searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers on Sakhalin. Back in December 2018, a criminal case was opened in this region against a 57-year-old resident of the city of Nevelsk, Sergey Kulakov. 8 months later, on August 29, 2019, their eldest son, Dmitry, was among the suspects under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nYevgeny, the youngest of the Kulakov family, for reasons of conscience asks to replace his military service with alternative civilian service (ACS), but the authorized bodies groundlessly refuse him, threatening him with criminal prosecution for \"evading military service\". The believer had already lost in the court of first instance and appealed to a higher court.\nTo date, there are at least 20 cases in Russia where two or more family members are prosecuted because of their faith in Jehovah God.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-04-02T15:15:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_a8c404e2bc8d351e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_314afd7539e86e80.jpg","webp":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_2ad7449984257986.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_34a0012c7c562f22.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/04/4.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","asc","282.2-2"],"title":"On Sakhalin, Criminal Cases for Faith Have Been Opened Against Parents and the Eldest Son. The Youngest Son Defends the Right to ACS in Courts","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 30, 2020, in Karpinsk, security forces again searched the homes of Venera Dulova and her daughter, Daria, as well as Aleksandr Pryanikov, who received suspended sentences on extremism charges at the end of January. The security forces also invaded the apartment of another family in the city of Volchansk (Sverdlovsk region).\nThe believers were involved in a new criminal case. Digital media and electronic devices were seized from them. After the searches, law enforcement officers interrogated Aleksandr Pryanikov and his wife, Anastasia, and searched their car.\nIt is noteworthy that the search warrant was issued by Svetlana Gabbasova, the same judge of the Karpinsky City Court who had previously sentenced Dulov and Pryanikov to suspended sentences; both then and now, investigator Vladimir Sudin initiated a criminal case. In addition to him, investigators A. Spirin and A. Ovchinnikov participated in the searches.\nThe decision to initiate a new criminal case was signed on February 18, 2020. If the last time believers were accused and found guilty under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization), then in the framework of a new case under Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (involvement in the activities of an extremist organization), three believers are accused of talking about God with residents of Karpinsk. At the same time, witnesses appear in the case, \"whose true data is kept secret.\"\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-04-02T08:40:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/04/2/image_hu_f4857a1079465ea9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/04/2/image_hu_fd872bc8b1e95df3.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/04/2/image_hu_b014f2fdb6094e02.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/04/2/image_hu_927af9760f9fa97d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/04/2.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families","new-case","282.2-1.1"],"title":"A Criminal Case for Faith Reopened Against the Already Convicted Residents of Karpinsk. A Series of Searches Took Place","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Oleg Makerov initiates a criminal case against Sergey Verkhoturov's wife Victoria under Part 2 of Article 282. 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This criminal case is being investigated separately.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Verhoturov in Nizhny Novgorod","date":"2020-03-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/nizhniy-novgorod4/index.html#20200326","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["282.2-2","new-case","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Alexander Chepenko, an investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Department of the TFR in the Chelyabinsk region, opened a criminal case against 74-year-old Vladimir Suvorov. The accusations are based on conversations about God with residents of Chelyabinsk and discussion of the Bible among fellow believers.\nThe criminal case against Vladimir Suvorov was initiated on January 16, 2020 under the article \"organization of extremist activity\" (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nAs stated in the decision to initiate the case, Vladimir organized meetings of fellow believers, during which they prayed to Jehovah together and sang religious songs. The investigator interpreted these actions as a continuation of the activities of the legal entity, the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Chelyabinsk\", which was actually liquidated back in May 2017 after the Supreme Court decision to ban 396 legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nOn February 26, investigator Chepenko summoned Vladimir for interrogation, during which he orally informed the believer that he was under recognizance not to leave. Vladimir himself stated during the interrogation that he had never been engaged in extremist activities, and petitioned for the termination of the criminal case due to the absence of the fact of the crime itself.\nEarlier, the same investigator charged Vladimir's wife, 71-year-old Valentina Suvorova, with extremism. Now she is under recognizance not to leave.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-03-02T17:36:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_a8c404e2bc8d351e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_314afd7539e86e80.jpg","webp":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_2ad7449984257986.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_34a0012c7c562f22.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/03/1.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["elderly","families","interrogation","recognizance-agreement","282.2-1"],"title":"A 74-year-old Resident of Chelyabinsk and His Wife Persecuted for Faith. The Investigator Considered the Elderly Couple Extremists","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Chepenko summons Suvorov for interrogation, during which he informs the believer that he is under recognizance not to leave. Suvorov declares that he has never been engaged in extremist activities, and petitions for the termination of the criminal case in the absence of the very fact of the crime.\nEarlier, the same investigator charged Vladimir's wife, 71-year-old Valentina Suvorova, with extremism.\n","caseTitle":"The case of Suvorov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2020-02-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk3/index.html#20200226","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["interrogation","recognizance-agreement","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 6, 2020, criminal cases were opened in Birobidzhan on suspicion of extremism against six women. Two more criminal cases - against citizens Andrei Gubin and Oleg Postnikov - were initiated on February 12. In total, 19 criminal cases were initiated against 22 believers in the city.\nThe cases against 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Natalia Krieger were initiated by D. Yankin, a senior forensic investigator of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region.\nAll six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Investigator D. Yankin opened a similar case against 44-year-old Andrey Gubin.\nIn relation to 55-year-old Oleg Postnikov, the case under the same article was initiated by the senior investigator of the investigation department of the FSB I. Fedorov.\nEarlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky. All four men are under recognizance agreement. The cases of Guzev and Lokhvitsky are already being considered in the Birobidzhan District Court.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-02-18T17:58:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_a8c404e2bc8d351e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_314afd7539e86e80.jpg","webp":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_2ad7449984257986.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/criminal_case_hu_34a0012c7c562f22.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/02/66.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"title":"In Birobidzhan, the Investigator Accused Eight of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Number of Criminal Cases for Faith in the City Reaches 19","type":"news"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior criminal investigator of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates another criminal case for his faith under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - against 46-year-old Andrey Gubin. On the same day, I. Fedorov, a senior investigator of the FSB Investigation Department, opened a similar case against 55-year-old Oleg Postnikov. (A week earlier, on 06.02.2020, investigator D. Yankin opened 6 similar cases at once against 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Natalia Krieger. Even earlier, the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev - became accused under similar articles. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky. A total of 19 criminal cases were initiated against 22 believers in the city.)\n","caseTitle":"Case of Gubin in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan18/index.html#20200212","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior forensic investigator of the investigation department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates another criminal case for his faith under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - against 44-year-old Andrey Gubin. On the same day, I. Fedorov, a senior investigator of the FSB Investigation Department, opened a similar case against 55-year-old Oleg Postnikov. (A week earlier, on 06.02.2020, investigator D. Yankin opened 6 similar cases at once against 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Natalia Krieger. Even earlier, the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev - became accused under similar articles. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky. A total of 19 criminal cases were initiated against 22 believers in the city.)\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Postnikovs in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan19/index.html#20200212","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 6 criminal cases for faith against 6 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Nataliya Kriger . All six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"Case of A. Lokhvitskaya in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan12/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 6 criminal cases for faith against 6 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Nataliya Kriger . All six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"Case of Scholner in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan13/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 6 criminal cases for faith against 6 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Nataliya Kriger . All six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"The case of I. Lokhvitskaya in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan14/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 6 criminal cases for faith against 6 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Nataliya Kriger . All six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"Case of Zagulina in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan15/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 6 criminal cases for faith against 6 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina, 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva and 41-year-old Nataliya Kriger . All six women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"Case of Guzeva in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan16/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"D. Yankin, a senior investigator-criminalist of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates 5 criminal cases for faith against 5 women at once: 57-year-old Irina Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Anna Lokhvitskaya, 26-year-old Tatyana Sholner, 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina and 40-year-old Anastasia Guzeva. All women are charged with part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, they resumed the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan, which was liquidated in 2016, as well as the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. (Earlier, the defendants in the criminal case under similar articles were the husbands of Natalia Krieger, Tatyana Zagulina and Anastasia Guzeva - Valery Krieger, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. And Irina and Anna Lokhvitsky were prosecuted after their son and husband Artur Lokhvitsky.)\n","caseTitle":"The Kriger Case in Birobidzhan","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan17/index.html#20200206","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 27, 2020, a judge of the Karpinsky City Court of the Sverdlovsk Region, Svetlana Gabbasova, decided in the case of three peaceful civilians under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in extremism). All received suspended sentences lasting from one to two and a half years plus restrictions solely on the basis of their religious views.\nAlexander Pryanikov received the harshest sentence - 2.5 years probation with a probationary period of 2.5 years. Venera Dulova was given a 2-year suspended sentence with a probationary period of 2 years; Darya Dulova — 1 year probation with a probationary period of 1 year.\nAll three are additionally forbidden to visit crowded places and change their place of residence. When changing jobs, it is necessary to notify the supervisory authorities. Twice a month it is necessary to report to the police. If the terms of the probation period are violated, the suspended sentence may be replaced by a real prison term.\nThe believers intend to appeal the illegal verdict on the basis of confessional affiliation. The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in Russia.\nPryanikov and the Dulovs have become the latest victims of law enforcement agencies that interpret the usual practice of religion as participation in extremist activities or its organization. The case against the believers has been under investigation since July 30, 2018, although Aleksandr and Venera were first detained for distributing (unbanned) religious literature back in April 2016. Then they were accused of theft without evidence.\nTwo years later, they were equally unsubstantiated accused of extremism. The case involves a religious examination of personal notes and telephone conversations between Alexander and Venus, which established two facts: they talked about religion; religion is related to Jehovah God. That's all the \"crime\", the investigation of which took a year and a half. 19-year-old Daria Dulova became the youngest defendant in cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nAfter the verdict in Karpinsk, the number of those unjustly convicted for believing in Jehovah in Russia reached 37.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-01-27T08:12:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/39/image_hu_f4857a1079465ea9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/39/image_hu_fd872bc8b1e95df3.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/39/image_hu_b014f2fdb6094e02.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/39/image_hu_927af9760f9fa97d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/39.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-2","families","suspended"],"title":"In Karpinsk, the Faith of a Man and Two Women Leads to Criminal Convictions","type":"news"},{"body":"Senior investigator-criminalist D. V. Antonov takes over the criminal case of 13 believers.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2020-01-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20200127","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Thoughts from the Bible, which Jehovah's Witnesses talk about with others, teach peace, improve family ties, and help not to become embittered in difficulties. Vladimir Alushkin , one of six Penza residents accused of extremism for worshiping Jehovah God, told the court about this.\nThe court did not heed Alushkin's arguments and sentenced him to 6 years in prison. The verdict was appealed. In anticipation of the appeal, we publish the last word of Vladimir Alushkin with small abbreviations. He spoke with it before the Penza court on December 12, 2019. Vladimir explains in detail what and why he believes, as well as what it led to.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-01-24T08:58:05+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/31/image_hu_71f53ec2a161899.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/31/image_hu_a144d32f4e2c1f3d.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/31/image_hu_7e8520dd81fafc03.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/31/image_hu_aff7205337fb2aa1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/31.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["final-statement","courtroom","families"],"title":"“God Taught Me Patience and Love for People.” The Last Word of Vladimir Alushkin in the Court of Penza","type":"news"},{"body":"Today, January 23, the court for 47 days (until March 11, 2020) imprisoned a resident of Kursk, Andrei Ryshkov. The decision on another detainee, Oleksandr Vospitanyuk, has not yet been made by the judicial authorities.\nAndrey Ryshkov, 32, and Aleksandr Vospitanyuk, 40, were detained on January 21, 2020 after they appeared for questioning. It is not yet known exactly what they are accused of, but the detention took place against the backdrop of a series of searches and arrests that took place in Kursk last fall in connection with a criminal case under \"extremist\" articles initiated for reading and discussing the Bible together.\nSince then, Kurians Andrey Andreev and a married couple Alevtina and Artyom Bagratyan have been behind bars. The latter's health problems worsened after his arrest.\nIn most cases, the detention of detainees in pre-trial detention facilities is not limited to the initial term, since the courts then extend the measure of restraint. Sometimes peaceful believers are forced to spend a year or even more in a pre-trial detention center awaiting trial. For example, Dmitry Barmakin , a believer from Vladivostok, spent almost a year and three months in prison.\nThe security forces perceive the confession of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as a continuation of the activities of the 396 legal organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses banned in Russia, although the courts did not prohibit the faith itself.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2020-01-23T17:04:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/depositphotos_21862193_hu_c1ba1fe0fba8de81.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/depositphotos_21862193.jpg","webp":"/news/common/depositphotos_21862193_hu_6352a6d9befce345.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/depositphotos_21862193_hu_7dda90e3b5ffe468.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/28.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","families","health-risk","interrogation"],"title":"The Kursk court sent the believer to a pre-trial detention center. The number of Kurians arrested for their faith has reached four","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 21, 2020, believers were detained in Kursk: 40-year-old Aleksandr Vospitanyuk and 32-year-old Andrey Ryshkov. The question of the measure of restraint will be decided in court on January 23. Since mid-October, Kurians Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan and their friend Andrei Andreev have also been languishing behind bars.\nAndrey Ryshkov was invited to the FSB building for interrogation as a witness. However, already on the spot, the security forces declared him a suspect. It is not yet known what exactly. Under similar circumstances, Aleksandr Vospitanyuk was detained. Details are still unknown.\nIn October and November 2019, several waves of searches and detentions of local residents suspected of joint worship of Jehovah took place in Kursk. Artyom Bagratyan, who is in pre-trial detention, has his health deteriorated sharply.\nLaw enforcement officers interpret the confession of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as a continuation of the activities of 396 legal organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses banned in Russia, although the courts did not prohibit the faith itself.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2020-01-22T13:25:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_4c19bccc616a0461.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_e7ed3c04c528ed3b.jpg","webp":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_e58593e77498609.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/handcuffs_hu_3097a2541128b86e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/23.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["interrogation","sizo","health-risk","search","families"],"title":"Two more believers were detained in Kursk. Earlier, a woman and two men had already been sent to the Kursk pre-trial detention center","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 20, 2020, in Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk region), the hearing of arguments began in the case of Alexander Pryanikov, Venera Dulova and her 19-year-old daughter Daria. At the hearing in the Karpinsky City Court, the prosecutor demanded a suspended sentence of 3 years for Alexander and Venera and 2 years for Daria.\nAlso, the prosecution asks to appoint 3 years of probation for Alexander and Venus and 2 years of probation for Daria.\nThe catchy case against Alexander Pryanikov and Venera Dulova was initiated in the summer of 2018. Later, Daria was included in it. All this time, the investigation tried to collect evidence of the guilt of peaceful believers under the grave article of the Criminal Code - 282.2 (2) (participation in extremist activities), but found only the facts of reading the Bible with friends.\nThe sentencing is expected on January 27 at 9:30 a.m. The presiding judge is Gabbasova S.V.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-01-21T10:44:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/16/image_hu_f4857a1079465ea9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/16/image_hu_fd872bc8b1e95df3.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/16/image_hu_b014f2fdb6094e02.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/16/image_hu_927af9760f9fa97d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/16.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["prosecutor-request","suspended","families"],"title":"In Karpinsk, Prosecution Asks 2 and 3 Years of Suspended Sentence for 3 Citizens, Including One Hearing Impaired","type":"news"},{"body":"Three believing residents of Georgievsk (Stavropol Territory) became the object of close attention of law enforcement officers - a married couple was accused of extremism. Also, the defendant in the criminal case was the father of two minor children who underwent heart surgery.\nAs it became known on January 11, 2020, a criminal case was opened on charges of organizing and participating in extremist activities in the context of searches in Georgievsk that took place on October 23, 2019.\nSpecial services raided three addresses, in each case the owners planted flash drives. Then 11 people were detained, they were interrogated until late at night, after which they were released.\nOne of the searches took place in the house of Viktor Zimovskiy. Some time ago, he underwent severe heart surgery. Victor became ill right during the special events. Nevertheless, he was also taken to the police station and interrogated along with everyone else.\nAccording to the Investigative Committee, Victor convened and held meetings of fellow believers in the household provided by the couple. Believers discussed with those who came \"religious intolerance towards representatives of other faiths,\" as follows from the message on the website of the Investigative Committee for Stavropol. This is what the security forces call peaceful prayers and joint discussions of the principles of Christian life. A criminal case was opened against all three under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of Russia.\nThe repression may affect not only Viktor's health, but also his family. Viktor has two small children of preschool and primary school age, his wife is pregnant with her third child.\nBelievers have repeatedly told how religious persecution hits families. In addition, there have been cases when the stress associated with the actions of the security forces led to the failure of pregnancy. This happened in the Lungu family of Dzhankoy.\nUpdate. On January 23, 2020, investigator A. M. Ostya summoned Viktor Zimovskiy for questioning and immediately detained him, sending him to the temporary detention facility. The next day, the Georgievsk City Court arrested Viktor for 1 month and 6 days. It is not yet known in which pre-trial detention center the believer will await trial. ","category":"trial","date":"2020-01-16T09:42:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/usb-flash_hu_1ea7369786ae2d86.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/usb-flash_hu_180cb0f5b9385364.jpg","webp":"/news/common/usb-flash_hu_7f924ef94ac140a0.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/usb-flash_hu_4b5889e29bec1275.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/6.html","regions":["stavropol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families","minors","new-case","plant","health-risk","interrogation","282.2-1","282.2-2","disability"],"title":"Searches in Georgievsk Lead to Criminal Prosecution of Three Believers Including the Father of Two Children","type":"news"},{"body":"Alexander Chepenko, an investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Chelyabinsk Region, initiates a criminal case against 74-year-old Vladimir Suvorov under the article \"organization of extremist activity\" (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The decision to initiate the case states that Suvorov organized meetings of fellow believers, during which they prayed to Jehovah together and sang religious songs. The investigator interprets these actions as a continuation of the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Chelyabinsk\", which was liquidated after the decision of the Supreme Court to liquidate 396 legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\n","caseTitle":"The case of Suvorov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2020-01-16T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk3/index.html#20200116","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","elderly","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Among the hundreds of respectable citizens against whom criminal cases have been unjustly initiated, there are entire families - married couples, parents and children. Below are a few examples of how false accusations separate loved ones, breaking their destinies.\n\"In prison, he sings songs instead of radio\"\nIn July 2018, security forces with machine guns at the ready broke into the apartment of the spouses Vladimir and Tatyana Alushkin in the Penza region and searched it. Vladimir was arrested. He spent 3 days in a temporary detention facility, 181 days in a pre-trial detention center and 333 days under house arrest. For almost a year and a half, he was physically unable to take care of his family.\nOn December 13, 2019, the court sentenced both spouses: he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, and she was given a 2-year suspended sentence. Vladimir was taken into custody in the courtroom. Separation again, now for years.\nTatyana, despite the harsh realities, does not lose heart and actively supports those who find themselves in a similar situation.\n\"I was on a date,\" she says. - Volodya has already received some e-mails (we are talking about letters that are sent to Vladimir Alushkin in prison). Thank you all so much! He prays for everyone. He sits alone. The sound of the radio has the ability to remove itself, instead of it sings our songs. Calm and joyful.\"\nLife in a pre-trial detention center is under attack\nHusband and wife from the Kursk region Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan have been in jail since October 16, 2019. In the dungeons of the detention center, Alevtina immediately caught a cold. Artem's health problems have reached a critical level. According to the lawyer, there is a threat to life.\n\"In the pre-trial detention center, Artem is not allowed to take the medicines he was taking before his arrest. In the isolation ward, he is given analogues that are ineffective. They also do not provide a special diet,\" his lawyer said.\nIn addition, the criminal prosecution deprived the spouses of their livelihood. Alevtina's mother needs constant help. The woman is very worried about her daughter and son-in-law.\n\"I felt my husband smell like prison\"\nDmitriy and Elena Barmakin, a family from Primorsky Krai, also had to face the hardships of persecution for their faith. Dmitriy spent 447 days in the pre-trial detention center, some of them in solitary confinement in a damp basement.\nAbout two months after Dmitry's arrest, Rosfinmonitoring blocked Yelena's bank cards. She could not get a permanent job because of the criminal proceedings - she could be summoned to court or for interrogation at any time. Moreover, a criminal case was initiated against Elena herself.\nAfter Dmitry was transferred to house arrest, the couple are together again. It is possible that temporarily, since the courts on the merits are ahead.\nHere's how Elena describes the first hours after separation:\n\"I just didn't expect such a result! For a year and two months, I got used to the fact that he was constantly left in custody ... And when Dima was released right in the courtroom, it was, of course, a shock! I didn't even know how to rejoice... My girlfriends immediately began to cry, and I just froze with surprise. Complete prostration! And when we came to the apartment, I felt the smell of prison from my husband for some time.\nDmitry admits that the imprisonment greatly influenced him. \"A lot has happened in the 15 months that I spent in jail,\" he says. \"The long separation has changed us, and now we have to get to know each other again.\"\n\"I'm afraid to be at home alone\"\nGeorgy and Elena Nikulin live in Mordovia. After his arrest, the head of the family spent 147 days in a pre-trial detention center. A specialist with 9 professions, just like his wife, cannot get a job today due to criminal prosecution. The family does not have enough money for food and basic household items. Persecution for his faith undermined George's physical health. The arrest and interrogation by the FSB caused deep psychological trauma to Yelena. \"Now I'm afraid to be at home alone,\" she admits.\nEarly in the morning, masked men broke into the apartment of Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov in the Omsk region, knocking out the front door. Sergei was beaten and then taken away. Anastasia was also arrested and sent to a pre-trial detention center, where she spent 154 days. Anastasia became the first woman in recent history to be imprisoned only for her religious beliefs.\nThe two spouses then spent another 91 days under house arrest. Now Sergey and Anatasiya are under recognizance not to leave.\nAlexander and Galina Parkov from the Rostov region have been separated for more than six months - Alexander is in a pre-trial detention center. Criminal cases have been initiated against both. Galina, who is still free, had to quit her job, her bank card, to which her salary was transferred, was blocked. A woman is interrupted by odd jobs in order to support herself and support her husband.\nThe persecution of the couple had a negative impact on other family members as well. Due to stress and worries, Alexander's pregnant daughter began to have health complications.\nValeria and Sergey Rayman from the Kostroma region are the youngest couple who face 10 years in prison, despite the return of the criminal case to the prosecutor's office.\nMikhail and Oksana Solntsev became hostages of criminal cases in the Magadan region. In Taganrog, Oksana is waiting for sick parents who have no one to take care of. But she is under recognizance not to leave. Due to a similar measure of restraint, Mikhail is constrained in the ability to work and provide for his family.\n\"I became afraid of every knock on the door\"\nVenera and Daria Dulov faced persecution for their beliefs in the Sverdlovsk region. Venera is hearing impaired, and her daughter Daria is the youngest \"prisoner of conscience\" - a student. After searches conducted by law enforcement officers in the apartment and at the family's dacha, the girl is in a stressful state.\n\"I became afraid of every knock on the door,\" says Dasha, \"I stopped keeping a diary, writing poetry and even taking notes on my phone. It seems to me that uninvited guests will come again and take it all away.\nKonstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov, residents of the Kamchatka Territory, were detained during a raid in front of their minor daughter Elizaveta. Both spouses are now under recognizance not to leave and are forced to deal with the consequences of stress in their daughter.\nAt least 18 families are prosecuted for religious reasons. Among them are married couples - Mikhail and Elena Popov (Kamchatka Territory), Sergey and Natalia Mysin (Ulyanovsk Region), Vitaly and Tatyana Zhuk (Khabarovsk Territory), as well as Vilen and his son Arsen Avanesov (Rostov Region ), Sergey Kulakov together with his son Dmitry (Sakhalin Region), Valentina and Roman Baranovsky (mother and son, Khakassia), Sergey and Svetlana Malyanov (father and daughter, Nizhny Novgorod region). In some cases, law enforcement officers act with excessive harshness in relation to minor children. So, in July 2019 in Kaluga, during the arrest of Roman Makhnev, his 15-year-old daughter was put barefoot on the street by the security forces. For a long time Dasha stood in the rain. During the search, the security forces planted publications from the Federal List of Extremist Materials under the girl's bed. In this case, the child did not become a defendant in the criminal case, but her father was sent to a pre-trial detention center.\n","category":"analytics","date":"2020-01-06T15:48:50+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/1539/semi_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_63051421ccf11c56.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/1539/semi_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_fd2f8a209ca1a464.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/1539/semi_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_c7c83326829e17f0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/1539/semi_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_64d3aee7e626774a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/1539.html","regions":[],"subtitle":null,"tags":["analytics","review","families","liberty-deprivation","sizo","health-risk","medical-rights"],"title":"Relatives with the smell of prison: in Russia, whole families are judged for their beliefs","type":"news"},{"body":"Обновление. 27 января 2020 года Артём Багратян переведен из курского СИЗО в больницу, где должно пройти обследование. В начале января руководство колонии позволило родственникам передать Артёму необходимые препараты, которые он начал принимать под наблюдением медработников изолятора. Родные верующего по-прежнему сильно обеспокоены положением дела у Артёма.\nThe management and doctors of the Kursk pre-trial detention center refuse proper treatment for Artyom Bagratyan, who was arrested for reading the Bible, meeting with fellow believers and talking with others about the Bible. Artem, 47, has diabetes and hypertension, and his condition is deteriorating sharply.\nArtyom, along with his wife Alevtina and other believers, were detained in Kursk on October 16, 2019 on charges of extremism. Since then, both spouses and their acquaintance Andrey Andreev have been under arrest in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Kursk region.\n\"In the pre-trial detention center, Artem is not allowed to take the medicines he was taking before his arrest. In the isolation ward, he is given analogues that are ineffective. They also do not provide a special diet,\" Bagratyan's lawyer said, adding that there is a real threat to the life of the client.\nThe lawyer visited Bagratyan on December 26, 2019. The next day, December 27, the Leninsky District Court held hearings to extend the measure of restraint. During the meeting, Artem became ill, he had to call an ambulance, because the sugar level and blood pressure increased greatly.\n\"The doctor did not have a medicine for blood pressure, so we ran to the pharmacy. After that, Artem felt a little better, and the trial continued, \"says the lawyer.\nDespite Bagratyan's critical health, Judge Tatyana Pozdnyakova extended his arrest until March 11, 2020.\nThe case of the Bagratyan family is being conducted by the investigator of the FSB of Russia for the Kursk region M.N. Zaitsev.\nAfter Bagratyan's detention in October 2019, a series of raids took place in Kursk. On October 24 and 31, 2019, security forces searched a total of seven houses of believers. On November 6 and 11, three more searches took place.\n","category":"prison","date":"2020-01-02T17:48:08+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/1518/skoraya_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_f58c8cb96a1ce362.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/1518/skoraya_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_965a897978c440cc.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/1518/skoraya_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_2ffb8bf3826f73ff.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/1518/skoraya_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_7289c3054ada704e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/1518.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","sizo","health-risk","families"],"title":"Prisoner for Faith Is Forbidden to Take Necessary Medicine in the Kursk Pre-Trial Detention Center. His Condition Is Critical","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 13, 2019, the Leninsky District Court of Penza announced a verdict to 6 citizens whose faith was not liked by the security forces. Vladimir Alushkin was arrested in the courtroom. His wife, Tatiana, and their co-religionists Galiya Olkhova, Denis Timoshin, Andrey Magliv and Vladimir Kulyasov were given suspended sentences of 2 years.\n\"Our hearts go out to the six Jehovah's Witnesses convicted today, including Vladimir Alushkin and his wife, Tatiana,\" said Yaroslav Sivulsky of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, \"Vladimir's 6-year prison sentence is one of the harshest sentences handed down to Jehovah's Witnesses since the ban in 2017. Unfortunately, such sentences are becoming the norm in modern Russia. It is especially significant that the Russian authorities continue to stubbornly ignore unanimous criticism from authoritative international organizations, governments and human rights activists. The current state of religious freedom in Russia is reminiscent of the worst periods of Soviet history, but, as we know, even under the yoke of the Soviet machine, Jehovah's Witnesses did not abandon their faith. Similarly, since the ban in 2017, tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Russia have remained strong in their faith despite the constant threat of arrest and imprisonment. We have no doubt that their faith will continue to be strong.\"\nHow did it all begin? In September 2017, the Investigative Committee for the Penza Region decided to increase crime detection rates at the expense of innocent Jehovah's Witnesses. Instead of protecting Penza from dangerous criminals, the department threw reserves for operational-search measures against believers.\nOn July 15, 2018, groups of law enforcement officers led by Major Alexander Bukov simultaneously broke into the apartments of civilians in Penza. After interrogations, which lasted well after midnight, criminal cases were opened against four believers under various parts of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – participation in the activities of an extremist organization or organization thereof. Vladimir Alushkin was sent to pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Penza region for 184 days. Vladimir Kulyasov, Andrey Magliv and Denis Timoshin were placed under house arrest for the same period.\nA year later, on July 10, 2019, Roman Tanchenko, a judge of the Leninsky District Court of Penza, accepted the criminal case for his proceedings. At the same time, he extended the detention of Vladimir Alushkin, Vladimir Kulyasov, Andrey Magliv and Denis Timoshin under house arrest.\nAccording to the verdict of the court, Vladimir Alushkin will go to a colony for 6 years, his wife, Tatiana, was sentenced to 2 years of suspended imprisonment. Galia Olkhova, Denis Timoshin, Andrey Magliv, Vladimir Kulyasov were also sentenced to 2 years of suspended imprisonment. Lawyers intend to appeal the verdict.\nIt is noteworthy that the court openly ignored the resolution of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, issued on the complaint of Vladimir Alushkin. His arrest was declared illegal, and what was happening to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia was called \"systemic and institutionalized persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\" Russian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. These include the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, prominent public figures of Russia, the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2019-12-13T13:43:49+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/12/1471/alushkiny_v_zale_suda2_hu_9f5c5dc7493d2b4b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/12/1471/alushkiny_v_zale_suda2_hu_32116054ede46397.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/12/1471/alushkiny_v_zale_suda2_hu_50b34a7c0c0f353d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/12/1471/alushkiny_v_zale_suda2_hu_21f6eddb3d0d52c5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/12/1471.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","families","liberty-deprivation","suspended"],"title":"Vladimir Alushkin was sentenced to 6 years in a real colony by the Penza court for his faith. What was he guilty of?","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 4, 2019, in the Vilyuchinsk City Court, according to the transcript of the hearing in the case of the Popovs, Judge Aleksandr Ishchenko called \"extremist statements\" the mention of the fact that in World War II Catholics and Protestants from some European countries shot at their fellow believers from other countries. Judge Ishchenko became nervous the day before, when the court began to get acquainted with the watchtower Society's documentaries and feature films seized during searches of believers. The judge repeatedly drew attention to the \"foreign\" origin of the videos, the nationality of the participants in the films, the sounding English speech and geographical places. When the film began, in which the father ties balloons to the field so that his children can imagine the size of Noah's Ark, Judge Ishchenko began to worry that he might be accused of promoting the \"American way of life.\" Judge Ishchenko's nervous tension reached its peak on December 4. When watching a film about the history of Jehovah's Witnesses in the twentieth century, he lost patience with the words of the announcer (literally): \"In 1939, when World War II broke out, almost every religious group sent its parishioners to war. Catholics from France and America killed Catholics from Germany and Italy, and Protestants from England and America killed Protestants from Germany. Jehovah's Witnesses have made it clear that they do not support this bloodshed.\" Hearing this, Judge Ishchenko, according to the transcript of the hearing, suddenly declared: \"I'm interrupting watching this movie. Criticism of other religions begins, exaltation of one over the other. Interrupt the movie! Write it all down in the protocol. [...] The court stops broadcasting it because it contains obvious extremist statements against other religions!\" The defense made official objections to the actions of the presiding judge at the hearing. (According to the official clarification of the Russian Supreme Court, \"criticism of other religions\" is not extremism.) Nevertheless, the next day, when studying the book \"The Secret of Family Happiness\", Judge Ishchenko, having learned that the copyright to the book belongs to a legal entity registered in the United States, expressed surprise that such a publication turned out to be in Vilyuchinsk, a closed territorial entity. (Later, after the defense's objection, the court recognized that the production of publications abroad is not a sign of extremist activity.) As a matter of principle, Jehovah's Witnesses do not take up arms, obeying the covenant of Jesus Christ: \"Put the sword in its scabbard! Whoever takes up the sword will perish by the sword\" (Bible, Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verse 52). It is widely known that Jehovah's Witnesses, as a religious belief group, did not support the Third Reich. Not only in Germany, but also in other countries, believers were severely persecuted for conscientious objection to military service. In the Russian Federation, Jehovah's Witnesses enjoy the constitutional right to alternative civilian service. Unfortunately, in some cases, the staff of the draft board believe that young Jehovah's Witnesses are \"extremists\", which means they should serve like everyone else, with weapons in their hands. ","category":"trial","date":"2019-12-11T18:26:09+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/12/1464/judge_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_7a2d2af2c6cfabae.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/12/1464/judge_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_7624fbaa32f016b3.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/12/1464/judge_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_c9004834e071abd3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/12/1464/judge_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_9560074b9000b2b0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/12/1464.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["first-instance","families"],"title":"In Kamchatka, a judge let slip what he saw as a crime of believers","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 10, 2019, the defense of six Jehovah's Witnesses demanded that the court fully acquit them for not being involved in any extremist activity. On December 12, the defendants will make their final statement. After that, Judge Roman Tanchenko will announce the verdict.\nEarlier, on December 5, the prosecutor requested 7 years of real imprisonment for Vladimir Alushkin, 4 years of imprisonment for Andrey Magliv, Vladimir Kulyasov and Denis Timoshin for 4 years in prison, and 3 years of imprisonment for Tatyana Alushkina and Galiya Olkhova. For everyone except Vladimir Alushkin, the prosecutor proposes to replace the prison with forced labor.\nVladimir Alushkin, whom the prosecutor's office proposes to send to jail for 7 years, appealed his arrest to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. On October 1, 2019, the UN Working Group, having studied the explanations provided by the Russian authorities, promulgated its resolution: the arrest of believer Vladimir Alushkin was illegal! The UN regarded what was happening in Russia as \"systemic and institutionalized persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses\" (paragraph 65).\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-12-11T15:53:30+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/12/1463/depositphotos15812491_hu_f1f56aae5fa1d218.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/12/1463/depositphotos15812491.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/12/1463/depositphotos15812491_hu_b0243de96b4b29d4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/12/1463/depositphotos15812491_hu_5e6af4cb51aea851.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/12/1463.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["defense-arguments","families"],"title":"On December 12, six innocent people may be sentenced in Penza. Prosecutor's Office Asks for 3 to 7 Years in Prison for Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Andrey Magliv, Vladimir Kulyasov, Denis Timoshin were sentenced to 4 years in prison, and Tatyana Alushkina and Galiya Olkhova were sentenced to 3 years each. Everyone except Vladimir Alushkin is asked by the prosecutor to replace the prison with forced labor. Meanwhile, the UN Working Group officially recognized Alushkin's arrest as arbitrary.\nThe prosecutor requested such severe sanctions on December 5, 2019, speaking in a debate in the Leninsky District Court of Penza. All the \"guilt\" of peaceful Penza residents is faith in Jehovah God. Six people are defendants in the case. Four men are under house arrest and two women are under recognizance agreement. The case is replete with falsifications and inconsistencies. Believers are accused of extremism, although these accusations are not confirmed by witnesses or international arbitrators. A crime is called a joint discussion of the Bible, singing songs with fellow believers, conversations with others about God. Investigators unreasonably consider these actions to be the organization of the activities of a religious organization banned in Russia, although the Supreme Court of Russia did not prohibit the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses itself.\nEven before the arrest, the special services monitored the believers for several months, then in July 2018 they staged mass searches and detentions. Vladimir Alushkin, whom the prosecutor's office considers the \"leader\" of local believers, was sent by the court to a pre-trial detention center, where he stayed for about six months and was then released under house arrest.\nThe defense tried to appeal against the arrest and measure of restraint of the believers, demanding that the appellate instances declare them illegal. However, the judges of the Penza Regional Court refused to do this and repeatedly extended the terms of the preventive measure.\nAt the same time, the panel of judges ignores the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, according to which the activities, in particular, of Vladimir Alushkin (and since he is called the \"leader\", the rest of the arrested Jehovah's Witnesses) cannot be considered extremist. \"All the activities in which Alushkin took part are an absolutely peaceful religious discussion,\" the UN Working Group said in a document.\nDuring the trial, several witnesses, including the main prosecution witness, did not confirm that the defendants' actions were in any way related to extremism. From the interrogations of other witnesses given during the court hearings, it follows that the investigation falsified their preliminary testimony, and some openly exerted pressure.\nThe continuation of the debate is scheduled for 10.12.2019. There will be a defense.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-12-05T15:51:27+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/12/1450/web_image_alushin_vladimir_hu_66ed08d09368c457.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/12/1450/web_image_alushin_vladimir_hu_63592e7cf956cc7c.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/12/1450/web_image_alushin_vladimir_hu_352d226901714db8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/12/1450/web_image_alushin_vladimir_hu_28b0543ff7f52e25.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/12/1450.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["prosecutor-request","liberty-deprivation","suspended","labor","families","fabrications"],"title":"In Penza, the prosecutor asked Vladimir Alushkin for 7 years of real prison! The supervisory body ignored the opinion of the UN on this case ","type":"news"},{"body":"Already on December 3, 2019, in the Leninsky District Court of Penza, the prosecutor may demand the punishment that, in his opinion, six citizens deserve. Their \"guilt\" is faith in Jehovah God. The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Penza is rife with falsifications and inconsistencies. Update. On December 3, 2019, it became known that the previously planned debate was postponed, as the prosecutor wished to return to the judicial investigation stage. The study of material evidence continues.\nAll believers are accused of extremism, although these accusations are not confirmed by witnesses or international arbitrators. A crime is called a joint discussion of the Bible, singing songs with fellow believers, conversations with others about God. Investigators unreasonably consider these actions to be the organization of the activities of a religious organization banned in Russia, although the Supreme Court of Russia did not prohibit the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses itself. Surveillance and raids Even before the arrest, the special services monitored the Penza believers for several months, then in July 2018 they staged mass searches and detentions. After them, the three believers spent two days in the detention center. Vladimir Alushkin, whom the prosecutor's office considers the \"leader\" of local believers, was sent by the court to a pre-trial detention center, where he stayed for about six months and was then released under house arrest. At the moment, six people are defendants in the case, including two women: Vladimir's wife Tatyana Alushkina and their friend Galiya Olkhova. Both women are under recognizance agreement. The men were left under house arrest by the courts. Collateral casualties While the prosecution is working on the installation of artificially criminalizing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, the families of law-abiding citizens are suffering. One of the defendants in the case, Vladimir Kulyasov, working at the Penza Design and Technology Bureau of Valve Engineering, was recognized as an excellent student and the best driver of the year. Now he cannot take care of his two minor children and wife in the way he could do if he had a job - house arrest does not allow. Entrepreneur Denis Timoshin is the only breadwinner in the family and the father of a minor child. His wife cannot work for health reasons, so the issue of house arrest places a heavy burden on the family. Andrey Magliv's wife became the only breadwinner in the family. However, she is forced to spend a lot of time caring for an elderly mother who cannot take care of herself.\nThe UN Working Group is not a decree The defense tried to appeal against the arrest and measure of restraint of the believers, demanding that the appellate instances declare them illegal. However, the judges of the Penza Regional Court refused to do this and repeatedly extended the terms of the preventive measure. At the same time, the panel of judges ignores the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, according to which the activities, in particular, of Vladimir Alushkin (and since he is called the \"leader\", the rest of the arrested Jehovah's Witnesses) cannot be considered extremist. \"All the activities in which Alushkin took part are an absolutely peaceful religious discussion,\" the UN Working Group said in a document. During the trial, several witnesses, including the main prosecution witness, did not confirm that the defendants' actions were in any way related to extremism. From the interrogations of other witnesses given during the court hearings, it follows that the investigation falsified their preliminary testimony, and some openly exerted pressure. ","category":"verdict","date":"2019-12-02T21:03:59+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/12/1437/penza_hu_f4caafe544ea9467.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/12/1437/penza_hu_317ced169368e50f.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/12/1437/penza_hu_7b7e9b0c40689531.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/12/1437/penza_hu_e8f9b38ffe72b1a1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/12/1437.html","regions":["penza"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["prosecutor-request","review","families"],"title":"Absolutely peaceful \"extremists\": the prosecutor will decide on the term of imprisonment for believers in Penza ","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 14, 2019, the Kostroma Regional Court approved the decision of the district court to return the criminal case to the prosecutor's office. Valeria and Sergey Rayman are innocent. The shocking footage of the storming of their apartment, which was circulated by the media in July 2018, remained evidence of the suffering experienced by believers.\nOn September 25, 2019, the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma decided to return the criminal case to the prosecutor's office. At the same time, the court emphasized that in the case of spouses \"there is a legal right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has not been prohibited.\"\nValeria and Sergey Rayman were accused of continuing the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, banned by the decision of the Supreme Court. However, on September 25, the Kostroma court pointed to the \"vague\" wording of the indictment. Neither in the materials of the criminal case, nor in the register of legal entities, nor in any other documents, there is no confirmation that the young spouses were founders or members of a local religious organization in Kostroma.\nThe prosecution unfoundedly pointed out that the Rayman couple held meetings of a religious organization, but at the same time did not cite a single name of the participants in such meetings - the defense of believers drew attention to this. The indictment also does not indicate the consequences of the actions of the Ryman spouses and the methods of committing the \"crime\".\nThe court found no evidence of intent to commit a crime in the investigation documents. At the same time, the court referred to Resolution No. 11 of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia of June 28, 2011 \"On Judicial Practice in Criminal Cases on Crimes of an Extremist Nature\", which clearly states: \"The crime provided for in Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is committed only with direct intent and with the aim of inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a person or a group of persons on the basis of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, attitude to religion, membership in any social group.\"\nThe court pointed out that \"in this case, there is a legal right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which was not prohibited by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20.04.2017.\" \"Despite the fact that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in its decisions has repeatedly pointed out that the practice of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of the Russian Federation is not prohibited by law, they are not deprived of the opportunity to independently practice religious cults,\" the court ruling, which has not yet entered into force, says.\nDespite this position, the court left Valeria and Sergey Rayman under recognizance not to leave. The couple still face up to 10 years in prison.\nThe nightmare for the young family began in the early morning of July 25, 2018, when, during a series of searches in Kostroma , armed special forces, using crowbars, broke down the door to their apartment. After the search of the spouses was detained, Valeriya spent 2 days under arrest and another 179 days under the ban on certain actions. Sergey spent 59 days under arrest, part of this period in a cramped solitary confinement cell, 30 days under house arrest and another 90 days under the prohibition of certain actions. All this time, it was impossible for the spouses to lead a full life, including communicating with each other.\nThe religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is indeed not prohibited.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2019-11-14T14:58:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/11/1362/rayman2_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_551395d3e4734af0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/11/1362/rayman2_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_aef4693dcb003dff.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/11/1362/rayman2_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_53bd5a5209a46abe.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/11/1362/rayman2_montazhnaya_oblast_1_0_hu_7c3036cf90a12872.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/11/1362.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","families","282.2-2","282.2-1","case-to-prosecutor"],"title":"The Court of Appeal in Kostroma upheld the right of young spouses to worship Jehovah God without fear of criminal prosecution","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 12, 2019, a preliminary hearing was held in the Leninsky District Court of Omsk in the case of spouses Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, as well as Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova. These are civilians from Omsk, and the only basis for criminal prosecution is their religion as Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe case against the Polyakovs was initiated on June 20, 2018. A few days later, on July 4, searches were carried out in four houses of believers, Sergey and Anastasia were taken away for separate interrogations. During the arrest, Sergey was severely beaten by masked security forces, receiving several blows to the head and face. One of the blows was struck by the knee. Then he himself was forced to wipe his own blood off the floor. Anastasia was insulted during interrogations. After interrogation, Sergey was thrown into a pre-trial detention center, where he spent 154 days. He spent another 91 days under house arrest, and now he is under recognizance not to leave. Later, Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova were involved in the Polyakov case.\n47-year-old engineer-radiophysicist Sergey Polyakov is charged simultaneously under two articles of the Criminal Code - 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), respectively, the organization of extremist activities and its financing. Three women are charged under the milder article 282.2 (2) - participation in extremist activities.\nThe hearings are presided over by Judge Ivan Vladimirovich Kargapolov. On November 12, the defendants filed a motion to transfer the case to the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk in connection with the territory of jurisdiction, it will be considered on November 20.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-11-13T14:04:16+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_87ddbbe4ddb39dc7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_cd61db79ed52136b.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_6b031f7e6e242dc8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_2ebda51641f7a3f4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/11/1358.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","to-court"],"title":"The trial of four believers has begun in Omsk. The Polyakovs' spouses, Dinara Dyusekeeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova are in the dock ","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 14, 2019, the Yelizovsky District Court will hold the third hearing in the criminal case against civilians Konstantin Bazhenov, his wife Snezhana, and Vera Zolotova. In August 2018, all three were sent to a temporary detention center.\nIn 2018, mass searches were carried out in the homes of believers in the city of Yelizovo, after which Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov and Vera Zolotova were detained. The women spent 3 days behind bars, and Konstantin spent more than a week. A criminal case was opened against the believers, and a written undertaking not to leave was taken from them.\nOn October 24 and November 7, 2019, court hearings on this criminal case were held in the Yelizovsky District Court. The prosecution announced the indictment, which has 111 pages. All three are charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code. No one was recognized as \"victims\" in this case. The defense filed a motion to return the case to the prosecutor. The next court hearing will be held on November 14, 2019.\nA chronicle of this process has been published\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-11-12T17:56:51+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/11/1355/bazhenovy_hu_4e3470223d469196.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/11/1355/bazhenovy_hu_5ca5dbc4b78137d8.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/11/1355/bazhenovy_hu_bd7d004679aed495.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/11/1355/bazhenovy_hu_16aa552fb5b25a45.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/11/1355.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["first-instance","families"],"title":"In Yelizovo in Kamchatka, another trial of peaceful believers has begun. An accountant and two teachers are on trial for extremism","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 24, 2019, in the city of Nevelsk (Sakhalin), searches were conducted at the homes of 49-year-old Vyacheslav Ivanov and 22-year-old Dmitry Kulakov. This is the second criminal case for faith in the city.\nThe search warrants were issued by Polina Rykova, chairman of the Nevelsk City Court. The searches were conducted by D. Aimagambetova, a senior investigator of the city Department of Internal Affairs. The searches of believers were also supported by the prosecutor E. Pomogaeva.\nIn Nevelsk, 2 criminal cases for faith are being investigated. The first of them is being investigated by the SO of the FSB in the Sakhalin Region. This case was initiated in 2018 against 58-year-old Sergey Kulakov (father of Dmitry Kulakov). As a result, on January 20, 2019, the FSB conducted a series of searches in the homes of believers on Sakhalin. The second case is being investigated by the Department of Internal Affairs of the Nevelsk urban district. It was initiated at the end of August 2019 against Dmitry Kulakov and Vyacheslav Ivanov.\nInvestigator D. Aimagambetova believes that Vyacheslav Ivanov and Dmitry Kulakov \"conducted conversations\" with residents of one of the houses in Nevelsk, \"trying to impose on them the ideas that were preached by a religious association liquidated by a court decision, in connection with the implementation of extremist activities.\" During the search, personal notes, notebooks, various translations of the Bible and receipts for electricity were seized from believers.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-10-29T17:38:47+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1306/190206_saransk532_0_0_0_1_0_hu_bc35e2b13fcbc919.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1306/190206_saransk532_0_0_0_1_0_hu_f571588148f19ed3.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1306/190206_saransk532_0_0_0_1_0_hu_18155fa8c9f9373.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1306/190206_saransk532_0_0_0_1_0_hu_a34abcc86fea65d6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1306.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","new-case","282.2-2","families"],"title":"A new criminal case for faith on Sakhalin. Searches were carried out","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 10, 2019, in the convoy car of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), on the way to court, 67-year-old Olga Opaleva became ill, she was hospitalized with an ischemic stroke. On October 23, she was escorted from the hospital back to house arrest. The left side of her body is paralyzed, and an electronic bracelet is worn on her right leg. He moves around the room with difficulty.\nOlga Opaleva is one of 4 defendants in the case of Malevaniy and others in Spassk-Dalny (Primorsky Krai). In November 2018, she was kept in a detention center for 2 days, the investigator petitioned for her detention, but the court chose a measure of restraint in the form of house arrest.\nIn September, they began to acquaint her with 14 volumes of criminal case materials, for this she was taken to the investigating authority under the escort of the Federal Penitentiary Service. Additional pressure was exerted on her by the court on September 25, 2019, ruling that she had time to familiarize herself with the volumes of the case only until October 20, 2019 (which limits her right to judicial protection).\nOn the day when Olga Opaleva was taken from the hospital back under house arrest and put a bracelet on her healthy leg, law enforcement officers invaded the house of her son Vitaly Ilyinykh, who takes care of her. After that, Vitaliy was taken into custody, in the near future the court will choose a measure of restraint for him. Vitaliy is accused of the same thing as his mother - of believing in Jehovah God.\nIn total, there are more than 20 Jehovah's Witnesses in the cities of Vladivostok, Luchegorsk, Partizansk, Spassk-Dalny and Ussuriysk, as well as in the village of Razdolnoye, as accused or suspects in the Primorsky Territory. At least 8 criminal cases have been initiated, some of them are being investigated by the FSB, and some by the Investigative Committee. For example, in one of the cases investigated by the Primorsky FSB, there are 6 women aged 61 to 85 years in the dock.\nThe investigation into what Olga Opaleva, her son and other residents of Spassk-Dalniy believe in began with an FSB operation that took place on the evening of August 12, 2018. At least 17 FSB officers invaded a rented room on Krasnoznamennaya Street, where a friendly meeting was taking place. Phones and tablets were seized from those present. Until late at night, citizens were asked questions under the protocol, for example: was the name \"Jehovah\" pronounced at the meeting? Was the Bible read in the New World Translation?\n","category":"crime","date":"2019-10-24T10:32:33+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1286/opaleva_olga_web1-2_hu_9731d3e7c0837d2d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1286/opaleva_olga_web1-2.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1286/opaleva_olga_web1-2_hu_1ce042bc80903379.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1286/opaleva_olga_web1-2_hu_5e487feb81e3a3e7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1286.html","regions":["primorye"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["elderly","health-risk","house-arrest","ankle-tag","families"],"title":"In Spassk-Dalny, a believer suffered a stroke in a convoy car. After that, she put an electronic bracelet on her leg, which was not paralyzed","type":"news"},{"body":"In Kursk, after mass searches on October 16, 2019 and subsequent interrogations of believers , Andrey Andreyev, as well as spouses Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan, were arrested for 27 days. The believers were placed in custody until November 11, 2019 inclusive. Criminal cases against three citizens are combined into one, it is being investigated by the investigative department of the FSB in the Kursk region.\nAccording to incomplete information, searches in Kursk took place at more than 10 addresses, and law enforcement officers invaded some local residents at 6 am. After the searches, many believers were taken away for interrogations, during which FSB officers intimidated them, threatening to open criminal cases against both themselves and their family members. For three believers, these threats became a reality.\nAs follows from the documents of the case, Andrey Andreev is accused of continuing the activities of a certain \"Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk\" (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), and Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan are charged with participation in the activities of this organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nIt is noteworthy that, although the decisions on detention were made by different judges of the Leninsky District Court of Kursk (Judge Inessa Kvaskova sent Alevtina Bagratyan to the pre-trial detention center, and Judge Tatyana Pozdnyakova issued an arrest warrant for Artem Bagratyan and Andrey Andreev), the terms of imprisonment for all three are the same, which indicates the coordination of actions.\n90 kilometers from Kursk in the city of Lgov (Kursk region), Dennis Christensen, a Danish citizen sentenced to 6 years just because he did not renounce his beliefs, is serving a sentence. Many Russian and international organizations, such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Human Rights Society Memorial, spoke out in support of Christensen.\nUpdate. On October 24, 2019, 4 more searches of believers took place in Kursk - two of older women, and one in front of a young child. A laptop, phones, digital media were seized.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2019-10-23T10:12:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1274/depositphotos_21862193_5_hu_dc77be40404d0772.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1274/depositphotos_21862193_5.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1274/depositphotos_21862193_5_hu_b2617c89503029b0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1274/depositphotos_21862193_5_hu_a991a9524848ca09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1274.html","regions":["kursk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","sizo","interrogation","282.2-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"In Kursk, Two Men and One Woman Sent to a Pre-Trial Detention Center for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 10, 2019, in the city of Oryol, FSB officers conducted searches in the homes of believers at at least two addresses. As it became known, the searches took place at the relatives of Dmitry Prikhodko, the criminal case against which was previously separated from the case of Dennis Christensen.\nThe security forces asked questions about where believers gather and what literature they read. DVDs were seized during the searches.\nOn May 23, 2019, the Oryol Regional Court sentenced Dennis Christensen to 6 years in prison just because he adhered to peaceful religious beliefs that the judges considered \"extremist\". This verdict undermined the explanations of the Russian authorities, who assured international authorities that the ban on religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia did not restrict their right to practice this religion.\nThe high-profile trial of Danish citizen Dennis Christensen caused not only indignation of human rights activists in Russia, but also international condemnation. Worse, the verdict gave the green light to intensify criminal prosecution of Russian residents for their faith.\nShortly after Christensen's verdict, another resident of Orel, Sergey Skrynnikov, was convicted on similar charges, receiving a large fine.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-10-18T00:25:16+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1261/img_4731_hu_91249578bfc5553d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1261/img_4731.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1261/img_4731_hu_41974f96ad4f16a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1261/img_4731_hu_cd29af9ed228bd27.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1261.html","regions":["oryol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families"],"title":"In the wake of the Christensen case: another search took place in the homes of believers in Oryol ","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 30, 2019, the Pervomaisky District Court of the city of Kirov released Yevgeniy Suvorkov, Vladimir Korobeynikov and Maxim Khalturin from house arrest. Prior to that, the believers spent 6 to 9 months in isolation in their own homes.\nJudge Alexei Zhilin considered that there was no reason to continue to keep believers under house arrest — they would not be able to interfere with the criminal proceedings. The court also once again rejected the investigator's argument that the defendants \"may continue to engage in criminal activity.\"\nEarlier, the court softened the measure of restraint for two more defendants in this criminal case - it released Andrei Suvorkov from house arrest, and also released Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk from the pre-trial detention center on his own recognizance.\nFive Kirov believers were arrested on October 9, 2018, following mass searches in the homes of civilians, including those who do not profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. The investigation suspected them of \"singing biblical songs together, improving their missionary skills, studying religious literature, the so-called 'Holy Scripture' (Bible).\" These charges are based on the \"extremist\" articles 282.2 (1) and 283.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, under which civilians in Kirov face from 6 to 10 years in prison.\nThe searches, arrests, and criminal prosecutions deeply traumatized the families of the believers. Some of them have relatives who are seriously ill and need constant care.\nAt the moment, 12 residents of the Kirov region are under investigation for their faith in Jehovah. Kirov law enforcement officers continue to interpret the peaceful profession of faith guaranteed by the Russian Constitution as a serious crime.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2019-10-07T13:08:19+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1195/suvorkovy_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_67e37d01023722.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1195/suvorkovy_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_8709a0fe1039488e.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1195/suvorkovy_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_4714be860cad3bda.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1195/suvorkovy_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_b640a5234ece6ee5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1195.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["recognizance-agreement","families"],"title":"A court in Kirov released three believers after a lengthy house arrest. The criminal case has not been closed","type":"news"},{"body":"Bringing Z. Krutyakova as a defendant under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation\n","caseTitle":"Case of Nikiforov and Others in Chekhov","date":"2019-10-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chekhov/index.html#20191003","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["282.2-2","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On September 25, 2019, the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma returned the criminal case against the married couple Valeria and Sergey Rayman to the Kostroma prosecutor's office. At the same time, the court emphasized that in the case of spouses \"there is a legal right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has not been prohibited.\"\nValeria and Sergey Rayman are accused of continuing the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, banned by the decision of the Supreme Court. However, on September 25, the Kostroma court pointed to the \"vague\" wording of the indictment. Neither in the materials of the criminal case, nor in the register of legal entities, nor in any other documents, there is no confirmation that the young spouses were founders or members of a local religious organization in Kostroma.\nThe prosecution unfoundedly points out that the Rayman spouses held meetings of a religious organization, but at the same time does not cite a single name of the participants in such meetings - the defense of believers drew attention to this. The indictment also does not indicate the consequences of the actions of the Ryman spouses and the methods of committing the \"crime\".\nThe court found no evidence of intent to commit a crime in the investigation documents. At the same time, the court referred to Resolution No. 11 of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia of June 28, 2011 \"On Judicial Practice in Criminal Cases on Crimes of an Extremist Nature\", which clearly states: \"The crime provided for in Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is committed only with direct intent and with the aim of inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a person or a group of persons on the basis of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, attitude to religion, membership in any social group.\"\nThe court pointed out that \"in this case, there is a legal right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which was not prohibited by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20.04.2017.\" \"Despite the fact that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in its decisions has repeatedly pointed out that the practice of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of the Russian Federation is not prohibited by law, they are not deprived of the opportunity to independently practice religious cults,\" the court ruling, which has not yet entered into force, says.\nDespite this position, the court left Valeria and Sergey Rayman under recognizance not to leave. The couple still face up to 10 years in prison.\nThe nightmare for the young family began in the early morning of July 25, 2018, when, during a series of searches in Kostroma , armed special forces, using crowbars, broke down the door to their apartment. After the search of the spouses was detained, Valeriya spent 2 days under arrest and another 179 days under the ban on certain actions. Sergey spent 59 days under arrest, part of this period in a cramped solitary confinement cell, 30 days under house arrest and another 90 days under the prohibition of certain actions. All this time, it was impossible for the spouses to lead a full life, including communicating with each other.\nThe religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is indeed not prohibited.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-10-01T12:29:23+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1192/raymany_oblozhka_0_hu_116121878ef82f3a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1192/raymany_oblozhka_0_hu_c5bec802239ecf64.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1192/raymany_oblozhka_0_hu_8ae5169cf054f50d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1192/raymany_oblozhka_0_hu_a1a1bfc7ae1b5627.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1192.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","case-to-prosecutor","families"],"title":"The court recognized the right of the spouses to profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses and returned the case to the prosecutor because of the unfounded accusation","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 9, 2019, the prosecutor of the city of Karpinsk, Andrei Arzhakhovsky, approved the final document, which summarized the charges against Alexander Pryanikov, Daria and Venera Dulov, suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The case goes to court - read the details in the chronicle of the process.\nThree believers are charged with participating in the activities of the banned religious organization \"Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia\" - this is how law enforcement agencies interpret reading the Bible with friends. In their opinion, 19-year-old student Daria Dulova colluded with her mother and acquaintance Pryanikov and \"continued to actively participate in the activities of a banned local religious organization,\" and also had a \"psychological impact on society.\" All three were charged under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nIt is noteworthy that Daria Dulova is the youngest accused in the trials against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia at the moment, and her mother Venera has been receiving a group III disability pension since 1996. Alexander Pryanikov is an entrepreneur who makes decorative tiles. All three are under recognizance agreement. Searches were carried out in their homes, electronic devices and various documents were seized from them.\nLaw enforcement officers of the Sverdlovsk region continue to believe that residents of the region do not have the right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which contradicts Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the statement of the Government of the Russian Federation: \"[the decisions of the Russian courts] do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-08-19T16:10:33+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/08/1072/web_daria_dulova_0_hu_30445067175a901e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/08/1072/web_daria_dulova_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/08/1072/web_daria_dulova_0_hu_999b0d270f58fa0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/08/1072/web_daria_dulova_0_hu_208c1233e4e8bf06.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/08/1072.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["to-court","disability","recognizance-agreement","families"],"title":"The prosecutor's office in the Sverdlovsk region signed an indictment against three believers ","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 30, 2019, in the city of Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk region), a criminal case was initiated against 19-year-old Daria Dulova solely on religious grounds. The investigation believes that she professes the views of Jehovah's Witnesses. For the same reason, her mother has been under recognizance not to leave for a year. According to the investigation, the 19-year-old college student, colluding with her mother and acquaintance, \"continued to actively participate in the activities of the banned local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses\" and had a \"psychological impact on society.\" On this basis, Senior Investigator of the Investigative Department for Krasnoturinsk of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Captain of Justice V. A. Sudin opened a criminal case against Daria for participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The girl became the youngest accused in the trials against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia at the moment. A year earlier, on July 30, 2018, a criminal case was initiated under a similar article against Daria's mother, Venera Dulova, who has a hearing disability. Then law enforcement officers searched their apartment and subjected Darya to psychological pressure and threats. They were actively interested in whether her parents read religious literature. The case of Darya Dulova is combined with the criminal cases of Venera Dulova and Aleksandr Pryanikov, another peaceful believer who was persecuted in Karpinsk. Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia has recently become widespread, and law enforcement agencies are initiating cases under serious criminal articles, regardless of the age and gender of the believers. The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, President Putin himself, prominent public figures of Russia, the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights drew attention to this problem. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-08-03T22:36:25+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/08/1015/web_daria_dulova_hu_30445067175a901e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/08/1015/web_daria_dulova.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/08/1015/web_daria_dulova_hu_999b0d270f58fa0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/08/1015/web_daria_dulova_hu_208c1233e4e8bf06.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/08/1015.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["new-case","families","282.2-2","disability"],"title":"In the Sverdlovsk region, a criminal case for faith was opened against a young girl and her disabled mother ","type":"news"},{"body":"Police and FSB officers, with the support of SOBR, are conducting mass searches in 31 families of Nizhny Novgorod believers.\nVladimir Manushakyan, Oleg Konshin, Sergey and Svetlana Malyanov become defendants in a criminal case. They are detained and placed in a temporary detention facility.\n","caseTitle":"Manushakyan's case in Nizhny Novgorod","date":"2019-07-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/nizhniy-novgorod9/index.html#20190717","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["search","families","ivs"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Police and FSB officers, with the support of SOBR, are conducting mass searches in 31 families of Nizhny Novgorod believers.\nVladimir Manushakyan, Oleg Konshin, Sergey and Svetlana Malyanov become defendants in a criminal case. They are detained and placed in a temporary detention facility.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Malyanov and Others in Nizhny Novgorod","date":"2019-07-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/nizhniy-novgorod2/index.html#20190717","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["search","ivs","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On May 8, 2019, searches were carried out in Omsk in approximately 5 homes of citizens whom law enforcement officers consider to be Jehovah's Witnesses. The raid was sanctioned the day before by Oksana Voltornist, a judge of the Kuibyshevsky District Court of Omsk. The searches took place as part of a criminal case against the Polyakovs.\nInvestigators brought to court a list of people who, according to the Investigative Committee, were previously members of the Omsk, Kazakh congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. The court was not interested in the question of whether \"Omsk, Kazakh\" was related to the organization banned by the court. The very existence of the list was considered by Judge Voltornist to be sufficient reason to turn the lives of innocent citizens into a nightmare by authorizing searches of their homes.\nFor example, one of the houses was invaded by a group of 8 people, some of them wearing masks. During the search, investigators and operatives rummaged through closets, filmed everything, humiliated the human dignity of citizens and made offensive comments about their faith. In at least one case, the investigating officer did not allow the landlady to cross out the remaining empty fields when drawing up the report.\nAfter the searches, the believers were taken for interrogation to investigator Denis Levchenko. This criminal case was initiated in June 2018. Spouses Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov spent exactly five months in solitary confinement. By subjecting the spouses to such cruel treatment, law enforcement officers forced them, in fact, to incriminate themselves and other people. In December 2018, the couple were placed under house arrest. Their current preventive measure is a written undertaking not to leave.\nLaw enforcers mistakenly mistake citizens' religion for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, as well as international organizations - the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-05-09T23:12:09+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/05/834/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_0_0_1_hu_5714af0d470f0912.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/05/834/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_0_0_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/05/834/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_0_0_1_hu_a4d5176d412b10a4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/05/834/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_0_0_1_hu_cd87270a34f44d1d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/05/834.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","interrogation","families"],"title":"A new wave of searches in the homes of believers in Omsk","type":"news"},{"body":"Early in the morning of April 16, 2019, in Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk region), 6 law enforcement officers came to the house of Alexander and Anastasia Pryanikov with a search. A search was conducted in the apartment and car. Alexander is suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nIn the hands of law enforcement officers was a warrant to search the car of the Pryanikovs, issued by Captain of Justice Vladimir Sudin from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the city of Krasnoturyinsk. The investigator expected to find religious literature in the car, but seized only electronic devices, and not from the car, but from the apartment.\nA criminal case under the article \"participation in the activities of an extremist organization\" (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) against Alexander Pryanikov, as well as a local resident Venera Dulova, was initiated on July 30, 2018. After 2 days, 3 searches were carried out: in the apartment of Venera Dulova, at the dacha of her relatives and in the apartment of the Pryanikovs during their departure. During the interrogation, Venera Dulova, as well as her 18-year-old daughter, were pressured and intimidated with long prison terms. The girl was asked if her parents read religious literature. On the same day, Venera Dulova signed a recognizance not to leave.\nUpon returning home, in August 2018, Alexander Pryanikov came to the investigator and was interrogated as a suspect. In September, he was released on his own recognizance.\nIt is known that the written materials seized from believers in 2018 were sent for examination to the Department of Theology of the Ural Mining University.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-04-17T19:51:10+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/04/771/180603_tomsk_obysk2385_0_0_hu_95debb157caa4267.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/04/771/180603_tomsk_obysk2385_0_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/04/771/180603_tomsk_obysk2385_0_0_hu_e49c210e136e2d3f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/04/771/180603_tomsk_obysk2385_0_0_hu_abb6c4b63cdec885.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/04/771.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families","282.2-2"],"title":"Searches and a Criminal Case for Faith in the Sverdlovsk Region","type":"news"},{"body":"On the evening of April 10, 2019, in Abakan, armed law enforcement officers in masks invaded the homes of at least two families of local residents who were suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Late at night, at the end of the searches, 44-year-old Roman Baranovsky was detained.\nAccording to preliminary information, a criminal case was initiated against Roman Baranovsky under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (\"participation in the activities of a liquidated organization\"). His mother, who lives with him, was interrogated.\nLaw enforcers mistakenly mistake citizens' religion for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, as well as international organizations - the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\nUpdate. On April 10, 2019, a criminal case was initiated against Roman Baranovskiy and his mother, 68-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya, under Article 282.2 (1). As part of the case, on the basis of the investigator's order, a total of 4 searches were carried out, Bibles, personal records, electronic devices and various data carriers were seized.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-04-11T16:47:44+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/04/746/190206_saransk532_hu_bc35e2b13fcbc919.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/04/746/190206_saransk532_hu_f571588148f19ed3.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/04/746/190206_saransk532_hu_18155fa8c9f9373.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/04/746/190206_saransk532_hu_a34abcc86fea65d6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/04/746.html","regions":["khakassia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","282.2-2","interrogation","elderly","families","282.2-1"],"title":"Searches and a Criminal Case for Faith in Khakassia","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 28, 2019, the Pervomaiskiy District Court of Kirov refused to extend the investigator's detention of Yevgeny Suvorkov. He was placed under house arrest. Thus, out of 5 believers arrested in Kirov on October 9, 2018 for \"singing biblical songs together... study of religious literature, the so-called Holy Scripture (Bible)\", only 50-year-old Andrzej Oniszczuk, a citizen of the Republic of Poland living in Russia, has remained behind bars for 176 days.\nVladimir Korobeynikov was the first to be placed under house arrest after 73 days in pre-trial detention. This happened on December 20, 2018. On February 2, 2019, the court placed Andrey Suvorkov and Maksim Khalturin under house arrest. Both spent 117 days behind bars.\nReligious persecution in Kirov continues. On March 26, 2019, at least 10 new searches of believers' homes took place in the city. A criminal case has been initiated against 3 people, which is being investigated by G. Malykh, an investigator of the first department for the investigation of especially important cases of the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Kirov region. He also opened a case against Andrzej Oniszczuk and others in October 2018.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2019-04-02T19:36:51+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/04/714/kirov-01442_hu_367d81280702dbe9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/04/714/kirov-01442_hu_5298d53910b706a9.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/04/714/kirov-01442_hu_3bade8af84b6475c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/04/714/kirov-01442_hu_4dab35bae8321c83.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/04/714.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","house-arrest","families"],"title":"Everyone in Kirov left the pre-trial detention center except Andrzej Oniszczuk ","type":"news"},{"body":"The criminal cases of thirteen believers are combined into one proceeding (no. 11807440001000013).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2019-04-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20190401","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 27, 2019, at least four apartments of local residents suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched in Ulyanovsk. A number of citizens were detained and taken for interrogation to the local department of the FSB. Five citizens were detained for 48 hours to choose a measure of restraint for them.\nSergey Mysin, 53, and his wife Natalia (the couple have a daughter), Andrey Tabakov, 46, Khoren Khachikyan, 33, and Mikhail Zelensky, 58, were detained.\nLaw enforcers mistakenly mistake citizens' religion for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, as well as international organizations - the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2019-02-28T15:05:24+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/02/641/180418_polyarnyy_vylamyvayut_dver5107_1_hu_ef9922f011dd685f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/02/641/180418_polyarnyy_vylamyvayut_dver5107_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/02/641/180418_polyarnyy_vylamyvayut_dver5107_1_hu_9ee4384f48cdbbd9.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/02/641/180418_polyarnyy_vylamyvayut_dver5107_1_hu_a56c2aa557bee22e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/02/641.html","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","interrogation","ivs","families"],"title":"Searches and detentions of 5 believers in Ulyanovsk","type":"news"},{"body":"The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug initiates a criminal case for faith under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against Sergey Loginov, Yevgeniy Fedin, Artur Severinchik, Yevgeniy Kayryak, Vyacheslav Boronos, Artem Kim, Aleksey Plekhov, Savely Gargalyk, Sergey Volosnikov, Igor Trifonov, Viktor Fefilov, Timofey Zhukov, Leonid Rysikov, Igor Kobotov, Vasily Burenescu, Yevgeny Kozak, Igor Petrov, Pavel Romashov and his wife Viola Shepel.\nThe investigation considers peaceful conversations of believers about the Bible and God with friends and other people to be illegal actions.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut","date":"2019-02-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut/index.html#20190211","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Stepan Tkach initiates a criminal case for faith under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2. Innocent victims of law enforcement officers are: Yevgeny Kozak, Artur Severinchik, Sergey Loginov, Evgeny Fedin, Yevgeny Kayryak, Vyacheslav Boronos, Artem Kim, Alexey Plekhov, Savely Gargalyk, Sergey Volosnikov, Igor Trifonov, Viktor Fefilov, Timofey Zhukov, Leonid Rysikov, Igor Kobotov, Grigory Ozhiganov, Pavel Romashov, Vasily Burenescu, Viola Shepel, Ilhom Aminzhanov, Igor Petrov.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Khorikov and Others in Surgut","date":"2019-02-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut2/index.html#20190211","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 22, 2019, spouses Sergey and Valeria Rayman were finally allowed to live together, use communications and remove the electronic tracking bracelet from their leg. The court refused to extend the investigator's preventive measure in the form of a ban on leaving the house at night, using the Internet, telephone, mail and communicating with \"persons professing the teachings of Jehovah.\" However, the criminal case has not been dismissed, the spouses still face up to 10 years in prison. The spouses are under recognizance not to leave.\nSergey Rayman spent 59 days in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Kostroma region, 30 days under house arrest and another 90 days under the ban on certain actions. Valeria Rayman spent 2 days in custody and another 179 days under the ban on certain actions. All this time, it was impossible for the spouses to lead a full life, even to communicate with each other.\nThe criminal case against the Rayman spouses was initiated under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization and participation in the activities of an extremist community) on the grounds that, according to the investigation, citizens gathered in their house four times to discuss the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. On July 25, 2018, in Kostroma, the forces of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Center for Counteracting Extremism and the National Guard conducted searches in the homes of citizens who, according to the investigation, profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Raimans' apartment was stormed with scrap.\nLaw enforcers mistakenly mistake citizens' religion for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, as well as the President of the Russian Federation himself drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\"\n","category":"restriction","date":"2019-01-25T17:02:56+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/01/580/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_1_0_hu_bbb07adebb39b848.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/01/580/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_1_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/01/580/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_1_0_hu_a938606dca77baec.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/01/580/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_1_0_hu_824ec12307134ea7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/01/580.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["recognizance-agreement","families"],"title":"In Kostroma, the measure of restraint for young spouses has been softened","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 9, 2018, searches were conducted in several homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kirov. As a result, 5 people were arrested, including a Polish citizen. Their families tell the details of what happened and how they live now.\nNina Korobeynikova, a resident of Kirov, who has a disability, draws a postcard for her father Vladimir. For two months now, he and four other Jehovah's Witnesses have been in pre-trial detention. \"When I was little, my dad was my best friend,\" says Nina. We played together, talked, went fishing. And all my life I've always lived with my parents, and my dad was always there.\"\nGalina Khalturina, Maksim Khalturin's mother, recalls the details of that October morning when the raids took place. \"We were still sleeping, but Maxim was in the kitchen, he had breakfast, he goes to work early.- Then my husband and I woke up, I went out into the corridor and saw a lot of people. Maxim is facing the wall. Legs and arms are wide apart.\"\nAnd here is what happened in the house of Vladimir Korobeynikov. Says his wife Olga, who, due to illness, practically does not get out of bed: \"I tried to wake Volodya up, he quickly got up, approached, he was told: \"Open the door, we want to talk to you about God.\" And he said, \"I won't open it for you, and if you don't leave now, I'll just call the police.\" Well, that's when they say, \"We're already here.\" And they showed their crusts.\n\"We quickly got dressed, opened the door, and in a second the apartment was filled with men in black,\" says Svetlana, the wife of Yevgeny Suvorkov, \"I was just shocked. They flew into the apartment in an instant.\" Her relative Svetlana, the wife of Andrey Suvorkov, says: \"They behaved busily, they felt like masters in our apartment. This, too, of course, was unpleasant.\nAnna, who is married to Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk, shares her feelings: \"For me, it was just a humiliation when people come to you and walk through your clean linen with dirty boots. When they start opening things, look in. They also look at us in such a way that we may have something wrong there. Yes, it was a shame, a humiliation, I was embarrassed in front of my neighbors, because they know us ... To be honest, I still try to put everything together in such a way that if they come again, I won't be ashamed.\"\nAs a result, 50-year-old Andrzej Oniszczuk, 65-year-old Vladimir Korobeynikov, 25-year-old Andrey Suvorkov, 40-year-old Yevgeny Suvorkov and 44-year-old Maxim Khalturin were sent to a pre-trial detention center. They are accused of organizing and financing extremist activities simply because of their religion.\n\"The exact time, 8:39, I remembered for the rest of my life,\" says the mother of Maxim Khalturin.- This is probably a long time I will not forget. At that time, Maksim was taken away from the apartment.\" \"I hoped that he would leave for two hours,\" admits Olga Korobeynikova.- But by the evening I already realized that he would not return. Not today, most likely, not tomorrow.\" \"When he left, it was like we said goodbye to him for two hours. He himself probably did not expect such a turn, \"says the wife of Andrei Suvorkov. \"When I began to collect food, the operative advised me to collect things,\" says Anna Onischuk.- And the investigator said: \"He doesn't need to collect anything, maybe I'll let him go today.\" The implication was that if he cooperated, I might let him go.\"\nUnfortunately, when deciding on the measure of restraint, the court did not take into account the difficult family situations of the accused. In particular, Maxim Khalturin's elderly parents have serious health problems. His father is completely dependent on his son's support and care. \"It's very hard for me without him. After all, I take care of my husband alone. And I'm 81 years old,\" says Galina Khalturina.- My husband lost his speech and the right side. He couldn't talk, so these facial expressions, these tongue twisters, it had a very big effect on him and on his speech. And at least now he speaks a little, slowly. It's all the merit that Maxim helped him a lot.\"\nThe situation in the family of Vladimir Korobeynikov is no less difficult. His wife practically does not get up, and his daughter Nina is not able to provide her with the necessary support, since she herself is a disabled person of group I. She says: \"Sometimes mom needs immediate medical attention, and usually dad would call an ambulance and accompany her in the car, because only he knows in what position you can put it, how to lift it.\" Here is how his lawyer, Yegiazar Chernikov, comments on the situation: \"The court's decision looks blasphemous from the point of view of human relations, since the court's decision contradicts the basic principles of mercy in the administration of justice. It breaks my heart to see the situation of their families.\" \"When you see a 66-year-old pensioner who has lived a well-deserved life, or a middle-aged man who has sick relatives, of course, it causes only human sympathy,\" says Yevgeny Kokoulin, deputy chairman of the Vyatka Committee on Human Rights.\nRelatives of prisoners share that the incident seriously affected their own physical and emotional state. \"I couldn't sleep and eat for the first week at all,\" says Olga Korobeynikova.- When I just wake up, it's just pain. When no one is at home, no one at all, I allow myself to cry loudly, to pray out loud. Well, that is, this is no longer a prayer, this is a cry, this is a supplication. Andrey Suvorkov's wife Svetlana shares: \"I constantly think about Andrey, I constantly think about how he is now, what is happening to him, what he feels. I miss him very much, and I think he misses me too.\" Maksim Khalturin's mother Galina: \"I miss him very much. It's so hard for me without him! I don't know how I can wait for it? Valery Petrovich also misses his son. And when they took him away, he also had tears on his face.\"\nThe wives and close relatives of five imprisoned believers try to support each other. They get together, read letters from the pre-trial detention center, discuss the life of prisoners and share the latest news from behind barbed wire.\n\"I walk around the cell a lot, I can walk six steps, then back. You know, I love walking. I refuse to walk only in severe rain. I really like to walk, there is a larger area, you can walk in circles, and look at the sky through the lattice, breathe fresh air\" (from a letter from Yevgeny Suvorkov).\n\"Today they brought 60 letters, more than a kilogram. Letters, of course, have come before, but so many at once, for the first time\" (from a letter from Maxim Khalturin).\n\"How I miss you! Previously, it was enough for me to be aware that you were in the next room, and I could approach you at any time. And now I just need to get at least some news from you like air!\" (from a letter from Vladimir Korobeynikov).\n\"Life gives each of us black and white sketches, and they are not always beautiful. But we have felt-tip pens of all colors, and it's up to us to decide which ones to use. But how much wiser it is to paint life with bright colored felt-tip pens, then you will find a joyful heart. Look around, what colors the joyful God uses\" (from a letter from Andrei Suvorkov).\nThese women very much hope that law enforcement officers will come to their senses and stop the senseless persecution of their husbands, fathers and sons. Moreover, quite recently, the president of the country promised to look into this issue.\n\"And it is necessary, of course, to do what you propose - to analyze law enforcement practice. And if necessary, make some adjustments. [...] Jehovah's Witnesses are also Christians, and I also don't really understand why they should be persecuted. Therefore, we just need to analyze, we need to do it. I will talk to Vyacheslav Mikhailovich [Lebedev, Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation], and try to do it\" (from the transcript of Vladimir Putin's speech at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on December 11, 2018).\n\"I imagine that we will meet at home,\" says Nina Korobeynikova.- Mom will be able to get up for a while, all three of us will hug, and we will all cry.\nFortunately, this meeting did not have to wait long. On December 20, the Kirov Regional Court considered the believers' appeal and placed one of them, Vladimir Korobeynikov, under house arrest.\nFour more believers from Kirov still remain in the pre-trial detention center.\nAs of January 1, 2019, 25 Jehovah's Witnesses were detained in Russia.\n","category":"eyewitnesses","date":"2019-01-11T14:50:09+03:00","duration":"10:01","image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/01/561/kirov-01_0_hu_2a68c10b69a16aa0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/01/561/kirov-01_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/01/561/kirov-01_0_hu_a4a519f66099ecc4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/01/561/kirov-01_0_hu_f03714e1669e58d7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/01/561.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","elderly","disability","families","video"],"title":"Ruthless Searches and Arrests of Believers in Kirov","type":"video"},{"body":"On December 4, 2018, Sergey and Anastasiya Polyakov were placed under house arrest. They spent exactly five months in solitary confinement. By subjecting the spouses to such cruel treatment, law enforcement officers forced them, in fact, to incriminate themselves and other people. Neither the Polyakovs nor dozens of other prisoners for their faith throughout Russia make such a deal with the investigation.\nSince May 2017, a total of 62 people have been imprisoned on suspicion of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, including 7 women! Currently, 26 citizens are still languishing in prisons, 2 of them are women. Russian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, as well as the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, have already drawn attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-12-14T18:08:03+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/12/543/polyakov_for_site3365_0_hu_68cd5b9f164575d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/12/543/polyakov_for_site3365_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/12/543/polyakov_for_site3365_0_hu_3ed17778b33e9fd0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/12/543/polyakov_for_site3365_0_hu_312700eae401bb74.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/12/543.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["house-arrest","sizo","families"],"title":"In Omsk, the couple was placed under house arrest after 5 months in solitary confinement for their faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 9, 2018, searches were carried out in Kirov in the homes of citizens accused of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as relatives who do not share their beliefs. 5 people were detained, including a foreigner. According to investigators, the question of the further measure of restraint for them should be decided on October 10-11, 2018.\nThe list of detainees includes 50-year-old Andrzej Oniszczuk (a citizen of the Republic of Poland living in Russia), 65-year-old Vladimir Korobeynikov, 25-year-old Andrey Suvorkov, 40-year-old Yevgeny Suvorkov and 44-year-old Maxim Khalturin. During searches in their homes, all electronic devices were seized. The investigating authorities searched not only believers, but also their relatives who do not profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe case was initiated by investigators of the Investigative Committee under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of activities of an extremist community) and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activities). The official report of the investigation states that the citizens \"organized meetings of followers and participants of this association in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs, improving the skills of missionary activity, studying religious literature, the so-called \"Holy Scripture\" (Bible), which is included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing Doctrine Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nAs can be seen, this criminal case is a direct consequence of the decision of the Vyborg City Court to recognize as extremist material the translation of the Bible into modern Russian, which was seized at customs from Jehovah's Witnesses.\nAfter the Russian Supreme Court liquidated and declared all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"extremist\", law enforcement agencies throughout the country mistakenly interpret peaceful meetings of believers as \"extremist activity.\" Dozens of human rights activists, as well as the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation , express concern about the growing religious repression.\n","category":"org","date":"2018-10-10T15:31:08+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_dc77be40404d0772.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_b2617c89503029b0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_a991a9524848ca09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/10/486.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","elderly","families","new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"In Kirov, a new criminal case for faith and the arrest of 5 citizens, including a Polish citizen","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 21, 2018, 21-year-old Sergey Rayman was released from pre-trial detention center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Kostroma region after 59 days of detention. The Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma, after a 5-hour hearing, changed his measure of restraint to house arrest, rejecting the investigator's request to extend his detention. It is noteworthy that the representative of the prosecutor's office supported the accused's petition for the application of house arrest.\nIt became known that the conditions of detention in Sergey's pre-trial detention center were very difficult at first: a small solitary confinement cell, letters were not missed. It was not allowed to have a Bible on the pretext that it contained maps of ancient Palestine, which, theoretically, could be used to prepare for escape. Later, however, the situation changed: he was allowed to have a Bible (cards removed) and receive letters, which became support for the young man.\nSergey's wife, Valeria Rayman, was detained along with her husband on July 25, 2018 after a brutal assault on their home. She spent 2 days in a temporary detention center, after which the court imposed a ban on her leaving the house at night, as well as a ban on the Internet, telephone, mail and communication with \"persons professing the teachings of Jehovah.\" On September 21, 2018, the court extended her preventive measure.\nThe criminal case against the Rayman spouses was initiated under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization and participation in the activities of an extremist community) on the grounds that, according to the investigation, citizens gathered in their house twice to discuss the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. On September 20, 2018, throughout Kostroma, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Center for Counteracting Extremism and the National Guard conducted mass searches in 11 houses of citizens who, according to the investigation, profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. 16 people were actually detained for questioning, some were detained at 6 a.m. and released only around 5 p.m.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-09-25T14:32:53+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/09/479/rayman_sergey_web5835_hu_60eb46a8134534ae.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/09/479/rayman_sergey_web5835_hu_a63abb1d4fd0ae3f.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/09/479/rayman_sergey_web5835_hu_66e0af7c2720a525.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/09/479/rayman_sergey_web5835_hu_ab25f2e85e57130f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/09/479.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["house-arrest","families"],"title":"In Kostroma, a believer was released from a pre-trial detention center under house arrest","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 20, 2018, searches were conducted throughout Kostroma in the homes of citizens suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Earlier in this city, after a harsh detention by the National Guard, 22-year-old Sergei Rayman was arrested; his wife Valeria was banned by the court from certain actions.\nDuring the new searches, at least 4 citizens, men and women, were detained and taken for interrogation. They were later released. Presumably, the raids are related to the criminal case against the Rayman spouses, who are accused under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of an extremist organization and participation in the activities of an extremist community) only on the grounds that, according to the investigation, citizens gathered in their house twice to discuss the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2018-09-21T15:43:39+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/09/478/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_hu_4854c360ed913aa2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/09/478/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/09/478/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_hu_3b2a93c103894ca4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/09/478/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_hu_192e772d263e87d1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/09/478.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","interrogation","ivs","prohibition-of-actions","families"],"title":"Mass searches in homes of believers in Kostroma","type":"news"},{"body":"Konstantin Bazhenov, who had been in pre-trial detention since August 21, 2018, was released on August 29. The court decided not to choose any measure of restraint for him, but the criminal case against him was not closed.\n41-year-old Konstantin Bazhenov was detained in Yelizovo (Kamchatka Territory) during searches. Together with him in the temporary detention center were his wife Snezhana Bazhenova and 71-year-old Vera Zolotova. On August 24, both women were also released, but the investigator chose a measure of restraint for them in the form of a written undertaking not to leave as part of a further investigation.\nAll three believers are charged with organizing extremist activities. Law enforcement officers bring such an accusation against believers throughout the country without evidence.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-08-31T16:59:17+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/08/470/depositphotos_6341185_0_hu_64fe248e688c644.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/08/470/depositphotos_6341185_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/08/470/depositphotos_6341185_0_hu_eb2f7519340c1df2.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/08/470/depositphotos_6341185_0_hu_315e1cd9ba87fccb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/08/470.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["recognizance-agreement","families"],"title":"All Three Believers in Kamchatka Released","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 19, 2018, in Yelizovo (Kamchatka Territory), searches were conducted in at least 3 homes of citizens who are suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. 41-year-old Konstantin Bazhenov, his wife Snezhana Bazhenova, and 71-year-old Vera Zolotova were sent to a temporary detention facility (IVS). On August 21, 2018, Ruslan Maslov, judge of the Yelizovsky District Court of the Kamchatka Territory, chose a measure of restraint for Konstantin Bazhenov in the form of 2-month detention until October 18, 2018; Snezhana Bazhenova and Vera Zolotova were released after being detained for 2 days.\nA total of 11 citizens were detained in Yelizovo, including Elizaveta, the Bazhenovs' minor daughter. After many hours of interrogation, most were released. It became known that a criminal case was initiated under Article 282.2(1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of an extremist organization).\nEarlier, on July 30, 2018, in the city of Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka Territory), dozens of armed FSB officers conducted several searches in the homes of believers. Spouses Mikhail Popov and Elena Popova were detained. The court of first instance sent 56-year-old Mikhail Popov to a pre-trial detention center, and his wife, after 4 days in a temporary detention facility, under house arrest. Later, the Kamchatka Regional Court released the spouses.\nRussian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Believers insist on their complete innocence. Currently, criminal prosecution for faith, accompanied by rough searches and arrests of law-abiding citizens, takes place in 7 of the 9 regions of the Far Eastern Federal District (excluding the Sakhalin Region and the Chukotka Autonomous Region), namely: in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in the Amur, Magadan and Jewish Autonomous Regions, Primorsky (3), Khabarovsk and Kamchatka (2) territories.\nThe town of Yelizovo is located 30 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Konstantin Aleksandrovich Bazhenov, detained in Yelizovo, is the namesake of 43-year-old Konstantin Viktorovich Bazhenov, who was sent to the Saratov pre-trial detention center on similar grounds.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-08-22T14:34:35+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/08/468/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_1_hu_452b2859e91a6b76.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/08/468/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/08/468/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_1_hu_f107157da6664010.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/08/468/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_1_hu_34e9e3ddb05b2843.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/08/468.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","ivs","search","families"],"title":"In Kamchatka, another person was sent to a pre-trial detention center for his faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 9 and 10, 2018, Mikhail and Elena Popov, who were arrested in Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka Territory) on suspicion of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, were released from arrest by an appeal decision of the Kamchatka Regional Court. Mikhail spent 11 days behind bars, Yelena - 4 days plus 7 days under house arrest.\nOn the morning of July 30, 2018, a series of searches were conducted in the homes of citizens selected on the basis of their attitude to religion in Vilyuchinsk. The Popovs were charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1.1. Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of an extremist organization and involvement in the activities of an extremist organization). On August 1, 2018, the Vilyuchinsky City Court chose a measure of restraint in the form of detention for 56-year-old Mikhail Popov. Two days later, his wife Yelena was placed under house arrest.\nAppeals were filed against the decisions. On August 9, 2018, Olga Alekseeva, judge of the Kamchatka Regional Court, overturned the decision to detain Mikhail Popov by an appeal decision. On August 10, Judge Yevgeny Kirillov overturned the decision to elect house arrest to Yelena Popova.\nRussian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, as well as the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, have already drawn attention to this problem. Believers insist on their complete innocence.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-08-11T14:08:14+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/08/429/depositphotos_15812491_0_hu_f1f56aae5fa1d218.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/08/429/depositphotos_15812491_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/08/429/depositphotos_15812491_0_hu_b0243de96b4b29d4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/08/429/depositphotos_15812491_0_hu_5e6af4cb51aea851.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/08/429.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","house-arrest","appeal","families"],"title":"In Kamchatka, an appeals court released spouses arrested for their faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 26, 2018, 22-year-old Sergey Rayman was sent to jail in Kostroma. His wife Valeria was chosen as a measure of restraint in the form of a ban on certain actions. The couple are accused of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nOn July 25, 2018, friends found their apartment empty with signs of a burglary on the door. It became known that Sergey and Valeria were sent to a temporary detention center. On the same day, armed riot police raided the homes of at least two other families suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. All computers and tablets, a printer and a Bible were seized from citizens. The search, among others, involved law enforcement officers Kuropatkin and Malinin. Law enforcement officers accompanied their actions with caustic comments regarding religion. The case is being investigated by investigator S. Korchashov, from the Central District Department of Kostroma of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.\nOn July 26, 2018, the Sverdlovsk District Court chose a measure of restraint for Sergey Rayman in the form of 2-month detention. The next day, the court chose a preventive measure for Valeria - in the form of a ban on leaving the house at night, a ban on the Internet, telephone and mail, as well as on communication with \"persons professing the teachings of Jehovah.\" The girl was prosecuted under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of an extremist organization and participation in the activities of an extremist community) only on the grounds that, according to the investigation, citizens gathered in her house twice to discuss the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-08-03T17:17:22+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/08/378/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_0_hu_4854c360ed913aa2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/08/378/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/08/378/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_0_hu_3b2a93c103894ca4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/08/378/180725_kostroma_vtorzhenie_istochnik_foto_tv_centr38042_0_hu_192e772d263e87d1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/08/378.html","regions":["kostroma"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","prohibition-of-actions","families","282.2-1","282.2-2"],"title":"A young man was arrested in Kostroma for his faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 1, 2018, Mikhail Popov, a 56-year-old resident of Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka Territory), was sent to a pre-trial detention center until September 24. His wife, Yelena, has been in a temporary detention facility since July 30, and the court extended her detention for another 72 hours. The spouses are suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nOn the morning of July 30, 2018, in the city of Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka Territory), dozens of armed FSB officers in balaclavas conducted several searches in the homes and cars of local residents. According to preliminary data, the searches were carried out on the initiative and with the support of the FSB, but the case is being investigated by the investigator of the Investigative Committee for the Kamchatka Territory, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice Viktor Ushakevich. Representatives of the police also participated in operational activities, since one of the law enforcement officers presented a police major's certificate in the name of Sutyagin.\nFor some time, no one knew about the whereabouts of Mikhail and Elena Popov. Since they still have locked pets, their friends entered their house and found traces of a search. Later it was found out that the Popovs were in a temporary detention center. His appointed lawyer recommended that blankets and warm clothes be handed over to them, which was done.\nRussian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The Human Rights Council under the President of Russia drew attention to this problem: \"Accusations of citizens that they read the Bible together and pray to God are interpreted as \"continuation of the activities of an extremist organization.\" The Council considers that such an interpretation is inconsistent with the legal position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ... This cannot but cause concern, since criminal prosecutions and arrests have become systemic.\"\nSuch persecution for faith, accompanied by rough searches and arrests of law-abiding citizens, occurs in 7 out of 9 regions of the Far Eastern Federal District.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2018-08-01T16:33:52+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/08/377/depositphotos_6406965_hu_1bbec167c0c66ac.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/08/377/depositphotos_6406965.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/08/377/depositphotos_6406965_hu_67809cd636efcf6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/08/377/depositphotos_6406965_hu_2407383a2cdbcb51.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/08/377.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","families"],"title":"Mass Searches and Arrests for Faith in Kamchatka","type":"news"},{"body":"It became known that Sergey Polyakov, who, together with his wife, did not get in touch for several days, was beaten during detention in his house in Omsk. Bodily injuries were inflicted by two Omsk law enforcement officers in masks.\nOn July 4, 2018, at 7:20 a.m., Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov were awakened by a knock on the door and immediately realized that it had begun to be hacked. To the question \"Who is there?\" they heard in response: \"Police.\" Sergey tried to make a phone call, but at that time masked men burst into the apartment and, without making any demands and without explaining anything, struck Sergey several blows to the head. At the same time, his nose and lip were broken, as a result of which severe bleeding began. Sergei was then thrown to the floor and one of the commandos hit him in the face with his knee. After a while, he was picked up and forced to wipe the blood on the floor in the hallway.\nDuring the invasion, the front door to the Polyakovs' apartment was practically blown off its hinges, and the door to the stairwell was also knocked out. The search of the Polyakovs' apartment and car lasted about 5 hours. When the couple asked law enforcement officers to introduce themselves, they were rude in response or mocked. A personal search of the spouses was also conducted. Anastasia was searched by a woman-witness (!). Investigator Denis Loginovsky ignored requests to clarify their rights and seek the help of a lawyer. A search was simply conducted, during which personal property was seized from the spouses. When Anastasia tried to indicate in the protocol what she did not agree with, the investigator snatched the sheet from her hands. Later, the spouses were taken in different cars to the village of Azovo (Omsk region), where identifications and other investigative actions were carried out. While traveling in the car, law enforcement officers forced Anastasia to testify, calling her an \"American agent\" and a \"sectarian.\"\nSergey's medical examination on the fact of inflicting bodily injuries was carried out only more than 2 days after the beating - in one of the medical institutions in the village of Azovo. Since Sergey still had a swollen nose, an X-ray examination was done.\nAnastasiya and Sergey were taken to the Azov District Court for a hearing on the election of a measure of restraint in handcuffs, and in the courtroom they were kept in a cage. The chairman of the court, Nina Iordan, sent both of them to Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Omsk Region for 2 months . The couple ended up in prison because they are suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Both of them are charged with Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has made a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities). They have been prosecuted.\nSergey and Anastasia Polyakov have been married since 2003. They have many friends who love them very much and have a hard time going through what is happening.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2018-07-13T19:08:54+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/07/370/polyakov3436_hu_2bf818a1715dd24b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/07/370/polyakov3436.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/07/370/polyakov3436_hu_c845d386a502a91c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/07/370/polyakov3436_hu_3f0003a8b14633d2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/07/370.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["siloviks-violence","search","sizo","health-risk","families"],"title":"Omsk law enforcement officers severely beat Sergey Polyakov","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 6, 2018, Nina Iordan, judge of the Azov District Court of the Omsk Region, sent a young woman, Anastasia Polyakova, as well as her husband, 46-year-old Sergey Polyakov, to the Omsk pre-trial detention center for 2 months. The couple ended up in prison because they are suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Both of them are charged with Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). They have been prosecuted.\nEarly in the morning of July 4, 2018, Sergey and Anastasia, while at their home in Omsk, were awakened by an invasion of their home by law enforcement officers. The door to their apartment was broken into. In fact, they were detained and held in custody for more than 2 days, until the court chose a measure of restraint.\nThe investigation team is headed by Major of Justice Denis Loginovsky, an investigator of the Azov District Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Omsk Region. Law enforcers in different regions of Russia mistakenly accept the joint religion of citizens for participation in an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, as well as the Presidential Council for Human Rights, have already drawn attention to this problem.\nAnastasia and Sergey can receive letters of support. Letters in foreign languages are not allowed to enter the pre-trial detention center, with the exception of children's drawings. Address for letters:\nSergey Valerievich Polyakov, born in 1972, FKU \"Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Omsk Region\", 86 Ordzhonikidze St., Omsk, 644007. E-mails are also accepted through the FSIN-letter system. (Criminal prosecution topics should not be discussed in the letters.)\nAnastasia Andreevna Polyakova, born in 1984, FKU \"Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Omsk Region\", 86 Ordzhonikidze St., Omsk, 644007. E-mails are also accepted through the FSIN-letter system. (Criminal prosecution topics should not be discussed in the letters.)\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-07-10T23:29:22+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/07/367/polyakov_for_site3365_hu_99486f4fcedd5055.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/07/367/polyakov_for_site3365.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/07/367/polyakov_for_site3365_hu_f497856188a1c5b7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/07/367/polyakov_for_site3365_hu_78dbefeceeca849b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/07/367.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sizo","families"],"title":"For the first time a young woman was sent to prison for her Christian faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 6, 2018, 46-year-old Sergey Polyakov and his wife Anastasia, who were suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, were sent to the Omsk pre-trial detention center. They were detained during searches conducted on July 4, 2018 in the homes of local residents.\nThe Polyakovs did not get in touch for 2 days, the door to their apartment was found broken open. Simultaneous searches were carried out in at least 4 dwellings of Omsk residents. Starting at 7:00 a.m., the searches continued until 3:00 p.m. and were carried out in houses, on land plots, in outbuildings and in parked cars of citizens. All possible electronic storage media and electronic devices were seized. During the search, the witnesses actively helped law enforcement officers, prompted and even tried to interrogate believers. The case is being conducted by Denis Loginovsky, an investigator of the Azov District Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Omsk Region.\nIt is not yet known under what articles the criminal case was initiated. However, law enforcement officers in different regions of Russia mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, as well as the Presidential Council for Human Rights, have already drawn attention to this problem.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-07-06T17:46:39+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/07/360/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_hu_17a7f6510007a8a6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/07/360/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/07/360/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_hu_fa10a11985b59e0e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/07/360/180603_tomsk_vylamyvayut_dver3352_hu_5745fb0cb44e8fa9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/07/360.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","families","new-case","282"],"title":"In Omsk, a husband and wife were arrested for their faith, a criminal case was opened","type":"news"},{"body":"The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check the legality of the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. The reason for this was a letter to the Council of Wives of Arrested Believers, which spoke of a massive campaign of persecution throughout the country.\nHaving studied the appeal, the human rights defenders of the HRC revealed a paradoxical situation. According to the organization's statement published on its website, the decisions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20 and July 17, 2017 \"do not contain conclusions about the prohibition of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as such,\" and the Government of the Russian Federation has twice stated that this decision \"does not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\" However, in practice, the opposite happens, dozens of criminal cases have been initiated against believers.\n\"There is a contradiction between the stated position of the Government of the Russian Federation and law enforcement practice,\" the HRC said in a statement. \"This cannot but cause concern, since criminal prosecutions and arrests have become systemic.\"\nIn this regard, the Council asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check the legality and validity of the criminal prosecution of believers and take measures to protect their constitutional rights.\nOn June 7, the wives of the arrested Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (all the accused are men) sent an open collective letter to the HRC. It drew attention to a massive campaign of criminal prosecution of citizens solely on the basis of their faith, despite the fact that the highest authorities in Russia continue to declare that this is not happening.\n","category":"rights","date":"2018-06-21T13:03:28+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/06/355/fedotov_hu_4e1874c7ab1fb30a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/06/355/fedotov.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/06/355/fedotov_hu_7bc312081c1a05f6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/06/355/fedotov_hu_fb5f9d34fc11d536.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/06/355.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["presidential-council","human-rights-defenders","human-right-organizations","letters","families"],"title":"Human Rights Council responds to appeal from wives of citizens arrested for their faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 7, 2018, an open collective letter from the wives of citizens arrested for their faith was sent to the Head and all members of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights. The text of the appeal is published below.\nThe letter begins with the words: \"An open letter to you is our cry of despair. Our dear people ... thrown behind bars on suspicion that they read the commandments of the Bible with us, with our children and friends, and prayed to God.\"\nUpdate. On June 21, 2018, it became known that the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights responded to the appeal of the wives of citizens arrested for their faith. An appeal was sent to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to verify the legality of the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nEnglish translation (PDF)\nTo the Council under the President of the Russian Federation\non the development of civil society\nand human rights\nDear Mikhail Alexandrovich! Distinguished members of the Human Rights Council,\nAn open letter to you is our cry of despair. Our loved ones — husbands, breadwinners, fathers of our children, peaceful, honest and compassionate people — are thrown into jail on suspicion of reading the commandments of the Bible with us, with our children and friends, and praying to God, whose name is written in the Bible as Jehovah.\nTo date, 17 believers are languishing in pre-trial detention centers in Russia. One of them has been detained for more than a year. Dozens of believers in 11 regions of Russia are under house arrest and recognizance agreement. Every day their number is constantly increasing. Given that there are 175,000 followers of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, we are concerned about the question: how many more tens, hundreds, or thousands of prisoners of conscience are required to end this unjust criminal prosecution of people for believing in God?\nUnder the pretext of fighting extremism, many of us, and even our children, were threatened with weapons by riot policemen and forced to lie on the floor. Searches have been carried out in our homes, phones and computers have been taken away from us, which does not allow us to live and work normally. Family photos, passports and other documents, Bibles were confiscated. Law enforcement agencies try to make us live in fear and shudder at every knock on the door or the wail of a siren, expecting to be arrested just for our faith. Some believers have already been expelled from the factories after many years of impeccable work, with the sole justification that the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is banned. We cannot find an answer to the question: why are we being subjected to such persecution in our country, and what religion will be appointed as the next victims after us?\nLaw enforcement agencies explain the persecution of our husbands for believing in God by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20.04.2017, which liquidated all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nAt the same time, both the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation during the trial in the Supreme Court and the Government of the Russian Federation after the decision repeatedly officially stated that this court decision would not entail violations of the rights of citizens to freedom of religion.\nThe above-mentioned decision of the Supreme Court did not really ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, but applies exclusively to legal entities. Who in our country today benefits from mass repressions of believers? Why are our relatives accused of a serious crime with the prospect of spending 6 to 10 years in prison for alleged extremist activities under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation? Why do law enforcement officers mistakenly interpret the peaceful profession of faith in God as participation in an extremist organization?\nDistinguished members of the Council, help us get answers to these questions.\nIn such a horrific environment, many of us fear for the future of our children. In our country, prerequisites have been created for the removal of children from parents whose faith in God is declared \"wrong\". In this light, there are disturbing reports that data on children from Jehovah's Witnesses families are being collected in educational and medical institutions. It is not surprising that almost every week entire families of our fellow believers drop everything and, in order to save their children, flee abroad to seek political asylum.\nIn exchange for freedom and a quiet life, we are offered to renounce our faith. This is not a figure of speech - the investigators in the literal sense of the word offer to sign the paper in order to avoid punishment for \"extremism\"! Otherwise, according to them, no lawyers will help us. But we cannot stop believing in God. This is a right that every person has from the moment of his birth. The Russian Federation is a multi-confessional state, and we, as citizens of Russia, have the right to count on the state's respect and protection of our rights. We are not asking for any special privileges. We ask only one thing – please protect our rights.\nDear members of the Council! A real terror has now been unleashed against an entire religion, one of the largest Christian religions in Russia! Basic human rights are violated: the right to liberty and security of person, the right to personal dignity, the right to privacy, the right to inviolability of the home, freedom of conscience and freedom of thought, freedom of religion, the right to private property.\nIf you do not stop the impending catastrophe, it will happen before your eyes. We are sure that you are now able to do something! We ask you to bring this information to the attention of the President of the Russian Federation, as well as to use all measures provided for by law to restore the rights of believers!\nYours sincerely, wives of persons currently in detention:\nAlyona Vilitkevich (Bashkiria),\nAnna Zyablova (Magadan region),\nYulia Klimova (Tomsk region),\nGalina Kochneva (Orenburg region),\nIrina Christensen (Oryol region),\nSvetlana Markina (Murmansk region),\nTatyana Petrova (Magadan region),\nAnastasia Puida (Khabarovsk region),\nNatalia Suvorova (Orenburg region),\nUlyana Trofimova (Murmansk region) and others Wives of Citizens Arrested for Their Faith\n","category":"rights","date":"2018-06-07T18:49:33+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/06/345/15061_hu_89ed1c1bd606dba1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/06/345/15061.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/06/345/15061_hu_56e42c9d61d66877.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/06/345/15061_hu_a46372111ad1c7d3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/06/345.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["presidential-council","letters","families","human-right-organizations"],"title":"Collective Open Letter from Wives of Citizens Arrested for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"It became known that on December 14, 2016, the criminal case against six Jehovah's Witnesses from Taganrog (Rostov Region) was terminated on rehabilitative grounds. This criminal case was an exact repetition of the sensational \"Case of Sixteen\", which has been heard in the courts for about four years and on which a guilty verdict was passed (at present, believers and their defenders are appealing it to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation).\nBack in 2011, six believers, as well as sixteen, were caught praying and reading the Bible and regarded this as \"extremist activity\" on the grounds that the court had previously liquidated a legal entity - the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Taganrog\". The liquidation of the legal entity did not mean that believers were deprived of the right to freedom of religion. After many years, it became clear to the investigation that there was no corpus delicti in the actions of the accused. Now believers must return the Bibles and other personal property seized from them during searches in 2011, and two of the accused, 67-year-old spouses Vladimir and Svetlana Chesnokov, will also have to unblock their bank accounts, which contain their modest retirement savings.\n","category":"victory","date":"2017-01-12T15:15:04+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/01/85/vlcsnap-error168187_hu_8c8e44336ef42ead.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/01/85/vlcsnap-error168187.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/01/85/vlcsnap-error168187_hu_6fc7de9cec17faf3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/01/85/vlcsnap-error168187_hu_fb97edd36d5152a3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/01/85.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["case-dismissed","rosfinmonitoring","families","elderly","liquidation"],"title":"Criminal prosecution of six Taganrog Jehovah's Witnesses has been terminated","type":"news"},{"body":"In July 2021, the court sentenced Arsen Avanesov to 6.5 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God, and his elderly father Vilen — to 6 years in prison. The believers were found guilty of extremism because they read and discussed the Bible with friends.\nArsen was born in 1983 in Baku (Azerbaijan). He has an elder sister Elina. As a child, Arsen played rugby. After school, he graduated from the Don State Technical University with a degree in engineering in biomedical practice, but worked mainly in the construction professions. In the late 1980s, his family moved first to Armenia and then to Russia, where they settled in Rostov-on-Don.\nArsen is fond of foreign languages, studying English and French. Thanks to my parents, I got acquainted with the Bible, from which he draws guidance for everyday life.\nThose close to Arsen and Vilen believe that they were condemned unfairly, since the believers did not actually commit any crime. Arsen was the main breadwinner of the family, his parents are pensioners. Arsen\u0026#39;s mother has been deprived of the necessary support since the arrest of both men in May 2019.\n\u0026quot;In this case, the only victims are us and our families, who suffer without us,\u0026quot; Arsen said in his final statement in court. \u0026quot;Our physical, emotional and material condition has been harmed.\u0026quot;\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/aavanesov/photo_hu_c07010c3251539d2.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/aavanesov/photo_hu_af0a47d8322ca181.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/aavanesov/photo_hu_425d5861e7f37abf.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/aavanesov/photo_hu_31edaa97ed58a2a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/aavanesov.html","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Arsen Avanesov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan ended up behind bars after mass searches at Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk. Both were imprisoned for a long time. The court handed down guilty verdicts to peaceful spouses only because of their faith.\nAlevtina was born in 1977 in Kursk. She was an active child: she went to the mime studio, was fond of break dancing, and participated in the life of the school. She graduated from the trade and culinary and construction schools, took courses as a hairdresser and worked in this specialty. Alevtina lived in different places: Kharovsk (Vologda region), Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Dyatkovo (Bryansk region). Later she returned to her native Kursk together with her husband to take care of her mother.\nAlevtina met Artem in Kursk. In 2012 they got married. Spouses love outdoor activities, go for mushrooms and berries.\nAlevtina became interested in the Bible in her youth, and the knowledge from this book immediately resonated in her heart. Artem supported his wife in her spiritual interests. However, both of them could not even imagine that for this they would be subjected to criminal prosecution and would end up behind bars.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/abagratyan/photo_hu_d641dfa52b115be.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/abagratyan/photo_hu_d4ce97f7b390a952.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/abagratyan/photo_hu_9499ce3fd4beb2b7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/abagratyan/photo_hu_86b20c7512626d58.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/abagratyan.html","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Alevtina Bagratyan","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the summer of 2019, 35 searches were carried out in several settlements of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Galina Abrosimova spent two days in the detention center, accused of extremism and eventually sentenced to 6 years suspended sentence.\nGalina was born in 1966 in the village of Prigorodnoye, Penza region. She is the eldest of three children. Their parents are no longer alive. As a child, Galina likedy to do needlework—knitting, sewing. After school, she received the profession of pharmacist and worked in it for 10 years. Later, she took courses as a histologist laboratory assistant and devoted 20 years to this work. In 2014, she took a well-deserved rest but continues to do needlework. She sews and helps in the atelier.\nWhen Galina lost her husband in 2000, she began to study the Bible. The clarity and practicality of the Scriptures touched her heart. Galina sought to bring up her two children in accordance with the commandments of this wise book. Today they are adults, their son Aleksandr is a refrigerator repairman.\nThe children are outraged by the criminal prosecution of their mother for her faith. They cannot understand how she could have been convicted of a crime she did not commit.\nIn June 2024, Galina was suspected of having cancer. She was unable to pass the examination as she was searched again and spent almost the entire day in police custody. At the end of September, the diagnosis was confirmed. During these months, the tumor almost doubled in size. Galina underwent surgery in November 2024 and has been undergoing chemotherapy since December. Relatives and friends support the believer.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/abrosimova/photo_hu_bfe3d36d63741ea9.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/abrosimova/photo_hu_988df44fa5763ce9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/abrosimova/photo_hu_e3bfd6e0d804ef30.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/abrosimova/photo_hu_4b04ad7d495aaf7f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/abrosimova.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Galina Abrosimova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The decision to become a Christian radically changed the life of Sergey Afanasiyev and his family: “It filled our lives with happiness and purpose,” he says. However, 20 years later, because of his beliefs, the peaceful believer became a victim of religious repression.\nSergey was born in April 1964 in the village of Horonkhoy (Buryatia). He has an older sister. When Sergey was 10 years old, his father died tragically, and his mother had to raise the children alone.\nAs a child, Sergey was fond of hockey, football and fishing. After school, he went to Blagoveshchensk and entered the river college. Later he gained construction skills and worked for about 15 years in a housebuilding factory.\nSergey met Irina in Blagoveshchensk and in 1984 they got married. The couple raised three children with Christian values. Two of them are adults and already have families of their own.\nSergey was concerned with spiritual questions for many years, but he found answers to them only in 1996, when he and Irina began studying the Bible thoroughly. They were glad to learn that the Holy Scriptures contain the name of God, and they also found useful advice on strengthening the family and raising children. In 1998, the Afanasiyevs became Christians. According to Sergey, Bible knowledge had a positive effect on him: “I began to devote more time to my family and children, and also to help other people”.\nIn their free time, the Afanasiyevs go to the forest to pick mushrooms, go fishing, go ice-skating and play volleyball. Sergey recently took up painting.\nAfter the searches in the summer of 2018, the life of the Afanasiyev family changed a lot. The criminal prosecution affected their emotional state and physical health. However, the family does not lose heart. Sergey says: “The prosecution dramatically changed our lives. At first we were anxious; there was some kind of uncertainty. But we were not frightened, because we understood that this could happen to anyone”.\nRelatives and colleagues are at a loss because of the unfair sentence handed down to this peaceful and exemplary family man—6.5 years in a penal colony only because of his religion. Sergey's daughter, Yekaterina, is also being prosecuted for her faith, and in December 2022 her husband, Anton, was sentenced along with his father-in-law to 6 years and 3 months imprisonment for his beliefs.\n","date":"2022-01-07","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/afanasiyev/photo_hu_139f8f513506b604.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/afanasiyev/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/afanasiyev/photo_hu_4ec43c3dd8edc533.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/afanasiyev/photo_hu_d78489b3d8ae7fe1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/afanasiyev.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["elderly","families","health-risk"],"title":"Sergey Afanasiyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2018, Alam Aliyev was detained during an operation code-named \"Judgment Day\", in which 150 law enforcement officers took part. He spent 8 days in a detention center. The believer was charged with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. After 4.5 years, the court found him guilty and sent him to a penal colony for 6.5 years only because of his faith in Jehovah God.\nAlam was born in 1963 in Lyaki (Azerbaijan) in a large working-class family. Alam has two brothers and three sisters. As a child, Alam liked playing checkers, but he was not particularly obedient. He did his military service in Germany and then got a job as a sailor on a fishing boat.\nIn 1989, Alam moved to Khabarovsk, where he began to read the Bible and was impressed with what he learned from it. In 1991, he decided to become a Christian. His parents, who professed Islam, initially did not approve of this, but they began to respect Alam's faith after they saw positive changes in him. His mother was so delighted with how the Bible changed her son that she told the neighbors: \"Alam has become like an angel\".\nIn recent years, Alam worked as a machinist in a boiler room. He has two adult children from his first marriage. Alam remarried in 2015 after the death of his first wife. He likes spending time outdoors with his family and in his free time he also enjoys playing chess.\nAlam's wife, Svetlana, also became a victim of criminal prosecution for her faith — she was given a 2.5-year suspended sentence. Standing before the court, Alam firmly stated: “I am not ashamed to stand before the court for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses. It would be shameful if I was tried for a real crime”.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/aliev/photo_hu_28a22379ee179fcf.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/aliev/photo_hu_9c75f0f44574de71.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/aliev/photo_hu_8996d72f5701eee3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/aliev/photo_hu_fcb9333782036f2b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/aliev.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["elderly","families","health-risk"],"title":"Alam Aliyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 15, 2018, Vladimir Alushkin was arrested in his own apartment in Penza. A criminal case against him under Article 282.2 (part 1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was initiated a few days earlier. What is known about this man?\nVladimir was born in 1964 in the city of Salavat (Bashkortostan) in a working-class family. As a child, he often went with his parents to the mountains and nature, went in for swimming. Later he moved to Penza, in 1986 he graduated from the Faculty of Radio Electronics of the Penza Polytechnic Institute. While working at a research institute, he married Tatyana, who worked as a programmer.\nIn 1995, Vladimir became interested in the Bible, noticing its beneficial effect on his wife Tatiana. Thanks to this, he found answers to many questions that worried him. This is a friendly and close-knit Christian family. But in July 2018, the life of the Alushkins changed dramatically - security forces burst into their apartment with machine guns at the ready, searched and arrested Vladimir.\nHis family, neighbors and work colleagues were shocked by this treatment of a peaceful person. They conveyed to the court positive characteristics of Vladimir as a kind, sympathetic, decent and conflict-free person. His friends sincerely hoped that the absurd accusations of extremism would be dropped.\nHowever, on December 13, 2019, the Leninsky District Court of Penza, chaired by Judge Roman Tanchenko, sentenced Vladimir Alushkin to 6 years in a real colony only for his faith in God. Tatyana Alushkina received a two-year suspended sentence. The lawyers appealed the verdict.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/alushkin/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/alushkin/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/alushkin/photo_hu_6743bb6728ef30da.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/alushkin/photo_hu_6743bb6728ef30da.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/alushkin.html","regions":["penza"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vladimir Alushkin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In February 2019, a civilian resident of Penza, Tatyana Alushkina, was brought as a defendant in a criminal case after her husband, Vladimir. Later, the court found the spouses guilty of extremism because of their participation in religious services.\nTatyana was born in 1963 in the city of Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region) in a non-religious family. His father was a member of the Communist Party, his mother worked at a factory. As a child, she was fond of skiing, attended a ballet studio. Later she graduated from Yaroslavl State University with a degree in applied mathematics and moved to Penza. She worked as a programmer at one of the research institutes in Penza, where she met and married a design engineer Vladimir.\nIn the mid-1990s, both spouses became keenly interested in the Bible. They have an adult daughter with whom they maintain a warm relationship. Vladimir and Tatyana love to walk in nature, pick mushrooms.\nRelatives and neighbors are perplexed by the persecution of the Alushkin family because of their religion. Some gave the court positive references to them.\nOn December 13, 2019, the Leninsky District Court of Penza passed a guilty verdict against the Alushkins. Judge Roman Tanchenko sentenced Tatyana to 2 years of suspended imprisonment, and her husband Vladimir to 6 years in prison.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/alushkina/photo_hu_99089b3910301486.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/alushkina/photo_hu_bd0434477359e6e4.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/alushkina/photo_hu_760b353151cde1ce.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/alushkina/photo_hu_2ce985d3d54b010a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/alushkina.html","regions":["penza"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Alushkina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"For 3 years, Larisa Artamonova had to face surveillance, search, interrogations and trial. The peaceful believer was found guilty of participating in extremist activities and sentenced to a fine, and in April 2021, the court of appeal toughened the sentence. Larisa was sentenced to 2.5 years of probation and 1 year of restriction of freedom.\nLarisa was born in 1970 in Birobidzhan. When she was three years old, her father was killed. This psychological shock left an imprint on the rest of Larisa's life. Later, her mother remarried, Larisa had a younger brother.\nLarisa graduated as a pastry chef, but also worked as a graphic designer and seamstress. In 1990 she got married and gave birth to a son. After 4 years, the couple divorced and Larisa had to start all over again. She increasingly wondered: why is there so much injustice, grief and evil in life? Spiritual quest led to Bible study. Larisa says: \"I realized that only God can answer my questions and only the Creator can eliminate all evil.\"\nLarisa was diagnosed with a rare form of autoimmune disease. However, the believer does not dwell on her difficulties. Bible principles help her to worry less and not aggravate her illness with worry. “My faith literally saves my life,” says Larisa.\nThe believer leads an active lifestyle: she rides a bicycle, skates and ski, continues to paint and participate in art exhibitions, and develops the profession of a portrait painter. Larisa's son got married, and now she is a happy grandmother of her little grandson.\nLarisa's elderly parents were shocked that their daughter was being persecuted not for a crime, but for her beliefs. They were especially wounded by the fact that Larisa faced six years in prison - that is how much the man who killed her father received. The believer was added to the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, and her bank cards were blocked.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/artamonova/photo_hu_f6cc0a017f3a3108.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/artamonova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/artamonova/photo_hu_cfa1790b0cb4c5d8.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/artamonova/photo_hu_a5a0a9dd14473be1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/artamonova.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Larisa Artamonova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2021, the court sentenced Vilen Avanesov to 6 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God, and his son Arsen to 6.5 years in prison. The believers were found guilty of extremism because they read and discussed the Bible with friends.\nVilen was born in 1952 in Baku (Azerbaijan). He worked as an electrician and builder, now retired. Since childhood, Vilen is fond of cooking, loves to bake homemade bread. Another of Vilen's hobbies is reading. One of his favorite books from a young age was the Bible.\nIn 1980, Vilen married Stella, they had a son, Arsen, and a daughter, Elina. Due to the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh in 1988, the family was forced to leave their home and move to Armenia as refugees. But the earthquake in Yerevan in the same year and the deteriorating financial situation forced the family to move again. This time, the place of residence was the Russian Rostov-on-Don. Vilen had to start everything from scratch, because he lost his home first in Baku and then in Yerevan.\nThe whole big family of Vilen is worried about the fact that they and Arsen were convicted. Vilen is in poor health. “Vilen and prison are incomparable things,— says his wife.— Vilen is the kindest person. This is how all his family and friends know him.\"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/avanesov/photo_hu_910fea42d606270e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/avanesov/photo_hu_ad95cfb78fc27a02.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/avanesov/photo_hu_3d17caa81f7d1b7c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/avanesov/photo_hu_f59ec4e538431f0d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/avanesov.html","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Vilen Avanesov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Artem and Alevtina Bagratyan ended up behind bars after mass searches at Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk. Both were imprisoned for a long time. The court handed down guilty verdicts to peaceful spouses only because of their faith.\nArtem was born in 1972 in the city of Abovyan (Armenia). He has a brother and sister. By occupation, Artem is a gas boiler operator, he also repairs household appliances and shoes.\nAfter moving from Armenia, Artem lived for some time in Stary Oskol, then in Kursk, Dyatkovo (Bryansk region) and Tomsk. In Kursk, Artem met his future wife Alevtina, and in 2012 they got married. After the wedding, the couple lived in Dyatkovo, but after a while they returned to Kursk to take care of Alevtina's mother.\nArtem is fond of cars, loves to be in nature with family and friends, fry shish kebabs, pick mushrooms and berries.\nCriminal prosecution and imprisonment seriously affected the health of Artem, who suffers from diabetes and a number of other diseases.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bagratyan/photo_hu_f67cc6fc0ce8d824.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bagratyan/photo_hu_ebed65cb11098215.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bagratyan/photo_hu_cebd52998d6b510d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bagratyan/photo_hu_80c3fd39ece12e88.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bagratyan.html","regions":["kursk"],"tags":["families","health-risk"],"title":"Artem Bagratyan","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On April 10, 2019, searches were carried out in the families of believers in Abakan. Valentina Baranovskaya and her son Roman were detained. A criminal case was opened against them under an \"extremist\" article. The investigation lasted more than a year, and then the case was considered in court for 8 months. In February 2021, an unprecedented decision was made: a 70-year-old woman was sentenced to 2 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God. 3 months later, the Supreme Court of Khakassia upheld the verdict.\nValentina was born in 1951 in the Kazakh village of Vannovka. Together with her older brother and sister, she grew up in a family dominated by communist beliefs. In 1973 she graduated from the Ufa Financial College in absentia. The next year, a son, Roman, was born. When he was 7 years old, the family settled in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). In 1991 they moved to Abakan, where they still live.\nValentina worked as an accountant and economist and retired in 2006. She is a creative person, since childhood she writes poetry, loves to give her friends wedding greetings and songs. She loves to cook and receive guests, and in her free time she loves to solve crosswords.\nBack in 1995, Valentina and her son began reading the Bible. She was struck by the beautiful truths that are contained there. She was particularly impressed by the idea that God could not lie. She decided to trust the Bible always and in everything and live according to its commandments.\nThe criminal prosecution undermined Valentina's health: in the summer of 2020, just before the start of the court hearings, she was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction, or ischemic stroke. According to the doctors, the believer was in the hospital in a moderate condition. All this, however, did not prevent the court from sentencing the elderly woman to a real prison term.\nRelatives were shocked to learn that Valentina and her son were convicted only because of their faith. “They know that we are peaceful, kind, decent people ... They still cannot come to their senses,” says Valentina.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/baranovskaya/photo_hu_a9eaa3630b68ba4f.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/baranovskaya/photo_hu_72863d270cf84278.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/baranovskaya/photo_hu_6b73519a6bd0743f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/baranovskaya/photo_hu_4dc2e5a0d54435ac.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/baranovskaya.html","regions":["khakassia"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Valentina Baranovskaya","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On April 10, 2019, searches were carried out in the families of believers in Abakan. Roman Baranovskiy and his mother Valentina were detained. A criminal case was opened against them for extremist activities. The investigation lasted more than a year, and then the case was considered in court for 8 months. In February 2021, a harsh decision was made: Roman was sentenced to 6 years in colony, and his 70-year-old mother was sentenced to 2 years in colony for believing in Jehovah God.\nRoman was born in 1974 in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Region. Later, the family moved to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), and in 1991 moved to Abakan, where Valentina\u0026#39;s relatives lived. As a child, Roman was fond of chess and football. He graduated from the Polytechnic College as an auto mechanic, and later mastered the skill of finishing work, which is what he is doing to this day.\nFrom his youth, Roman thought about the meaning of life. He says: \u0026quot;Sometimes I asked God to show me the right way. It always seemed to me that there is a higher meaning in life than just living it ... In 1993 I bought a Bible and began to read it \u0026quot;. Mother joined him in this. The man is very impressed by the consistency of the Bible\u0026#39;s teachings.\nIn his free time, Roman likes to play mind games. He is also interested in playing the guitar. Before sentencing, Roman took care of his mother. \u0026quot;He is a very big support for me,\u0026quot; said Valentina.\nRoman\u0026#39;s cousins and sister were shocked to learn that Roman and his mother were accused of such monstrous things as extremism simply because of their belief in God. They were surprised by the unfair conviction of Roman and Valentina.\n\u0026quot;I am sure,\u0026quot; Roman said in his final statement, \u0026quot;that real happiness depends on the realization that God approves of you. His approval depends on whether you act out of love for him and your neighbors. Love for God and for my neighbors is the main motive for all my actions. And this has nothing to do with extremism.\u0026quot;\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/baranovskiy/photo_hu_6d3c733d7499022d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/baranovskiy/photo_hu_553d1be5219c0b6b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/baranovskiy/photo_hu_a66314083bef83f2.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/baranovskiy/photo_hu_612bdec0dcac2c6c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/baranovskiy.html","regions":["khakassia"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Roman Baranovskiy","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Dmitry Barmakin was born in 1974 on the Black Sea coast, in Alushta (Crimea). At the age of 10, he lost his mother, and his father raised his son on his own. Since childhood, he was inquisitive, swam well and loved to read. In the eighth grade, I bought a Bible with the money I earned during the holidays. The practicality of the biblical advice convinced Dmitriy that this ancient book could be trusted.\nAfter graduating from a vocational school, Dmitry received a diploma as a cook. Later he graduated from programming courses in Kaliningrad and worked as a programmer and CNC operator. The company has established itself as a responsible and honest employee, a person who is always ready to help.\nDmitry met his wife Elena in Bakhchisarai in 2003. And three years after they met, they got married. Together they took care of Dmitry's sick father for several years, until his death. In 2017, the family moved to Vladivostok to help Yelena's parents and grandmother. Elena has a creative job, she is a photographer. Dmitry's passion for photography was also passed on. In addition, he successfully creates computer programs. The couple love to travel, together they traveled around the Crimea, the Far East, shooting the sea, nature, animals. They have many loyal friends and good acquaintances, which they have acquired over the years of married life.\nSince July 28, 2018, Dmitriy and Elena have been separated – Dmitriy was arrested on charges of professing his faith, which is essentially guaranteed by the Constitution to every person in Russia. The wife is painfully experiencing parting with her beloved husband. And for Elena's relatives, Dmitry's arrest is a real tragedy, because the spouses provided physical assistance to many of them, including their 93-year-old grandmother. They cannot understand why an honest and respectable person ended up behind bars.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/barmakin/photo_hu_a5f0a5665706e12d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/barmakin/photo_hu_cc04fb6773e9431e.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/barmakin/photo_hu_12e23b43c93b326e.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/barmakin/photo_hu_c7f08af572f1cc58.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/barmakin.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Barmakin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On September 12, 2018, Rosfinmonitoring arrested the bank cards of Vladivostok resident Yelena Barmakina, and the next day she was charged with participating in extremist activities. By that time, her husband Dmitry Barmakin had already been held in a pre-trial detention center on a similar charge for more than a month. The only complaint of law enforcement officers to the Barmakins is their religion. What do we know about Elena?\nElena was born in 1967 in the city of Cherepanovo, Novosibirsk Region. She has a younger brother, Sergey. As a child, she was engaged in gymnastics, loved to skate. She graduated from the Odessa College of Public Catering and received the specialty of a catering technologist. Later, she was educated remotely at the New York Institute of Photography. She worked as a photographer and photo designer. Today, her hobby coincides with her profession - this is photography. He still goes in for sports and visits the pool, goes hiking.\nYelena firmly decided to adhere to the Christian path in her life and has not left it for many years. According to Elena, she was amazed by the precisely fulfilled prophecies from the Bible and the answers to prayers, which became clear proof of the power of God for her. She was also greatly impressed by the exemplary behavior of believers.\nOver the years, Yelena lived in Donetsk and Bakhchisarai. In Crimea, she met her future husband Dmitry, who also loved the Bible. Three years later, in 2006, they got married. Together we moved to Vladivostok to be closer to and take care of Yelena's elderly parents and grandmother. Dmitry shares Elena's passion for travel, is also fond of photography, loves to create video animations.\nThe life of the spouses was divided into \"before\" and \"after\" the initiation of criminal cases. In addition to supporting her husband in the pre-trial detention center, Yelena cannot find a permanent job, since she can be summoned to court or interrogation at any time. \"If earlier we solved all the issues and tasks together with Dima, now this heavy burden fell on my female shoulders,\" says Elena. - I have no support, support and adviser. We have been together for many years and have never parted! And now I'm alone for the second year. I'm very worried about Dima. My mother cries all the time, and all my relatives and friends are still shocked by what is happening.\"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/barmakina/photo_hu_6762184383342aa5.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/barmakina/photo_hu_1a4e81673768ea6b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/barmakina/photo_hu_b77ccfb4d695b7d9.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/barmakina/photo_hu_f0fcf5864ceaa147.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/barmakina.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Barmakina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","jpg2x":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","webp":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp","webp2x":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bochkarev.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Andrey Bochkarev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/person_placeholder_female.jpg","jpg2x":"/person_placeholder_female.jpg","webp":"/person_placeholder_female_hu_d97a9e9b84349748.webp","webp2x":"/person_placeholder_female_hu_d97a9e9b84349748.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bochkareva.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Leysan Bochkareva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In February 2022, Yevgeniy Bochko became a suspect in a criminal case on extremism only because of his belief in Jehovah God. He was searched, which caused bouts of chronic illness in a believer who is on disability—Bochko has multiple sclerosis, and this affects his coordination.\nYevgeniy was born in April 1975 in the village of Novoberezanskiy, Krasnodar Territory. He is the only child in the family, his mother raised him alone.\nAs a child, Yevgeniy was fond of studying insects, collecting stamps. He liked to repeat the experiments he had seen at physics and chemistry lessons at home, to examine objects under a microscope. In high school, he became interested in electronics, assembled a random number generator.\nIn 1996, Yevgeniy graduated from the Krasnodar Engineering College. After that, he worked as an electrician, an engineer for maintenance of instrumentation and automation of gas equipment. Currently unemployed for health reasons.\nYevgeniy recalls: “Childhood was difficult. There was no one to rely on, except God, I prayed from childhood. So when they offered to study the Bible, I immediately agreed.” Eugene found answers to his questions and in 1998 embarked on the Christian path.\nYevgeniy got married in 2009. His wife Anna is a housewife. For several years the couple lived in the city of Marks (Saratov region), later returned to Vyselki, and then settled in the village of Buzinovskaya.\nIn their free time, the couple take care of the garden and vegetable garden together. The Bochcos love animals: they have a cat, who, according to Yevgeniy, likes to listen to music, and two dogs.\nThe criminal prosecution has radically changed the lives of believers. Yevgeniy had to call an ambulance, as the stress he had experienced greatly affected his already poor health.\nRelatives and friends are perplexed because of what is happening. The villagers began to treat Yevgeny with more respect.\n","date":"2022-03-24","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/bochko/photo_hu_7da9c30b17446c66.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/bochko/photo_hu_52cd3def28e6dd63.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/bochko/photo_hu_f91fbf950bde4a6.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/bochko/photo_hu_7cc08c0709cc4e0d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/bochko.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["disability","families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Bochko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On the morning of October 17, 2022, security forces raided Sergey Chechulin's workplace and took him away for interrogation. He learned that a criminal case had been initiated against him and his wife, Yelena, for believing in Jehovah God.\nSergey was born in September 1968 in the village of Tymlat, Kamchatka Territory. He grew up in an orphanage. He has a younger sister. As a child, Sergey was fond of photography.\nAfter school, the young man was trained as a ship mechanic at a vocational school. Then he worked as a loader in a warehouse, and he recently worked for a heating company as a level-five repairman.\nWhen Sergey began to read the Bible, he was surprised by its accuracy, logic, and practical value. In 1995 he was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nSergey is married to Yelena, who works as a nurse. She shares her husband's religious views. In 2002 the couple had a son, who now has his own family.\nSergey has lived in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky all his life. He loves to go hiking. He has been on several hiking tours in Crimea and Arkhyz.\nThe criminal prosecution shocked Sergey's friends and coworkers, since many know him as a respectable worker and citizen. He said: “At first I felt insecure and restless, and I did not sleep well, but now I am strengthened by the help of Jehovah and fellow believers.”\n","date":"2023-02-07","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chechulin/photo_hu_df01f9a06d50f801.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chechulin/photo_hu_eefe90689501f925.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chechulin/photo_hu_f9420ca4017112c7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chechulin/photo_hu_ec4e2567688b9c27.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chechulin.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Chechulin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yelena Chechulina, a 45-year-old nurse from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, like her husband, encountered criminal prosecution for discussing the Bible with other believers. The investigation equated her actions with organizing the activity of an extremist organization.\nYelena was born in 1978. She was the only child in the family. As a child, she loved to read books. After studying at high school and medical school, Yelena began working as a nurse in a clinic.\nYelena started to trust the Bible when she saw how accurately the prophecies described in it were fulfilled. In addition, she was impressed by the lifestyle of Jehovah's Witnesses. In July 2000 Yelena joined this religion.\nIn the same year, she married Sergey, who shares her religious beliefs. Her husband works as a locksmith.\nThe criminal prosecution did not discourage the Chechulin family — Yelena and her husband are trying to maintain a positive attitude and share it with their relatives who are worried about them. Friends and colleagues try their best to support Yelena.\n","date":"2023-02-09","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chechulina/photo_hu_51307bd5b6a4c571.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chechulina/photo_hu_c30bf9b1926c8377.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chechulina/photo_hu_1cf68807e8f4304.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chechulina/photo_hu_72949910c19bb782.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chechulina.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Chechulina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yuriy Chernykh, a miner with 20 years of experience, faced criminal prosecution for his faith because of his love for the Bible.\nYuriy was born in April 1975 in the city of Kimovsk, Tula Region. He has a younger sister. For ten years the family lived in the urban-type settlement Sugar Factory (Voronezh region). After the parents divorced, the children, together with their mother, were forced to move to their relatives in Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo region).\nAs a child, Yuriy loved to draw. After school, he graduated from a technical school with a degree in underground electrician. From 2000 to 2021, he worked at the mines of Prokopyevsk. Over the years, Yuriy has mastered several professions: an underground mining worker, an electric locomotive driver and a diesel-hydraulic locomotive driver. Currently works as a track fitter in the transport department.\nWhile still at school, Yuriy liked the history of the ancient world. One day, among the papers for kindling the stove, he saw a book about biblical prophecy. Yuriy read it without stopping from beginning to end, however, he understood little of it. But reading this book aroused in him an interest in the Bible, and Yuriy began to study the Holy Scriptures. In 2007, he embarked on the Christian path.\nYuriy married in 2006. Yelena shares his outlook on life. The couple raised three sons, the youngest of whom is still in school. Yuriy and Yelena love spending time with their grandchildren.\nRepeated searches with the seizure of personal belongings affected the state of the Chernykh spouses, depriving them of the feeling of comfort and tranquility in their own home. The youngest son is afraid to stay at home alone after the searches.\n","date":"2022-02-16","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/chernykh/photo_hu_30e890a4c015e11b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/chernykh/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/chernykh/photo_hu_dc419d68d05667a0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/chernykh/photo_hu_b4d56743b0b4fffc.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/chernykh.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yuriy Chernykh","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2019, in the city of Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk Region), a criminal case was opened for her faith against 19-year-old student Darya Dulova. According to the investigators, because of her religion, she has a \"psychological effect on society\", being in collusion with her own mother, a hearing-impaired person involved in the same case. Darya became one of the youngest accused in the trials against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nDarya was born in 2000 in the city of Krasnoturyinsk (Sverdlovsk region), but has lived all her life in neighboring Karpinsk. Darya is the youngest of 3 children. The father provides for the family, and the mother runs the household.\nAs a child, Darya was fond of macrame, beading, volleyball, dancing, singing, music, studied foreign languages and went on hikes. At the time of the initiation of the criminal case, she was a 4th year college student with a degree in public catering technology. I did an internship in a cafe, and worked there for a short time. Loves books, theater, walks in the woods.\nWhen Darya was 16 years old, she seriously considered becoming a Christian. She was especially moved by the fact that there are people who know the Holy Scriptures well and are ready to live as it teaches.\nThe criminal prosecution affected Darya’s emotional and physical health. From the stress she experienced, she became afraid of knocks on the door, stopped keeping a diary, writing poetry, and even taking notes on her phone. She is very worried that all this will be taken away again. Relatives cannot believe that criminal prosecution for the faith of entire families is a reality.\nIn July 2021, the court found Darya guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization and sentenced her to 1 year of probation. Her mother Venera received a 2-year suspended sentence for talking about the Bible. The mother and daughter are involved in another criminal case for their faith in Jehovah, which is being considered by another judge.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ddulova/photo_hu_10f14915b531736e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ddulova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ddulova/photo_hu_3042df67782ee605.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ddulova/photo_hu_f9368e4ec2673bed.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ddulova.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Darya Dulova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2019, in the city of Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk Region), a criminal case was opened for her faith against 19-year-old student Darya Dulova. According to the investigators, because of her religion, she has a \"psychological effect on society\", being in collusion with her own mother, a hearing-impaired person involved in the same case. Darya became one of the youngest accused in the trials against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nDarya was born in 2000 in the city of Krasnoturyinsk (Sverdlovsk region), but has lived all her life in neighboring Karpinsk. Darya is the youngest of 3 children. The father provides for the family, and the mother runs the household.\nAs a child, Darya was fond of macrame, beading, volleyball, dancing, singing, music, studied foreign languages and went on hikes. At the time of the initiation of the criminal case, she was a 4th year college student with a degree in public catering technology. I did an internship in a cafe, and worked there for a short time. Loves books, theater, walks in the woods.\nWhen Darya was 16 years old, she seriously considered becoming a Christian. She was especially moved by the fact that there are people who know the Holy Scriptures well and are ready to live as it teaches.\nThe criminal prosecution affected Darya’s emotional and physical health. From the stress she experienced, she became afraid of knocks on the door, stopped keeping a diary, writing poetry, and even taking notes on her phone. She is very worried that all this will be taken away again. Relatives cannot believe that criminal prosecution for the faith of entire families is a reality.\nIn July 2021, the court found Darya guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization and sentenced her to 1 year of probation. Her mother, Venus, received a 2-year suspended sentence for talking about the Bible. Mother and daughter are defendants in another criminal case for belief in Jehovah, which is being considered by another judge.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ddulova2/photo%20%E2%80%94%20%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%8F_hu_10f14915b531736e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ddulova2/photo%20%E2%80%94%20%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%8F.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ddulova2/photo%20%E2%80%94%20%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%8F_hu_3042df67782ee605.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ddulova2/photo%20%E2%80%94%20%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%8F_hu_f9368e4ec2673bed.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ddulova2.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Darya Dulova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yevgeniy Deshko is one of 5 Smolensk believers who ended up behind bars in April 2019 because of their religious views. The criminal prosecution lasted almost 2 years. During this time, Yevgeniy spent six months in a pre-trial detention center and about 4 months under house arrest. After a year of legal proceedings, the believer was found guilty. In April 2021, the court sentenced him to 6 years probation with a probation period of 4 years, 1 year restriction of freedom and a ban on holding positions in religious organizations for a period of 3 years. Yevgeny was born in 1989 in Sochi. Since childhood, he was a versatile child, was fond of various types of creativity, sports, graduated from school with a silver medal. He has an older sister. Parents in childhood instilled in Eugene love and respect for the Bible, which became a reference book for him. Yevgeniy graduated from Sochi State University with a degree in physical education for people with disabilities. He worked as a massage therapist, driver and electrician. Because of his peace-loving convictions, he asked to replace military service with an alternative civilian one, which he performed from 2012 to 2014 in Smolensk, at the Cherry gerontological center, helping the elderly as an orderly. After graduating from the ACS, he stayed in Smolensk, but in March 2019 he returned to Sochi again. Eugene loves to make and give friends crafts using unusual technology - using various mechanisms and gramophone records. He also knows how to collect bouquets of sweets, sweets and fruits.\nYevgeny's parents consider his criminal prosecution for extremism a blatant injustice, especially after he defended his right not to take up arms.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dechko/photo_hu_28c665ce51cfac5c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dechko/photo_hu_d3a42275a95e4624.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dechko/photo_hu_497f6423668de3b8.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dechko/photo_hu_9dad8dd21ac845ed.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dechko.html","regions":["smolensk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Dechko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Vladimir Deshko was thrown into jail because of his faith in March 2021. A month later, his son, Yevgeniy, was sentenced to 6 years suspended sentence for discussing the Bible. Prior to that, he also spent several months behind bars.\nVladimir was born in January 1967 in the village of Girey, Krasnodar Territory. Later the family moved to Sochi. Since childhood, Vladimir was fond of repairing equipment, and also was engaged in boxing. He graduated from school with honors and entered the Higher Military Engineering School, but left his studies, as he realized that he was not ready to be a military man.\nOver time, Vladimir received a driver's license of all categories and worked as a driver, and later as an electrician at an enterprise that installed alarm and video surveillance systems. After the arrest of his son in April 2019, he often traveled to Smolensk, hundreds of kilometers away. Therefore, the believer had to quit his permanent job and work for hire.\nVladimir served in the army in Murmansk, where he met his future wife, Yelena. They got married in 1988. The family had two children — a son and a daughter. The couple love to travel. As a rule, they spend their holidays in the Voronezh region, where Yelena's mother lives. In his free time, the head of the family continues to repair household appliances. Tourism is his hobby. Vladimir loves to pick mushrooms, walk in the forest and in the mountains, taking pictures of the beautiful nature.\nVladimir is an inquisitive person. He looked for answers to his questions in various sources, and found them in the Bible. In the early 1990s, Vladimir embarked on the Christian path. A few years later, his wife joined him, and later his son.\nThe criminal case against Vladimir was another blow to his loved ones, who are already worried about the persecution of Yevgeny. Vladimir's mother and daughter, who do not share his convictions, are outraged by what is happening. His wife Elena shares her support for her: “We understand that Bible prophecies are being fulfilled, and the time has come to glorify the name of God in such circumstances.”\n","date":"2022-01-03","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/deshko/photo_hu_ca6ed4ca51f4b1b4.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/deshko/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/deshko/photo_hu_e662575e409a1617.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/deshko/photo_hu_f49afb8cd318b2db.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/deshko.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vladimir Deshko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the city of Nevelsk, Sakhalin Region, a criminal case was opened for faith against 22-year-old Dmitry Kulakov. Earlier, for a similar reason, a criminal case was opened against his father. What do we know about Dmitry?\nDmitry was born in 1996 in Nevelsk. He has a younger brother. As a child, he loved to draw, sing and ride a bicycle. After graduating from school, he entered a technical school and became an auto mechanic. At first he worked in a kindergarten, but due to deteriorating health he was forced to get a job as a janitor. In his free time, he likes to play tennis and volleyball with his family, sing, listen to music, walk in the forest.\nIn 2007, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale occurred near Sakhalin Island. The main blow of the disaster fell on the hometown of Dmitry and his family. They were forced to move to the village of Bereznyaki for several months, but later returned, as they got an apartment. Moving back was given to Dmitry with great difficulty. Later, due to poor health, he received a military ID. Recently he has been living with his brother in Nevelsk.\nDmitry's mother was a very religious person, she always went to church and took her son with her. When he was 5 years old, mother and son became interested in the Bible and began to read it together. Dmitry remembers how much he was excited by the promise that there would be paradise and harmony on earth. He found that the Bible was scientifically and historically accurate, and he was determined to embark on the path of the Christian.\nBecause of the criminal prosecution, Dmitriy experienced great stress and excitement. Nine months earlier, a criminal case had also been opened against his father, Sergei Kulakov , in connection with his religious beliefs. It is difficult for relatives and friends of the Kulakov family to understand why peaceful people are persecuted for their faith. They try to support Dmitry and Sergey as best they can.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dkulakov/photo_hu_37a74d86bee4c57d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dkulakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dkulakov/photo_hu_b362f11469e01f87.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dkulakov/photo_hu_e9a1bb967d82f763.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dkulakov.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Kulakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2018, Venera Dulova was detained by the police while talking on biblical topics. A month later, a criminal case was opened against a peaceful believer, accusing her of participating in the activities of a banned organization. More than a year later, the case went to court. In July 2021, Venera and her daughter Darya were found guilty and sentenced to 2 years and 1 year of probation, respectively. A second criminal case has also been initiated against the believer, which is pending before another judge.\nVenera was born in 1968 in Karpinsk. She was raised by her mother and grandmother. As a child, she was very fond of reading, knitting, at school she was an excellent student, she especially liked the exact sciences. She attended an orienteering club.\nWhen Venera was in eighth grade, her mother was already very sick. She encouraged her daughter to leave school and go to study at a mechanical engineering college in order to get a profession as early as possible. When she was 14 years old, her grandmother died, and two years later her mother also died. After graduating from college, Venera worked at a factory. She got married in 1990. With her husband Igor, they have three children and 30 years of a happy marriage behind them.\nSince childhood, Venera had problems with hearing, since 1996 she has been a disabled person of the III group. In 1998, she was laid off at work and since then she has been running a household and raising children. In his leisure hours, he likes to knit, read books about travel, adventure, as well as classics. In the summer he spends a lot of time in the garden.\nFrom childhood, Venera saw her grandmother, a devout Lutheran, read books about God every day. The content of these books was a mystery to her, since they were written in German and Latin. Very early on, Venera began to ask questions: why do people die? why not end the wars in any way? why is it not possible to treat the Earth with care? what future awaits my children? At 28, she finally found the answers to all her questions through a thorough Bible study. She admired the historical accuracy, simplicity, and wisdom of the teachings in this book.\nThe spouse and older children, who do not share the religious views of Venera, are very worried about her. “It is necessary to catch and imprison bandits, thieves, criminals, not my mother,” said Venera’s eldest daughter.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dulova/photo_hu_b201961e221fb4bd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dulova/photo_hu_f35942893b869864.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dulova/photo_hu_7206237975b06d7c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dulova/photo_hu_4191818afa7b4d9c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dulova.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Venera Dulova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2018, Venera Dulova was detained by the police while talking about biblical topics. A month later, a criminal case was opened against the peaceful believer, accusing her of participating in the activities of a banned organization. More than a year later, the case went to court. In July 2021, Venera and her daughter Daria were found guilty and sentenced to 2 years and 1 year of probation, respectively. A second criminal case has also been initiated against the believer, which is under consideration by another judge.\nVenera was born in 1968 in Karpinsk. She was raised by her mother and grandmother. As a child, she was very fond of reading, knitting, at school she was an excellent student, she especially liked the exact sciences. She attended an orienteering club.\nWhen Venera was in eighth grade, her mother was already very sick. She encouraged her daughter to leave school and go to study at a mechanical engineering college in order to get a profession as early as possible. When she was 14 years old, her grandmother died, and two years later her mother also died. After graduating from college, Venera worked at a factory. She got married in 1990. With her husband Igor, they have three children and 30 years of a happy marriage behind them.\nSince childhood, Venera had problems with hearing, since 1996 she has been a disabled person of the III group. In 1998, she was laid off at work and since then she has been running a household and raising children. In his leisure hours, he likes to knit, read books about travel, adventure, as well as classics. In the summer he spends a lot of time in the garden.\nFrom childhood, Venera saw her grandmother, a devout Lutheran, read books about God every day. The content of these books was a mystery to her, since they were written in German and Latin. Very early on, Venera began to ask questions: why do people die? why not end the wars in any way? why is it not possible to treat the Earth with care? what future awaits my children? At 28, she finally found the answers to all her questions through a thorough Bible study. She admired the historical accuracy, simplicity, and wisdom of the teachings in this book.\nThe spouse and older children, who do not share the religious views of Venera, are very worried about her. “It is necessary to catch and imprison bandits, thieves, criminals, not my mother,” said Venera’s eldest daughter.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/dulova2/photo_hu_b201961e221fb4bd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/dulova2/photo_hu_f35942893b869864.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/dulova2/photo_hu_7206237975b06d7c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/dulova2/photo_hu_4191818afa7b4d9c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/dulova2.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Venera Dulova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Law enforcement agencies in the city of Shuya (Ivanovo region) opened a criminal case against Yelena Mikhailova on charges of extremism. Her husband Dmitriy was also detained and spent six months in a pre-trial detention center. Elena was grieving the forced separation. The investigator also imposed restrictions on Yelena, taking from her a written undertaking not to leave the place. What do we know about her?\nElena Mikhailova was born in 1983 in Shuya. As a child, she was fond of athletics and rhythmic gymnastics. After graduating from school with a medal, she received the specialty of a teacher of physics and mathematics, worked as a tutor in these subjects.\nAt the age of 9, Yelena was left without a father, and this prompted her to think about spiritual topics: is there a God, what happens to a person after death, why are children left without parents? At the age of 13, she received answers to these questions from the Bible. As a child, Elena tried to imitate the kindness and mercy of Jesus Christ. This did not go unnoticed by her family.\nIn 2003, Elena married Dmitry, who worked as a system administrator, loved to play the guitar, was fond of photography and electronics. Elena and Dmitry are happy to be in nature, play football.\nYelena's friends and relatives are greatly perplexed by the accusations against her family. Some neighbors, who do not share their religious views, admitted that they pray for them. Other neighbors told the representatives of the investigative committee: \"Why did you stick to these saints, exemplary people? If anyone is imprisoned, it is definitely not them.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/emikhailova/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/emikhailova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/emikhailova/photo_hu_6c0154805ed38a3e.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/emikhailova/photo_hu_6c0154805ed38a3e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/emikhailova.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Mikhaylova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","jpg2x":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","webp":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp","webp2x":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/fokin.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Stanislav Fokin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On September 24, 2021, Marina Fokina and her husband, Stanislav, were prosecuted in the case against believers from the city of Berezovskiy.\nMarina was born in September 1994 in Yekaterinburg. She was an active child: she was engaged in gymnastics, sambo, was fond of dancing, jogging, volleyball, table tennis, loved to ride a bicycle and a scooter. She was also fond of beading, embroidery, knitting and sewing.\nMarina received a secondary special education, having studied to be a designer. She worked as a secretary, salesman, merchandiser. Recently she worked in the field of cleanliness.\nIn her free time, Marina enjoys playing volleyball and badminton, walking and running. She knits children's clothes, scarves, toys, jewelry, and repairs clothes. Likes to listen to music, draw.\nMarina never doubted that God exists and decided to learn more about him. She began to read the Bible and realized that God is not cruel and loves her. It touched the girl's heart. There was a meaning in her life. Seeing how God answered her prayers, she also wanted to do something for him and at the age of 19 embarked on the Christian path. Having married Stanislav, Marina moved to Berezovsky.\nDespite the fact that a year has passed since the search, the believer still remembers that day in detail. Marina says: “Although I had anxiety before, now it just intensified significantly, since I am a rather gentle, impressionable person. It was very difficult during the first interrogation, which lasted 2.5 hours. Began to be afraid of knocking on the door. It's hard to live in constant stress. I am very worried about my spouse. \"\n","date":"2021-11-03","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/fokina/photo_hu_a3b4ddee673c61f3.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/fokina/photo_hu_366fd27d864ec430.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/fokina/photo_hu_c1bb9dbd202298c4.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/fokina/photo_hu_814eca8419e2396.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/fokina.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Marina Fokina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Anatoly Gezik, together with his wife, Irina , became a defendant in a criminal case for extremism in December 2019. In November 2022, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months of forced labor just because of his faith.\nAnatoliy was born in 1967 in the village of Nezlobnaya, Stavropol Territory. There were two children in his family.\nAs a child, Anatoliy was fond of football. After school, he graduated from the College of Agricultural Mechanization in Georgievsk with a degree in mechanical engineering.\nFor some time Anatoliy worked in a colony for juveniles. Here he began to ask questions: what awaits these young people in the future and what is the meaning of life in general? He found answers to his questions in the Bible, which he began to study in the late 1990s.\nIn 1996, Anatoliy met his future wife, Irina, and in 1997 they got married. The couple love doing everything together—relaxing, travelling to the mountains; they both got jobs at the same reinforcement plant, where Anatoliy worked at a milling machine. They also care for Anatoliy's mother together.\nAs a result of the criminal prosecution, Anatoliy began to have serious health problems.\nAnatoliy's mother, as well as friends and neighbors of the couple, are concerned about what happened, because, according to them, they \"have known Anatoly and Irina for decades and can only say good about them\".\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gezik/photo_hu_c9f98002ad8f817e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gezik/photo_hu_29dff13d4f612cde.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gezik/photo_hu_1b0d039e1640ef94.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gezik/photo_hu_69594c448c9254c2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gezik.html","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anatoliy Gezik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Irina Gezik, together with her husband, Anatoliy, became a defendant in a criminal case for extremism in December 2019. In November 2022, the court found her guilty and gave her suspended sentence of 4 years and 2 months just because of her faith.\nIrina was born in 1972 in Georgievsk. She has an older sister. As a child, Irina was fond of basketball and loved to knit. After school, she graduated from a vocational college as a seamstress.\nIn 1997 Irina married Anatoliy. They worked at the same reinforcement plant. Irina also helped caring for her husband's mother.\nIn 1998, Anatoliy became interested in the Bible, and seeing a change for the better in her husband's lifestyle and habits, in 2008 Irina decided to join him. As she studied the Bible, she saw that God is tender and loving, and that he teaches people to show the same qualities.\nThe criminal prosecution caused serious stress to Irina and Anatoliy. Neighbors, friends and Irina's sister help the couple and support them during these trials.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/geziki/photo_hu_57c15f0c60e55d6d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/geziki/photo_hu_5fa402fb7cca48d9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/geziki/photo_hu_65111200505f4a26.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/geziki/photo_hu_cafe82693e2c2ae5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/geziki.html","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Irina Gezik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, several residents of Saransk, including Georgiy Nikulin, were prosecuted for their faith. Law enforcers considered the conversations about the Bible to be participation in the activities of an extremist organization.\nGeorgiy was born in 1963 in the city of Rovenky (Ukraine). After school, he graduated from college with a degree in car mechanics. Subsequently, he mastered several more specialties: graphic designer, satellite communications radio technician, equipment maintenance mechanic, printing, wood carving. He worked in all these areas. Recently he worked as an electrician.\nGeorgiy often had to move in connection with work—he lived in Zhytomyr (Ukraine), Tolyatti (Samara region) and in Yakutia. Over time, together with his wife Yelena, he moved to Saransk, where the family was able to settle in their own house for the first time.\nGeorgiy has always loved to learn and learn something new. He was especially interested in the question of the origin of mankind. He says that when he got acquainted with the Bible and found answers to his questions in it, he \u0026quot;discovered a whole treasure in it and fell in love with it.\u0026quot;\nCriminal prosecution and a long stay behind bars affected Georgiy\u0026#39;s health. His relatives are worried and do not understand why this peaceful married couple lost their freedom. In December 2025, Georgiy served his sentence and left the penal colony.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gnikulin/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gnikulin/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gnikulin/photo_hu_f8f0f84bb2bc8042.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gnikulin/photo_hu_f8f0f84bb2bc8042.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gnikulin.html","regions":["mordovia"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Georgiy Nikulin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 20, 2018, in Blagoveshchensk, mass searches took place in the homes of civilians. On the same day, Dmitriy Golik was charged and a preventive measure was chosen in the form of a recognizance agreement Subsequently, it turned out that the operatives installed a listening device in the apartment where he lived with his wife, and for almost six months listened to the details of their personal life.\nDmitriy Golik was born in 1987 in the village of Tohoy (Buryatia). He is the only son in the family. His father was the liquidator of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, his mother worked as an accountant. Dmitriy was fond of playing the guitar and martial arts. He received his law degree, but worked in other fields, in particular as a translator from the Chinese language.\nDmitriy\u0026#39;s entire family began to take an interest in the Bible back in the 1990s. In early childhood, he gladly leafed through the children\u0026#39;s Bible and prayed with the words of the prayer \u0026quot;Our Father\u0026quot;. In his youth, due to his Christian beliefs, Dmitriy asked to replace military service with alternative civilian service in accordance with the law. His request was granted, and he worked as an orderly in a nursing home.\nDmitriy loves sports and tries to keep fit by playing football and training with weights. In 2012, he married Christine, a graphic designer by profession. This friendly family loves to travel, invite guests, and play board games. Together they study Chinese and English.\nThe criminal case against the believer was considered in court for more than a year. In June 2021, the court sentenced Dmitriy to 7 years in a penal colony for songs and prayers to Jehovah God. Just a month after the verdict was passed, Dmitriy\u0026#39;s wife, Kristina, was prosecuted as a defendant in a similar criminal case and later sentenced to forced labor. In April 2025, Golik was released.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/golik/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/golik/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/golik/photo_hu_b6a7e72f9ebe7924.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/golik/photo_hu_b6a7e72f9ebe7924.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/golik.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Golik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Kristina Golik turned out to be a defendant in a criminal case for her faith just a month after her husband Dmitriy was sentenced to 7 years in prison on similar charges. Dmitriy was convoyed to Ussuriysk 1,300 kilometers from home, and Kristina was placed under recognizance not to leave.\nKristina is from Transcarpathia (Ukraine), she was born in the village of Russkoye in 1992. Together with her sisters Irina and Karina, Kristina grew up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses. On the maternal side, girls are believers in the fifth generation, and on the paternal side, in the third. The sisters of Kristina with their husbands and children still live in Ukraine. The whole family shares a love for the Bible, and this, according to Kristina, makes her \"happier and more united.\"\nKristina says: \"Since childhood, I was a very naughty child, and my parents had a hard time with me... I liked to run around the field, play games with street children on the street, pick flowers and sing than do my homework.\" Nevertheless, the parents tried to raise their daughter by reasoning with her with the help of the Bible. Kristina continues: “My parents never forced [me to become Jehovah's Witness] ... I remember my dad wanted to instill in me a love of creation and talked about the qualities of the Creator. He could, lying with me on the grass in the garden for a long time, tell parables, biblical stories, which greatly influenced me. I realized that Jehovah is a loving, caring Father! \" At a young age, the girl consciously decided to devote her life to serving God.\nAfter school, Kristina studied at the Uzhgorod Art College as a graphic designer, and also took courses as a layout designer. For a while she worked as a housekeeper.\nIn 2010, Kristina met Dmitrшy when he came to Ukraine to visit relatives. Two years later, she married him and moved to Blagoveshchensk. There she, together with her husband, began to learn Chinese, and eventually began to teach it. Kristina is also fond of baking, handicrafts, soap making and sewing, she loves to draw and make decorations from polymer clay.\nFor a while, Kristina and Dmitrшy lived in Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk. In July 2018, the couple came to Blagoveshchensk to visit their husband's parents, but there they came with a search, Dmitrшy ended up under recognizance not to leave. Because of this, they had to stay in Blagoveshchensk, where Kristina continued to live even after Dmitriy was sentenced.\nFrom the very beginning of the criminal prosecution, the spouses constantly experienced stress due to surveillance, even just an unexpected knock on the door caused anxiety. After Dmitriy was sentenced to imprisonment in a colony, Kristina, in order to visit her husband, each time has to obtain permission from the investigator. She says: “I was preparing for real deadlines, but emotionally it is very difficult to be at a distance with my husband. For nine years of living together, we parted only for ten days, and so we were together all the time. I miss him very much, and absurd accusations against my husband and me take a lot of time and energy. \" Stress took its toll on Kristina’s health. Yet she and her husband try to maintain a positive outlook on their circumstances.\nThe consequences of criminal prosecution of a married couple are also felt by their relatives. Father Dmitry's chronic illness worsened due to stress, and new ones appeared. Dmitry's parents spent many sleepless nights, and the cruel sentence added to the experience.\n","date":"2021-09-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/golikk/photo_hu_eab174b681eed986.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/golikk/photo_hu_67748c85aa5db128.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/golikk/photo_hu_e9da5ec05e380ed1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/golikk/photo_hu_1c55415fa921ae7b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/golikk.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Kristina Golik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the Yaroslavl region in July 2022, another criminal case was initiated against peaceful believers — Olga Golovacheva and her mother Yevgenya Samoilova, a disabled person of group III.\nOlga was born in November 1976 in Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region). As a child, she was fond of music and attended piano classes. After school, she graduated from the Rybinsk Aviation College with a degree in Tool Production. She worked in the food industry, then at a flour mill. Olga loves to walk in nature, visits the pool.\nIn 1995, Olga got married. The couple had two children. Now my daughter is an adult, my son is in school.\nIn 2008, Olga's relative told her about the Bible and aroused her interest in this ancient book. Studying the Holy Scriptures, the believer found answers to many questions that concern her. Mom joined Olga in a Bible study and in 2014 together they decided to embark on the Christian path.\nThe criminal prosecution for her faith came as a complete surprise to Olga and her entire family. She worries about her children and elderly mother. Her husband does not share her religious views, but he wonders why this happens.\n","date":"2022-09-05","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/golovacheva/photo_hu_fa643487460a0eca.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/golovacheva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/golovacheva/photo_hu_6d8fa9ee267065e1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/golovacheva/photo_hu_9fc10df83edf66e7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/golovacheva.html","regions":["yaroslavl"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Olga Golovacheva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The reputation of Kirill Gushchin from Kabardino-Balkaria suffered when local television broadcast a story about the initiation of a criminal case against him under an \"extremist\" article. Later, the believer's wife, Svetlana, also came to the attention of the security forces. The life of a married couple was divided into before and after, when on May 20, 2020, armed FSB officers broke into their house. Kirill recalls that during the search he experienced a nervous shock.\nKirill was born in December 1981 in the town of Maysky. He has an elder brother. As a child, Kirill attended the athletics section, loved to play football and basketball. He worked as a lifeguard on a city lake.\nReturning from the army, Kirill unlearned to be a welder, worked for some time in his specialty. In 2004, he married Svetlana, who shares his views. Since 2005, Kirill has been working as a plumber, installing plumbing and heating systems in the private sector. In his free time, he likes to relax in nature and play football.\nIn the early 2000s, Kirill heard the idea that Christ could not be born in winter. This haunted him, and he decided to go to the library in search of reliable information. To his surprise, the library materials only confirmed this information. Kirill seriously engaged in the study of the Holy Scriptures and soon decided to devote his life to serving God.\nDue to frequent calls to the Investigative Committee, it became more difficult for Kirill to carry out his work. Relatives and friends of the family, including Kirill's customers, who know him well, are perplexed because of what is happening and are outraged by the actions of law enforcement agencies. The believer hopes that the regional courts, which had previously sided with Jehovah's Witnesses Arkadya Akopyan and Yuriy Zalipayev, will remove the label of an extremist from him.\n","date":"2021-07-09","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gushchin/photo_hu_f680b25f70ec787c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gushchin/photo_hu_8438fa34961f3a93.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gushchin/photo_hu_82362c2a6fb21ee5.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gushchin/photo_hu_1fe0f4f9c1c08153.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gushchin.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Kirill Gushchin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On May 20, 2020, the life of Svetlana Gushchina and her family changed dramatically. She learned that criminal proceedings had been instituted against her and her husband Kirill for believing in Jehovah God.\nSvetlana was born in January 1971 in the city of Prokhladny, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR). Her mother is an accountant by profession, and her father is a participant in the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Svetlana has a younger brother.\nAs a child, she was engaged in dancing, aerobics, collecting stamps. After school, she received the profession of \"cooking technician\". She worked in a dining room. In the 2000s, she changed her profession, becoming an insurance agent.\nDuring her life, Svetlana changed her place of residence several times. As a child, she moved with her parents to the village of Maysky (KBR). Later, she also lived in the Urals, Transbaikalia, Belgorod, after which she returned to Maysky.\nAt the age of 31, Svetlana firmly decided to become a Christian after deeply studying the Bible and making sure that God fulfills all his promises and answers prayers.\nSvetlana has a daughter. In 2004, Svetlana married Kirill. The couple together with their daughter and her husband love to relax in nature.\nThe search and criminal prosecution had a negative impact on Svetlana's health. \"After the search,\" she says, \"I experienced a strong nervous shock.\" Parents, other relatives and neighbors consider the criminal prosecution of peaceful people for their faith in God unfair.\n","date":"2021-07-09","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/gushchina/photo_hu_23b783f213bd711d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/gushchina/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/gushchina/photo_hu_816d1ca1ee0ccea3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/gushchina/photo_hu_ea1a07300148c9a8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/gushchina.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Svetlana Gushchina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"More than 20 criminal cases for faith were opened in Birobidzhan. Among those accused of extremism were Konstantin Guzev and his wife Anastasiya. The investigation lasted about 5 months, then the case was considered in court for over a year. In February 2021, a believer was given a suspended sentence of two and a half years on the basis of secret video footage of worship services and testimony from a police officer depicting an interest in the Bible.\nKonstantin Guzev was born in 1964 in Khabarovsk. He has two sisters. In his youth, he was fond of active sports and drawing. After school, he received the specialties of an electrician and a gas welder, and later mastered many skills in the field of construction and repair. Recently, Konstantin was a worker at a music school, and his wife Anastasiya worked there as a cleaner.\nKonstantin grew up in an unfavorable environment - his father often drank and beat his mother. In the end, the family fell apart. Konstantin often had questions about the meaning of life and did not find answers to them. He lived recklessly, trying to find solace in alcohol and drugs.\nStudying the Bible helped Konstantin get answers to all his questions, abandon a destructive lifestyle and create a happy marriage. However, due to the 2017 Supreme Court decision, the family faced discrimination on religious grounds - both spouses were forced to resign, arguing that there was no place for “extremists” in a children's institution.\nBecause of the recognizance not to leave, Konstantin could not normally communicate with his relatives, since they all live in Khabarovsk. Although his relatives and friends do not share his religious beliefs, they wonder how such sentences can be passed on peaceful people just for believing in Jehovah God.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/guzev/photo_hu_9f62f7c4a0177b59.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/guzev/photo_hu_1bb0bc35bc9ebf8c.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/guzev/photo_hu_c37c60ea8dac1cfc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/guzev/photo_hu_c2eefbf4d9d27f02.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/guzev.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Konstantin Guzev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Anastasia Guzeva is one of the residents of Birobidzhan, against whom criminal cases were initiated in February 2020. She, like other peaceful women, is suspected of extremism. What do we know about her?\nAnastasia was born in 1979 in Birobidzhan. She has two brothers. All three were raised by their mother alone. Anastasia loved to study, read a lot, went in for sports and ballroom dancing.\nAt the age of 10, Anastasia discovered a Bible from her grandmother. The inquisitive girl had many questions. Thus began her personal journey of seeking God. Over time, she and her mother began to study this Bible seriously. In 1995, they were baptized together in Christianity.\nIn 2001, Anastasia married Konstantin, who moved to Birobidzhan from Khabarovsk. Konstantin was engaged in the decoration of apartments, Anastasia tried her hand at maintaining her own grocery store.\nThe Guzevs never hid the fact that they were believers. When they were searched for the first time in May 2018, it was a real shock for Anastasia. Another blow was the initiation of a criminal case against Konstantin in July 2019. Finally, in 2020, a case was initiated against Anastasia herself. The criminal prosecution destroyed the usual way of life of a peaceful family and confused numerous relatives, including Anastasia's 71-year-old mother.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/guzeva/photo_hu_48d195e1896bb627.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/guzeva/photo_hu_6a347077cb730711.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/guzeva/photo_hu_387a60e258985752.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/guzeva/photo_hu_4fbd62e6dd1ee3b8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/guzeva.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Guzeva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Vitaliy Ilyinykh was prosecuted for his faith in the fall of 2019, a year later than his mother, Olga Opaleva. They were both accused of extremism and given suspended sentences for their beliefs.\nVitaliy was born in 1974. From childhood, he thought about why people die and what happens at death, but did not find an answer to his question. Spiritual search continued for many years, until in the mid-1990s he began to read the Bible, in which he found answers to all his questions. Vitaliy struggled with bad habits for three years, which helped him to break with a deep study of the Scriptures.\nVitaliy studied at the Higher Police School of Khabarovsk. He worked as an escort in the internal affairs bodies. Together with his wife Irina, he loves to relax in nature, enjoying the beautiful views of Primorye.\nThanks to the Bible, Vitaliy found the meaning of life and real friends, but he could not even think that because of this he would be subjected to criminal prosecution.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ilinych/photo_hu_b9d122c569475fce.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ilinych/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ilinych/photo_hu_9fa2aaa3a5ba76bf.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ilinych/photo_hu_16d53abb5a27ea8d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ilinych.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vitaliy Ilinykh","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the summer of 2020, a series of searches were carried out in Astrakhan in dozens of houses of believers. The victims of the illegal actions of the security forces were the Ivanovs. A criminal case was opened against them for their faith, and in October 2021, the court handed them a harsh sentence — 8 years in prison for Yevgeniy and 3.5 years of real imprisonment for Olga.\nOlga was born in 1982 in the city of Volzhsky (Volgograd region). She has two sisters. As a child, Olga learned to play the accordion.\nIn 2003 she graduated from the Academy with a degree in linguistics. During her studies and after Olga worked as an English tutor, later as a sales assistant, and more recently, until her arrest, as an au pair. Having married Yevgeniy, Olga moved to Astrakhan with her husband in 2007.\nFrom early childhood, Olga was worried about why people die. She received an answer from her mother, who in the early 1990s became interested in Bible teachings. “Thanks to the fact that I got to know the Bible and God himself in my teens,” Olga recalls, “my life has changed qualitatively! I learned to choose good friends who didn't encourage me to smoke or try drugs. My speech became clear of foul language. Thanks to the advice from the Holy Scriptures, I was able to find a worthy person who became my husband. These tips help me to be a loving wife, to be his helper. In addition, I have received answers to questions that have deeply worried me since early childhood, and this helps me to lead a meaningful life. \"\nOlga loves animals, helps homeless dogs and cats, and her husband Eugene supports her in this. Before the criminal prosecution, they enjoyed spending time with friends, watching movies and relaxing in nature.\nThe spouses, who are accustomed to chatting every day, can hardly bear the separation, since Yevgeniy was taken into custody. “Now we not only do not see each other, but we also cannot find out from each other how things are,” says Olga. Speaking in court with the last word, she noted: “I see cruelty in the fact that all of us, the accused, were separated from our families, from the people most dear to us. Me with my husband, and the rest — with their wives.” After the search and arrest, the spouses were left without work and cannot earn a living.\nOlga's mother, who lost her husband and underwent two operations, is experiencing additional stress due to the unfair attitude of the authorities towards her daughter and son-in-law. She came from another city and lived with Olga for more than a year in order to help her and her husband in the necessary matters as much as possible.\n","date":"2020-07-17","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ivanova/photo_hu_32ebbd4d2a71aed1.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ivanova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ivanova/photo_hu_fadefb142746affa.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ivanova/photo_hu_f1a5e68eeb7d3c50.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ivanova.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Olga Ivanova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2020, a series of searches were carried out in dozens of houses of believers in Astrakhan. The Ivanovs — Yevgeniy and Olga — also became victims of the unlawful actions of the security forces — a criminal case was opened against them for their faith. In October 2021, the court handed down a harsh sentence to the spouses — 8 years in prison for Yevgeniy and 3.5 years of real imprisonment for Olga.\nYevgeniy was born in 1976 in Astrakhan. As a child, he was fond of karate and aircraft modeling. He graduated with honors from vocational school with a degree in metal ship hull assembly, manual welder and gas cutter. For nine years he worked in his specialty at the Astrakhan shipyards, and in 2006 he took up repair and finishing work. In this area, Yevgeniy worked until the initiation of a criminal case, performing, in addition, the duties of an electrician, plumber, locksmith and auto mechanic.\nThe young man began to take a serious interest in the Bible in 1997, when a colleague gave him several publications on religious topics to read. As he studied the Scriptures, he was impressed by the example of the life of Jesus Christ. Yevgeniy recalls: “By the time I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I had stopped drinking, quit the bad habit of smoking that I had from 8 to 22 years old, and stopped leading an immoral lifestyle.”\nIn 2005, Yevgeniy met Olga, and two years later they got married. They love to spend time in nature, to help stray animals.\nThe confinement became a heavy burden for the Ivanovs, who were accustomed to spending a lot of time with each other. The couple rented an apartment, and the loss of their job posed the most difficult financial issues for them. Yevgeniy noted: “Our surname and my wife have been included in the list of extremist persons. In view of this, Rosfinmonitoring isolated us from all financial possibilities. My wife was placed under house arrest. Accordingly, she lost the opportunity to earn her living, pay for rental housing, and bank cards are blocked. And this at a time when there is a pandemic throughout the country, rising prices, unemployment. \"\nOlga's mother, who lost her husband and underwent two surgeries, is experiencing additional stress due to the unfair attitude of the authorities towards her daughter and son-in-law. The harsh sentence deprived her of much-needed support from her loved ones.\n","date":"2020-07-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ivanovye/photo_hu_5801893d7e3a115.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ivanovye/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ivanovye/photo_hu_e01c6d2fde05e2c2.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ivanovye/photo_hu_32d07b4091ba1921.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ivanovye.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Ivanov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Konstantin Bazhenov and his wife Snezhana were detained on August 19, 2018 in the town of Yelizovo (Kamchatka Territory). After long legal proceedings, the spouses were sentenced to 2 years probation for extremism.\nKonstantin was born in 1977 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. He is the eldest of four children of his parents. As a child, he loved equipment and designers, which later came in handy for him in the profession of a locksmith. He also worked as a school labor teacher.\nKonstantin is a sociable person, he has many friends with whom he loves to be in nature and sea fishing. In 2001 he married Snezhana, a teacher by education. They had a daughter, Elizabeth. Shortly thereafter, the Bible touched Constantine's heart, and he decided to live in harmony with its commandments with his family. Later, the whole family moved to the district center of Yelizovo.\nRelatives of Konstantin and Snezhana were discouraged by the news about their criminal prosecution. Even those of them who do not share their religious views are outraged by what is happening and try to help in any way they can. \"These events have brought us all together even more,\" Konstantin notes.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kbazhenov/photo_hu_1557b222eb311be3.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kbazhenov/photo_hu_277215f9a6098322.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kbazhenov/photo_hu_fe8c8ac2eec750e1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kbazhenov/photo_hu_35ffee495dd33bd.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kbazhenov.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Konstantin Bazhenov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Faith in Jehovah God again and again becomes the reason for searches and arrests of peaceful Russian citizens. Among them was Sergey Kobelev - a criminal case was opened against him and his mother, they were included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring only because of their participation in worship services and talking about the Bible.\nSergey was born in 1975 in the village of Kurskoye, Primorsky Krai. He has a younger sister. As a child, Sergey studied at an art school for 2 years, and also attended many circles and sections in search of a lesson to his liking.\nAfter school, Sergey learned to be an electrician of a contact network and, after serving in the army, got a job at a railway station - he fixed trains during the change of locomotives. In 2002, he got a job in his specialty, and he still works in it. The management highly appreciates his professionalism and hard work. In 2018, he took second place at the all-Russian competition \"The Best Electrician of the Contact Network\", and in May 2020 he was recognized as the best inspector of the Far Eastern Railway, as was written about in the local newspaper.\nIn 1997, Sergey married Lyudmila. They had two children: a daughter and a son. The daughter graduated with honors from the school, the son has good academic performance at school - he often receives letters and gratitude. Also, Sergey himself and his wife were repeatedly noted by the school's gratitude for the excellent upbringing of their son. The family loves to get together to meet friends, relax on the river or the sea, and go skiing in winter.\nIn 2008, Sergey's father had a misfortune - he lost his leg in an accident. Sergey took his disabled father to live with him.\nAs in his youth, Sergey has a variety of interests and hobbies. Several times a year he goes fishing, loves to swim in the sea and dive, looking at the underwater world. In the fall, Sergey and his family go to the taiga to collect lingonberries, and in the winter he is engaged in tubing. She dreams of learning snowboarding.\nIn the 1990s, Sergey became acquainted with the teachings of the Bible. He was impressed by the honesty and sincerity of the people living by Christian standards. Sergey also learned about Bible prophecies that were fulfilled down to the last detail, and how the ancient book of the Bible survived despite attempts to destroy it. In 2007, he decided to devote his life to serving God and became a Christian. Wife Lyudmila shares his position in life.\nSergey shares that the searches and the label of an \"extremist criminal\" caused stress and intense anxiety in the family. Fear of the future has also been added, since all family accounts are blocked, and the threat of job loss persists. Employees support Sergey and consider the accusations against him far-fetched. Relatives and friends hope that the persecution for the faith will soon end.\n","date":"2021-05-03","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kobelev/photo_hu_6abde0a5e504f6da.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kobelev/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kobelev/photo_hu_a7c4780d28bce024.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kobelev/photo_hu_38c3c699897104a8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kobelev.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Kobelev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Persecution of believers continues in the Primorsky Territory. Young and elderly residents of the region are targeted by law enforcement officers. Among them are 64-year-old Galina Kubeleva and her son Sergey. They are included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring only for their participation in peaceful services and talking about the Bible.\nGalina was born in February 1956 in the village of Verkhniye Mully, Perm Territory, in the family of a carpenter. She has a younger sister. The parents are no longer alive.\nAt the age of 11, Galina and her parents moved to the village of Kurskoye in the Primorsky Territory. She graduated from college with a degree in salesman, then studied as a commodity specialist at the Far Eastern Institute of Soviet Trade. After getting married, she moved to the city of Lesozavodsk. The family had two children - Sergey and Julia. After a while, the couple divorced.\nGalina worked as a store manager, commercial director, chief accountant, specialist of the 1st category in the Office of the Federal Treasury. She is now retired. Galina loves to work in the garden, grow vegetables and berries.\nIn the late 90s, Galina got acquainted with the Bible and became convinced of the existence of God. Her faith was strengthened by fulfilling Bible prophecies and God's answers to her prayers. Later, her children also became Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe persecution for her faith unsettled Galina, disturbed her calmness and her usual way of life. The stress was added to the worries about the son and his family.\n","date":"2021-05-20","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kobeleva/photo_hu_695f6eeac49124c9.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kobeleva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kobeleva/photo_hu_adadd6c2d6d71e76.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kobeleva/photo_hu_2c7a64067e7bedd7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kobeleva.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Galina Kobeleva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Andrey Kolesnichenko was detained by FSB officers right at his workplace, after which his home was searched. The reason for the criminal prosecution of the man was his faith in Jehovah God.\nAndrey was born in June 1970 in the city of Seversk (Tomsk region). His father worked at the Siberian Chemical Combine, and his mother worked in the school cafeteria. Andrey has a younger brother. Their mother is no longer alive.\nAs a child, Andrey loved to draw and collect electrical circuits, attended a ship modeling circle, dreamed of becoming a pilot. After graduating from the Tomsk College of Information Technologies, he worked at a chemical plant, and for the last 14 years, together with his brother, they have been manufacturing cabinet furniture.\nAndrey's future wife was introduced by her brother Yevgeniy Korotun, who is also persecuted for his faith in Jehovah. Young people got married in 1998. Oksana is a teacher by profession. She enjoys reading fiction and medical articles. The acquired knowledge and skills were useful to her in raising her son Kirill. He takes photographs, plays guitar and drums, studies history.\nAndrey is a versatile person. He loves outdoor activities - he and his wife ride bicycles. He is also very fond of cooking.\nSpouses have always been concerned with the questions: what happens after death and why does God allow suffering? The desire to find the truth prompted Andrey and Oksana to study the Bible. The logic and simplicity of the teachings of this ancient book prompted them to embark on the Christian path.\nDue to criminal prosecution, Andrey lost a lot of weight, his sleep was disturbed. Andrey's father and brother are perplexed, for which the believer was convicted and thrown behind bars.\n","date":"2021-05-28","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kolesnichenko/photo_hu_2751ff5a1de658c2.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kolesnichenko/photo_hu_ad34ba5ac6d232e5.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kolesnichenko/photo_hu_2d31cab9854c1839.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kolesnichenko/photo_hu_c9a95c56cb14c430.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kolesnichenko.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Andrey Kolesnichenko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Vladimir Kolesnikov, a retired serviceman, faced criminal prosecution for his faith in 2022. Two years earlier, he had endured the loss of his beloved wife.\nVladimir was born in March 1946 in Lvov. He has a younger brother and sister. As a child, he was keen on sports and took part in running competitions.\nFrom 1956 to 1968, Vladimir pursued his education: first at the Orenburg and Kazan Suvorov Military Schools, and later he graduated from the Yeisk Aviation School. After that, he served in Transbaikalia, and in 1976 he retired with the rank of captain. He then went on to work at a mine in the Far North.\nIn 1979, he married Zinaida, who was raising a daughter on her own at the time. During their marriage, they had a son and a second daughter. Zinaida worked in retail and in cleaning services. As her health deteriorated, the couple moved to the settlement of Vyselki in the Krasnodar Territory, where Vladimir still lives today. In his free time, he tends a vegetable garden and enjoys walking. He is now retired. His situation is complicated by health problems: shortly after his wife\u0026#39;s death, he suffered a stroke.\nFrom a young age, Vladimir—convinced of God\u0026#39;s existence—reflected on spiritual matters. In 1993, Zinaida learned that Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were planning a large religious convention and wanted to attend it. Later, the couple began studying the Bible together and, in 1995, embarked on the Christian path.\nCriminal prosecution also affected Zinaida\u0026#39;s son-in-law, Viktor Spirichev. In December 2025, a court sentenced him to two years of suspended imprisonment for his faith.\n","date":"2022-07-27","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kolesnikov/photo_hu_335cf8feb3b43a31.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kolesnikov/photo_hu_e3630e724a67a6e9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kolesnikov/photo_hu_f9f9b9cf11fe24cb.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kolesnikov/photo_hu_cef66348d4e6e083.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kolesnikov.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Vladimir Kolesnikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the summer of 2020, Yevgeniy Korotun, the father of a minor child, was charged with extremism and taken into custody. Relatives and friends of the believer wonder how this law-abiding and peaceful citizen found himself under the yoke of criminal prosecution.\nYevgeniy was born in April 1970 into a family of workers at the Siberian Chemical Plant in Seversk. He has a younger sister, Oksana, a teacher by profession. Yevgeniy studied at an art school, from the age of 12 he was fond of photography, read a lot. After receiving secondary education, he got a job as an equipment operator at the plant and worked there for 15 years. Later, the man was engaged in the manufacture of furniture, coating walls with decorative plaster, and in recent years he worked as a plumber. He retired in April 2020.\nEugene scrupulously studied the Bible for 10 years. He became convinced that this was a book from God, and in 2008 he embarked on the Christian path of life. Evgenia, the wife of a persecuted for faith, shares not only his religious beliefs, but also her husband's many hobbies: cycling, ice skating, family outdoor recreation, reading and drawing. She is a chemist-technologist by profession, as a child she studied in circus and theater studios, graduated from art school. The couple have a son, Alexander, who is fond of music, dancing, sports and reading. Yevgeniy also has an adult daughter from his first marriage.\n","date":"2021-01-06","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/korotun/photo_hu_2d7ff463d1ff76d8.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/korotun/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/korotun/photo_hu_d77a77b9f47cee16.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/korotun/photo_hu_72aaed6e50bf0a96.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/korotun.html","regions":["tomsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Korotun","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2018, Valeriy Krieger was searched. Then the believer learned that a criminal case had been opened against him and accused of extremism. Later, in February 2020, his wife Natalya became the accused. In July 2021, the court sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation.\nValeriy was born in January 1968. Since childhood, he attended the sports section, mastered the master of sports program in jumping acrobatics, participated in competitions and demonstration performances in pair and group acrobatics.\nAfter school, Valeriy entered the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of the Khabarovsk Pedagogical Institute. In his senior years, he was fascinated by recreational activities, he graduated from massage courses at the department of the Institute of Physical Education in Khabarovsk. After graduation, Valeriy worked as a massage therapist in a polyclinic, and since 2000 he has his own massage room.\nIn 2017, Valeriy married Nataliya, a close-minded person. As a child, Nataliya, after the death of her mother, ended up in an orphanage. From there she was taken by her grandmother, who raised her. She helped Nataliya understand the value of Bible advice and principles. Nataliya and Valeriy took care of their bedridden grandmother for 6 years, until her death in February 2020.\nThe couple love to spend time with friends, play volleyball, and are fond of rafting down the river on boats.\nValeriy's parents, although they do not share the religious views of their son, treat them with respect. They, the adult daughter of Valeriy from his first marriage, colleagues and patients do not hide their excitement because of his criminal prosecution.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kriger/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kriger/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kriger/photo_hu_b27f269f331c21b1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kriger/photo_hu_b27f269f331c21b1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kriger.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","disability"],"title":"Valeriy Kriger","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2018, the Krieger spouses were searched, shortly after which a criminal case was opened against Valeriy. In February 2020, a case was initiated for her faith against Nataliya. In July 2021, the court found the believer guilty of participating in extremist activities and sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation.\nNataliya was born in April 1978 in Khabarovsk. When the girl was only a year old, her mother died, and Nataliya ended up in an orphanage. At the age of 6, her own grandmother took little Nataliya to live with her in the city of Amurzet. Along with her grandmother, Nataliya was raised by her aunt and cousin, who surrounded the girl with care and instilled respect for biblical principles.\nAs a child, Nataliya loved to dance, she was especially fond of Indian dances. As a teenager, she took first places in city competitions. After school, Nataliya graduated from a college, and then a technical school of light industry in Birobidzhan. She worked as a social worker, helping the elderly. In recent years, she has been a station worker.\nDue to a hip fracture, Nataliya’s grandmother stopped walking. Nataliya took care of the elderly woman for several years, until her death in February 2020.\nIn 2017, Nataliya married Valeriy. They are known as a close-knit family. The spouses spend a lot of time together, they love to dance, go to the mountains, raft down the river on boats. They support each other in the hardships they face because of their faith in Jehovah God.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/krigern/photo_hu_f90b8b0a1fd917c8.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/krigern/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/krigern/photo_hu_78f0cf098ed0ecb3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/krigern/photo_hu_b3108c26864003d2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/krigern.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Nataliya Kriger","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In September 2021, Petr Krupnov and his wife Maya became defendants in a criminal case. After 3 months, the court sentenced them to 2 years suspended. After serving the main sentence and not waiting for the end of the additional restrictions, Petr died in November 2024 as a result of a rapidly progressing oncological disease.\nPetr Krupnov was born in July 1963 in the village of Akhmatovka, Penza region. He was an only child. In 1981, the family moved to Nikolsk. Mother worked in a glass factory, now she is retired. The father is no longer alive.\nAfter school, Petr received a secondary specialized education as a diamond grinder for the processing of glass products. In his youth, he loved to spend time with friends, ride a moped and a motorcycle. For some time, he worked at a factory as a semi-automatic machine adjuster, then as a steam boiler repairman and a plumber.\nPetr was fond of auto and radio engineering, loved music and trips to nature. He has an adult daughter.\nIn 2002, the man decided to live according to biblical principles. He was touched by what he learned from the Holy Scriptures about the Creator and the future that he had prepared for people. In 2008, Petr married Maya, who supported him in everything.\nAccording to family and friends, Petr did not lose heart until the last minute of his life and was a support for others.\n","date":"2022-02-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/krupnov/photo_hu_610305b83b488c9d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/krupnov/photo_hu_a69dc2dfc7da9fc4.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/krupnov/photo_hu_f998cf9571714793.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/krupnov/photo_hu_eb62a10c57ac47c8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/krupnov.html","regions":["penza"],"tags":["families","elderly","died"],"title":"Petr Krupnov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The year 2020 was the beginning of a series of trials for Maya Krupnova—she lost her daughter, a year later, together with her husband Petr, they faced criminal prosecution for their faith and were sentenced to two years suspended. The death of her beloved husband in 2024 was another heavy blow for the believer.\nMaya was born in May 1957 in the village of Atasu, Karaganda region (Kazakhstan). She is the eldest of four sisters. Their mother died at the age of 66.\nAs a child, Maya had many-sided interests: she did gymnastics, football, sang in the choir. After school, she immediately went to work. She worked on the plantation, was a milkmaid, a calf, later—a pastry chef, accountant and salesman. Now Maya is retired, loves to take care of the garden and plant flowers.\nThe first in the family to get acquainted with the Bible was Anna, one of Maya\u0026#39;s three daughters. In 2001, mother and daughter decided to embark on the Christian path together. Maya could not come to terms with the death of people, so she was touched by the biblical promise of eternal life in paradise on earth. She was also glad to learn from the Bible the personal name of God—Jehovah.\nOver time, Maya and Anna moved to Nikolsk, where the family was offered a job. There she met Peter, whom she later married. He worked as a plumber, was fond of music, and loved to go out into nature with his family.\nMaya says about the criminal prosecution: \u0026quot;I am honored to go through this.\u0026quot; Knowing about the religious persecution of peaceful believers in Russia, she understood that this could affect her family as well. Therefore, the search and interrogations were not a surprise for her, but nevertheless it turned out to be great experiences for Maya. The family supports the believer in every possible way, and her daughter Anna says that she is proud of her mother.\n","date":"2021-05-24","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/krupnova/photo_hu_af0dcd9be29e4084.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/krupnova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/krupnova/photo_hu_6ae9638ad8395abe.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/krupnova/photo_hu_227aafddf57ebab6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/krupnova.html","regions":["penza"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Maya Krupnova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On March 5, 2020, Yuriy Krutyakov, a peaceful believer from the city of Chekhov, was sent to a pre-trial detention center. Because of a conversation with a man who portrayed an interest in the Bible, he spent more than a year behind bars. There, Yuri's eyesight deteriorated sharply. In May 2021, the court found the believer guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 6 years of suspended imprisonment with a probation period of 5 years. His wife Zinaida, who was a defendant in the same criminal case, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months of probation with a probation period of 2 years.\nYuri was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1952 in a working-class family. He studied at the evening department of the Gorky Civil Engineering Institute (Faculty of Industrial and Civil Construction). He worked at the design institute as a draftsman of the design department, in several construction and installation departments in various positions - from the foreman to the head of the production and technical department. Recently, he worked as a finisher of premises.\nSince childhood, Yuri had an inquisitive mind, loved to learn something new and deepen his knowledge in various fields. For a long time I was looking for the meaning of life, but nowhere did I find sufficiently convincing and logical answers to my questions.\nAcquaintance with biblical truth occurred in 1996. \"I finally saw the perspective that God opens through his Word, the Bible,\" says Yuri. Two years later, he made a firm decision to become a follower of Christ.\nYuri led an active lifestyle, often moved to different cities, and in 2010 settled in Chekhov. In 2012, he married Zinaida, who shares his religious beliefs. The wife loves to cook, listens to classical and folk music. Since October 3, 2019, Zinaida has been under house arrest as a defendant in the same criminal case.\nDue to criminal prosecution and stress, Yuriy's health deteriorated. There are not enough funds to support the family. Family and friends are deeply saddened by the unfair persecution of the couple.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/krutyakov/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/krutyakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/krutyakov/photo_hu_f092bb90bd372e9e.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/krutyakov/photo_hu_f092bb90bd372e9e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/krutyakov.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Yuriy Krutyakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In October 2019, Zinaida Krutyakova, following her husband, became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism because of a conversation with a man who pretended to be interested in the Bible. More than a year later, the court found the believers guilty, and sentenced Zinaida to 2 years and 3 months of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 2 years. The court sentenced her husband Yuriy to 6 years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 5 years.\nZinaida was born in 1958 in the village of Nizhnedevitsk, Voronezh Region. She has an elder sister. Together they graduated from the Voronezh Civil Engineering Institute with a degree in technologist for the production of ceramics and refractories.\nZinaida moved to Chekhov with her first husband, where she worked for more than thirty years at the city-forming enterprise. She was in charge of the factory laboratory. He is now retired.\nZinaida single-handedly raised her daughter Irina, trying to instill in her high standards of morality. She worked hard to give her daughter a good education. In 2012 she got married for the second time. She loves classical and folk music, walks in the woods, and enjoys preparing delicious meals for loved ones.\nZinaida was always concerned about why there was so much injustice in the world, and the biblical idea that God would bring order to the earth immediately resonated in her heart. Because of her Christian beliefs, a criminal case was initiated against her. It is difficult for Zinaida's family and friends to understand why peace-loving people like her are being persecuted.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/krutyakova/photo_hu_7c8211f787c95620.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/krutyakova/photo_hu_5e3fa90751bcd341.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/krutyakova/photo_hu_c05fe009f6d01fcd.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/krutyakova/photo_hu_529a0fab1b856f1b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/krutyakova.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Zinaida Krutyakova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2018, Sergey Kulakov was suspected of extremism. In January 2021, he and his wife, Tatiana , were put on trial solely because of their faith. All this seriously affected the health of the Kulakovs.\nSergey was born in 1961 in Nevelsk. When he was 14 years old, his parents were deprived of parental rights, and he ended up in a boarding school. Later, his parents died. Sergey has two sisters. As a child, he was fond of football and chess, later graduated from SPTU and received the specialty of a ship repairman. He is now retired.\nIn the 2000s, Sergey and his wife Tatyana decided that the main thing in their lives would be the spiritual: God and his commandments. Sergey was greatly affected by the genuine brotherly love among the Christians he met.\nThe couple raised two sons, one of whom needs special care due to disability. The couple say that their son's illness has become a real test for them, but they do not give up. Both parents and children love to play outdoor games and enjoy reading the Bible together.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kulakov/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kulakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kulakov/photo_hu_e28f090549eff77f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kulakov/photo_hu_e28f090549eff77f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kulakov.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Kulakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In March 2020, Tatyana Kulakova, following her husband, became a victim of criminal prosecution for her faith, and later they both appeared in court. This seriously affected the health of both spouses.\nTatyana was born in 1973 in Nevelsk (Sakhalin Region). As a child, she loved music, drawing, read a lot. Tatiana has a younger brother. After school, she moved to the regional center to study plasterer-painter. For several years she worked in her specialty, and then in the field of cleaning.\nIn 1996, Tatyana married Sergey. The spouses were brought together by a love of reading and sports. Tatyana admits that she was quick-tempered and tough, so family life did not go well for a long time.\nAfter the birth of their second son, the couple firmly decided to improve their relationship. At that time, they met people who offered to find out what is written in the Bible. Tatyana was especially interested in learning from the Holy Scriptures what God's plan is for the earth and people, as well as what happens after death. This question worried her since childhood, after the death of her beloved grandfather. Bible study had a good effect on the relationship between the spouses. They learned to value their marriage more. Now the family loves to spend time together, play tennis. Tatiana loves to paint and bake for guests.\nThe eldest son of the Kulakovs is an auto mechanic. He is on disability but loves to play sports. The youngest son is studying to be a machinist on mountain roads, he is fond of drawing, tennis and music. He had to defend in court his right to alternative civilian service.\nThe criminal prosecution affected the entire family. Tatyana is visually impaired, she was diagnosed with a heart disease. Sergey lost his job and his bank accounts were blocked.\nParents, acquaintances and neighbors are surprised that the Kulakovs were classified as extremists.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kulakova/photo_hu_906522d0f31b1215.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kulakova/photo_hu_81e5e4a1c07b46de.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kulakova/photo_hu_1025e22d06a0ef72.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kulakova/photo_hu_b3619246637596db.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kulakova.html","regions":["sakhalin"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Kulakova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Spouses Mariya and Alexandr were among the first victims of criminal prosecution for their faith in the Yaroslavl region. After the searches, they were placed in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent 3 months. Believers are accused of participating in extremist activities.\nMariya was born in April 1988 in the city of Chernenko (now Sharypovo), Krasnoyarsk Territory. Over time, the family moved to Voronezh. Mariya grew up with two older sisters and a younger brother. Their mother is now retired, and their father works at a diesel locomotive repair plant. As a child, Mariya loved to deal with plants, knit. The family always had pets, which the girl helped to look after.\nAfter school, Mariya learned to be a computer operator. She worked in cleaning services, and later as a depilation master.\nMariya lived in different cities: Kansk, Voronezh, Salekhard. In 2016, she moved to Yaroslavl, where her future husband Alexandr lived. They got married in 2017. In their free time, Mariya and Alexandr love to be outdoors, travel, play chess, chat with friends.\nFrom childhood, Mariya's parents instilled in her high moral standards, taught her to love God and people. She loved learning about God and reflecting on what she read in the Bible. In 2002, she consciously decided to embark on the Christian path of life.\nThe unfair accusations that fell on the young family affected Mariya's emotional health. She says: “Because of the criminal prosecution, my husband and I really missed each other. The arrest made it impossible to earn a living. \" Relatives and friends are very worried about Mariya and support her in every possible way.\n","date":"2021-07-30","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kuznetsova/photo_hu_f458abd4698d9d2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kuznetsova/photo_hu_67931299b527d9f4.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kuznetsova/photo_hu_38c3469e3b50056b.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kuznetsova/photo_hu_f7159f2c47087b09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kuznetsova.html","regions":["yaroslavl"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Mariya Kuznetsova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"April morning 2021 was a turning point for Aleksandr Kuznetsov and his wife Mariya. Civilians in Yaroslavl were accused of extremism and sent to a pre-trial detention center, where they spent 3 months.\nAleksandr was born in October 1982 in Moscow. Childhood of Aleksandr and his younger brother passed in Yalta, where the family lived later. After the divorce of his parents, Aleksandr moved to Yaroslavl. After graduating from school, he entered the Agricultural Academy. He has worked as an English and mathematics tutor and swimming coach. Recently, he was engaged in disinfection of premises.\nIn 2016, Aleksandr met Mariya, who became his wife a year later. They are known as a very friendly couple who does everything together. Aleksandr loves to play chess since childhood, and Mariya shares his passion. The spouses have many friends who speak very warmly of Aleksandr: “He is cheerful and loving. A devoted friend. Grateful, generous and hospitable! \"\nAleksandr takes care of his mother, regularly visiting her in Crimea. According to her, he is a very kind and calm person. Although Aleksandr’s mother does not share his religious views, what happened was a shock for her and the rest of her family.\n","date":"2021-08-19","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kuznetsoval/photo_hu_c537b40bdf904a6f.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kuznetsoval/photo_hu_7e69741f9a515fe8.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kuznetsoval/photo_hu_6bfca4a659742ccd.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kuznetsoval/photo_hu_9084121cdcc61dab.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kuznetsoval.html","regions":["yaroslavl"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Kuznetsov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the spring of 2021, the aw enforcement officers came with a search to Darya Kuzo, a mother of two young children. Her husband, Taras, was put under house arrest, and in the summer of that year and Darya herself became a defendant in a criminal case for her faith.\nDarya was born in March 1982 in the city of Voronezh in a large family. She has two elder brothers, one of whom has been disabled since childhood, and a twin sister. At the age of four, Darya moved with her parents to Transcarpathia, and ten years later to Crimea. As a child, she loved to draw and to go to the mountains for mushroom and berries gathering or mushroom hunting.\nIn her 4th and 5th year's of studying in college while majoring in philology of the Ukrainian language and literature, Darya worked as a teacher in one of the schools in the city of Simferopol. After graduating from college, she moved to the city of Yalta, where she later worked as an administrator in a hotel. After some time, Darya graduated from hairdressing courses and worked at this job for several years. Since 2016, she has been selling professional cosmetics as an individual entrepreneur.\nIn Yalta, Darya met her future husband, Taras. In 2008 they got married. The family brings up a son and a daughter (at the time of the search they were 9 and 6 years old). Spouses love to go to the mountains, swim in the sea, play football.\nDarya was introduced to the Bible at a young age. She was surprised at the practical advice contained in this book and the exact fulfillment of the prophecies. This prompted Darya, as well as her sister became Christian. At that time Darya was eighteen years old.\nThe persecution changed the life of the Kuzo family. The stress that they've experienced negatively affected the children. They are really looking forward to when their dad can go out with them again and they don’t understand why he was put behind bars.\nAlthough the relatives do not share Darya's beliefs, it is not clear to them why this close neat couple is being persecuted. Even the neighbors are perplexed that this happened to a family known for its decency.\n","date":"2021-09-23","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kuzod/photo_hu_6be7aecdd74b0539.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kuzod/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kuzod/photo_hu_fefcc2d598ac6899.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kuzod/photo_hu_f59e91afb6990868.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kuzod.html","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Darya Kuzo","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In March 2021, a civilian resident of the city of Yalta, Taras Kuzo, became a victim of persecution for his faith. Law enforcement officers considered the father of two minor children guilty of a particularly serious crime of extremist orientation.\nTaras was born in 1978 in Yalta in a family of engineers. He spent all his life in this Crimean city, graduated from school with a gold medal. By profession he is a manager-economist, also engaged in carpentry production.\nTaras loves sports, especially team games: football, volleyball and basketball. He also loves mathematics and everything related to numbers. As a child, Taras read the Bible, but he consciously came to faith in God as an adult. Because of his peaceful Christian convictions, he asked for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian service, which he successfully completed from 2001 to 2003, which was even mentioned in the local newspaper. In 2008, Taras married Darya, a teacher by profession.\nTaras's mother and sister do not share his religious beliefs, but they sincerely wonder why a peaceful and kind person is accused of extremism.\n","date":"2021-03-17","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/kuzyo/photo_hu_ee443524b374b047.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/kuzyo/photo_hu_139ff412a8b5a03e.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/kuzyo/photo_hu_909b304affb081ce.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/kuzyo/photo_hu_a412d128e7f10afa.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/kuzyo.html","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Taras Kuzo","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, the FSB opened a criminal case against a civilian resident of Birobidzhan, Artur Lokhvitsky, and about a year later, his mother Irina and wife Anna were accused of extremism. In July 2021, the court found Anna guilty and sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation for her faith.\nAnna was born in 1993 in the city of Obluchye (Jewish Autonomous Region). Mother alone raised two daughters and instilled in them biblical values, set an example of an honest and kind person. Vera helped Anna to be a thoughtful, reasonable, and successful student. Together with her sister, she attended various arts and crafts clubs, spent time in nature and playing with friends.\nAnna was educated as a sewing technician. She worked in an atelier. The girl was surrounded by cheerful, happy friends and family who appreciate biblical principles.\nIn 2018, Anna and Arthur got married. The moral standards laid down since childhood help the couple keep their marriage strong and happy. They love to fish, travel, play volleyball together, meet new people.\nThe criminal prosecution radically changed the life of the family: a written undertaking not to leave the place was taken from the spouses, access to bank cards was blocked, and access to public services was limited. A lot of effort was spent on researching legal and financial issues. Relatives and friends worry about Anna and consider such an attitude towards her unfair and unreasonable.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/lokhvitskaya/photo_hu_1f31e0b04a2ab35a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskaya/photo_hu_9a4e004090f97267.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/lokhvitskaya/photo_hu_194bd1c4829ac3a0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskaya/photo_hu_62f3e4013e00e585.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/lokhvitskaya.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anna Lokhvitskaya","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 6, 2020, FSB investigator D. Yankin opened 6 criminal cases at once under an \"extremist\" article against peaceful and law-abiding residents of Birobidzhan. Among them is Irina Lokhvitskaya. She was accused of participating in the activities of a banned organization. Six months later, the case went to court. In July 2021, Irina was found guilty and given a 2.5-year suspended sentence for her faith in Jehovah.\nIrina was born in 1962 in the village of Izvestkovoe, Jewish Autonomous Region. She has an older brother and a younger sister. When Irina was 6 years old, her father died. Mom was a kind and religious person. At home, Irina often found handwritten prayers, and this raised many questions. Irina wondered why she should pray and who God was.\nShe read a lot, looking for answers to her questions in books. She dreamed of becoming an actress, as she played in school plays, or an investigator, because she read detectives. She had many hobbies: she played basketball and volleyball, attended a dance, theater studio and a knitting club. In the school description it is written: has a sense of humor.\nAfter school, she entered the Birobidzhan Pedagogical School. Then she worked in the village of Belgorod as a kindergarten teacher, for several years as the head, and part-time as the artistic director of the club. She led a dance circle, held rural holidays. There she married and gave birth to a son, Arthur.\nIrina always remembered her mother's stories about how much her father loved her. For many years, she was not left with a sense of injustice due to the fact that good people die so early. In 1991, in Khabarovsk, I met those who knew the Bible well. Finally, she found answers to all the questions that she had been asking herself since childhood. \"Biblical truth struck me in the heart,\" Irina recalls. \"When I heard that there is hope for the resurrection for the dead, I realized that there is justice! It's great that all good dads will be resurrected, including mine. I'll hug him...\" Since then, Irina has never ceased to share with others the Bible teachings that give such wonderful hope. After 2 years, she was baptized.\nSeven months later, a tragedy occurred - her husband died. Irina was left alone with a seven-year-old child. There was no work in the village, they lived on survivor's benefits. During these years, in order not to dwell on the mountain, she helped many to understand the Bible, to see the wisdom of God's laws. When my son was 11 years old, he consciously chose the Christian path of life for himself. A few years later, the family moved to Birobidzhan.\nIrina retired in 2016. Prior to that, she worked as an administrator at a hotel. He has certificates and cash awards for good work and work with people. Irina is still full of strength, energy, desire to share the biblical reliable with others. He likes to organize themed evenings for friends, writes poetry, and holds weddings for those closest to him. Every year they raft down the river with family and friends. A new hobby is making flowers out of corrugated paper and creating compositions from them. With great pleasure he gives them to friends.\nThe persecution for her faith seriously affected Irina's physical and emotional well-being. Adding to her concerns was the fact that her son Arthur, as well as his wife, Anna, received the same suspended sentences of 2.5 years each. The support of numerous friends from different cities and family cohesion helps to survive this stress. Irina's sister, who is interested in Bible teachings, is completely perplexed by what is happening.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/lokhvitskayai/photo_hu_f11069da119abb28.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskayai/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/lokhvitskayai/photo_hu_c070717b34075f0f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskayai/photo_hu_502ef9b6d7b6d821.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/lokhvitskayai.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Irina Lokhvitskaya","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Artur Lokhvitsky is known as a respectable citizen and a diligent worker who has a diploma for conscientious work. However, for his peace-loving views and faith in God, he was subjected to religious persecution along with his wife, mother and other believers from Birobidzhan.\nArtur was born in 1986 in the village of Belgorodskoye (Jewish Autonomous Region). As a child, he was fond of sports and fishing. He received the specialty of an electrician, in recent years he worked in the fire department.\nArthur became interested in the Bible in his youth. He found convincing evidence for the existence of God and believed in him deeply. In 2018, he married Anna. The couple love to travel, spend time in nature, communicate with friends and play sports.\nCriminal prosecution had a negative impact on all spheres of life of the young family. Anna suffered emotional trauma and is forced to undergo expensive medical treatment. At work, Arthur is threatened with dismissal, his bank card is blocked. He had to look for additional income to provide for his family.\nArthur's family and friends are very worried about the unfair persecution of this peaceful, law-abiding person. Despite the absence of victims and real evidence of the believer's guilt, in February 2021, the verdict was announced: 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment. On April 8, the regional court upheld the verdict.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/lokhvitskiy/photo_hu_2545dda9c1ec5e35.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskiy/photo_hu_bbf5b717847eb13f.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/lokhvitskiy/photo_hu_50e4c4f172385e39.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/lokhvitskiy/photo_hu_339ab89fdd4ef4d1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/lokhvitskiy.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Artur Lokhvitskiy","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 16 and 17, mass searches were carried out at the apartments of believers in several settlements of the Nizhny Novgorod region. A total of 35 searches were conducted, and at least 11 people are involved in the criminal case. One of the accused is Sergey Malyanov. What is known about this man?\nSergey was born in 1969 in Gorky (today Nizhny Novgorod). Since childhood, he was actively engaged in dancing and figure skating. After school he entered the Institute of Physical Culture, in 1991 he received a diploma in physical education. He has the title of Master of Sports of the USSR. He worked in the Moscow Circus on Ice as an acrobat, toured with performances in Russia and other countries. Recently, he has been engaged in interior decoration, but tries not to lose physical shape, plays football and hockey, goes to the skating rink.\nSergey has an adult daughter who works as a French teacher in a private school. Sergey himself takes care of his mother of retirement age, who is a disabled person of the second group.\nThe search for the meaning of life led Sergey to study the Bible, in which he found answers to his questions. He is convinced that the Bible is a book of valuable advice and reliable prophecies. The result of the spiritual quest was criminal prosecution for faith.\nReligious persecution of Sergei severely undermined the health of his mother. \"It's such a blow when a kind and caring son, without whom I can't live, is considered a criminal,\" she complains. \"This pain is like a knife in the heart.\"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/malyanov/photo_hu_c7920a7be23acf09.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/malyanov/photo_hu_53003a6a707b9084.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/malyanov/photo_hu_a33b7ae5c5c29455.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/malyanov/photo_hu_a6309aebc4a845b5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/malyanov.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Malyanov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Svetlana Malyanova, a young teacher from Nizhny Novgorod, like her father, Sergey Malyanov , became a defendant in one of the many criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\nSvetlana was born in 1996 in Nizhny Novgorod in the family of an athlete and a teacher of foreign languages. Since childhood, she loved to read, wrote poetry and sang in a choir. The girl followed in the footsteps of her mother and after graduating from the institute, began teaching English and French. Svetlana has always lived in Nizhny Novgorod. In her free time, she goes in for sports and creativity. Recently, she has found a new hobby - playing the guitar.\nLike her father, Svetlana was personally convinced that the Bible is trustworthy. The logic and harmony of this book, as well as fulfilling prophecies, did not leave the girl indifferent. She was also impressed by the worldwide preaching activity of modern Christians. At the age of 20, Svetlana decided to dedicate her life to God.\nDuring the investigation and trials, pleasant changes also happened in Svetlana's personal life—she married Aleksandr. His mother Galina, was given a 6-year suspended sentence by the court in May 2022 because of her faith in Jehovah God.\nUnfair criminal prosecution has disrupted the normal way of life for the whole family. Svetlana's mother and grandmother are very worried and do not understand how it is possible to treat their relatives – peaceful, law-abiding people – so unfairly.\n","date":"2020-12-28","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/malyanova/photo_hu_ebd4d89f654bbbde.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/malyanova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/malyanova/photo_hu_6411509ce5922220.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/malyanova/photo_hu_f7eb509d7668f7b1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/malyanova.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Svetlana Malyanova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 10, 2020, a wave of raids swept across Transbaikalia. Representatives of the authorities searched 50 houses of believers, as a result of which Pavel Mamalimov was sent to a temporary detention center for 5 days and later released.\nPavel was born in 1987 in the village of Mankovo (Chita region). Later, the family moved to Buryatia, then to Chita. There is an elder brother Igor, the elder sister is no longer alive. As a child, Pavel was fond of sports, studied diligently, helped his parents in housekeeping.\nPavel graduated from the Irkutsk University of Railways, and later from the school of machinists. Since 2010 he has been working as an assistant locomotive driver.\nAfter learning how faithfully Bible prophecies were fulfilled, Paul became convinced of the existence of God. He liked the fact that applying Bible principles in his life was of practical benefit to him. In the study of the Scriptures, he was later joined by his elder brother Igor.\nIn 2012, Pavel met his future wife Lyubov, whose parents instilled in her a craving for biblical truths from childhood. After 2 years, they got married, and in 2017 they had a daughter, whom the couple are raising with the help of principles from God's Word.\nPavel's parents do not share his religious views, but are perplexed by the persecution of their son. A short stay in the temporary detention center undermined Pavel's health, and he became seriously ill. Relatives and friends of the believer hope that the authorities will sort everything out and stop the criminal case against him.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","jpg2x":"/person_placeholder_male.jpg","webp":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp","webp2x":"/person_placeholder_male_hu_f7ee63da6ace879b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mamalimov.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Pavel Mamalimov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 10, 2020, one of the most massive raids on the homes of civilians took place in Chita and several districts of the Trans-Baikal Territory. On that day, security forces raided 50 houses of believers. Among them is the family of Igor Mamalimov.\nIgor was born in 1976 in the Ilishevsky district of Bashkortostan. A year later, a daughter appeared in the family, and later the youngest son, Pavel, was born. Parents kept a large farm, so children from an early age helped to cultivate the land and take care of livestock. In winter, Igor liked to ski or skate. Thanks to his grandfather, he fell in love with music and mastered playing the accordion himself.\nAfter school, Igor entered the Chita Industrial and Pedagogical College, but after a year of study he was drafted into the army. After completing the service, he completed his studies, having received the specialties of a mechanic, turner, locksmith, acquired the rights of a tractor driver. Later he received a work permit in security and worked as a security guard for some time. He also worked in the field of cargo transportation. Recently, he worked part-time as a stove-mason and was engaged in car repair.\nIn the early 2000s, Igor became seriously ill, around the same time his younger sister died in a car accident. These events prompted him to think about God and matters of life and death. Igor prayed to God and found answers to these questions in the Bible. Studying this book also helped him overcome bad habits.\nIn 2007, Igor married Natalya, who shared his newfound values. Over time, the couple had three children. Natalia devotes a lot of time to their upbringing, so Igor is the sole breadwinner of the family.\nThe criminal prosecution affected the emotional and physical state of the family: during the search, the children were very frightened and very worried about their father, there was fear and distrust of people. Therefore, Igor and Natalia try to pay more attention to them. Igor's mother is very worried about her son, these experiences affected her health.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/mamalimovi/photo_hu_d7ce4ecce522eb33.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/mamalimovi/photo_hu_24905b53757ecb10.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/mamalimovi/photo_hu_e499a3519ca1d56d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/mamalimovi/photo_hu_535692e41bd5fb34.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mamalimovi.html","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["health-risk","families"],"title":"Igor Mamalimov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2021, the house of Nina Martynova and her husband Andrey was searched. The reason was the Christian beliefs of the spouses. The peaceful believer, like her husband, was accused of extremism.\nNina was born in August 1958 in the village of Pervomaisky, located near the city of Alatyr (Chuvashia). She grew up in a large family—she has two elder brothers and three sisters. In her school years, Nina was involved in athletics and participated in competitions.\nAfter graduating from a pedagogical school, Nina worked as a kindergarten teacher. She is now retired. In the summer he works in the garden, in the winter he knits and strengthens his physical health.\nLiving in Kamchatka, Nina met Andrey. In 1991, they moved together to the Moscow region, where they lived for 6 years. In 1992 they registered their marriage. Together, the couple raised two daughters, one of whom has been a disabled person of group I since childhood.\nIn the early 1990s, Nina and Andrey began to study the Bible with interest. Nina was especially encouraged by the thought that God does not punish children for the fault of their parents, as she had been told before. She was also struck by the accuracy of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. In 1992, the couple decided to become Christians, and in 1998 they moved to Nina's homeland—to the village of Pervomaisky.\nThe criminal prosecution affected the health of the believer. She experiences anxiety, sleep problems. Nina's husband, Andrey, is also a defendant in the criminal case. Relatives and neighbors of the Martynovs are outraged by the actions of the security forces and consider it unfair to persecute these peaceful people only for their faith in God.\n","date":"2022-06-23","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/martynova/photo_hu_2836d59a4195c4e3.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/martynova/photo_hu_749dc90ce64ab286.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/martynova/photo_hu_6ffeb12dfd9f58bc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/martynova/photo_hu_aebf8b4f082fbabb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/martynova.html","regions":["chuvashia"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Nina Martynova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Knowledge from the Bible helped Andrey Martynov find the meaning of life and strengthen his marriage. However, in the fall of 2021, because of his love for this book and the desire to share the knowledge he gained, the believer was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.\nAndrey was born in August 1964 in Barnaul (Altai Territory). He has a younger brother. When Andrey was 2 years old, the family moved to Kashira, Moscow region. Parents are already retired. As a child, Andrey attended various sections: he played football, boxing, went to parachute and car clubs.\nWhen Andrey graduated from high school, the family moved to Kamchatka. Andrei went to work immediately after school and worked as a carpenter before being drafted into the army. After demobilization, he worked as a compressor driver, while studying at a driving school. Then he became a driver.\nAndrey met his wife Nina while still living in Kamchatka. In 1991, they moved to the Moscow region, where they lived for 6 years, and in 1992 they registered their marriage. Together, the couple raised two daughters, one of them is disabled.\nIn the early 1990s, the Martynovs began to seriously study the Bible. Its simplicity and consistency impressed Andrey. The knowledge gained helped him find meaning in life. Nina was especially moved by the idea that the suffering of children is not a punishment for the guilt of the parents. In 1992, Andrey and Nina embarked on the Christian path together.\nLiving near Moscow, Andrey renovated apartments and worked for some time in the Moscow metro. In 1997, the Martynovs moved to the village of Pervomaiskiy (Chuvashia), where they have been living ever since. Over the past 25 years, the believer has worked as a driver and fireman in the boiler room of a village club. He also had to do the work of a cattleman — a cow, gobies, pigs, geese and chickens were kept in the household. Currently Andrey is taking care of the vegetable garden and the old village house, which requires maintenance and repair.\nFaced with repression for his faith, Andrey tries to maintain a positive attitude. He shares: “From the moment of the search and interrogation, you are always in tension. Little pleasant, but if this is perceived as part of the Christian path in this world, then you understand that this is another opportunity to glorify our God Jehovah, and this sets us up for a positive. \"\n","date":"2021-12-23","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/martynovan/photo_hu_814981c8a13b865c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/martynovan/photo_hu_2a478d7595090160.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/martynovan/photo_hu_6b18316ab76abbf1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/martynovan/photo_hu_5dc784f8380ff454.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/martynovan.html","regions":["chuvashia"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Andrey Martynov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Dmitry Mikhailov was born on October 25, 1977 in the village of Kupchanovka (Akmola region, Kazakhstan). He lives in Shuya (Ivanovo region, Russia). He grew up in the family of a doctor - his mother was a dermatologist-venereologist. He studied at the Ivanovo State Power Engineering University with a degree in industrial electronics. He worked as a system administrator, repaired computers, and is also fond of photography and video editing.\nDmitry was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1993 at the age of 16, when he discovered the clarity, harmony and consistency of the Bible, the beauty of knowledge about God. In 2003 he got married, his wife Elena teaches mathematics and physics. Since then, the two of them have devoted a lot of time to improving people's lives through biblical education.\nIn 2018, Dmitriy and Yelena learned that for several months their phones had been tapped and hidden video was being filmed behind them. On May 29, Dmitriy was detained on absurd charges and placed in a temporary detention facility, and then in a pre-trial detention center. His mother, who did not share her son's religious beliefs, exclaimed when she was arrested: \"Instead of persecuting honest people, it would be better to catch criminals!\"\nThe Mikhailovs' neighbors submitted to the court a characterization according to which Dmitry \"has established himself as a caring husband and son ... Dmitry is responsive, sociable, polite, responsible, without bad habits ... always has a neat appearance and is ready to help ... takes care of her elderly mother, born in 1939, provides her with medicines and care ... Her only son.\"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/mikhailov/photo_hu_9ce08ab8713f75a9.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/mikhailov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/mikhailov/photo_hu_13414b0bbef7eac3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/mikhailov/photo_hu_cedb122821cb1fac.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mikhailov.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Mikhaylov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In March 2019, in the city of Zeya (Amur Region), mass searches were carried out in the homes of believers. A criminal case was opened against one of them, Konstantin Moiseyenko, for his faith. In July 2021, the believer was found guilty of organizing extremist activities and sentenced to 6 years of suspended sentence.\nKonstantin was born in 1976 in Abakan (Khakassia). His father died more than 10 years ago, his mother is retired. Konstantin also has two younger twin brothers. As a child, he was fond of hockey, rock climbing, martial arts and model building.\nKonstantin is a systems engineer by education, graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Technical School of Informatics and Computer Engineering and the Krasnoyarsk State Technical University. He worked as a system administrator and service engineer. He studies English on his own, is actively engaged in physical education and athletics.\nIn 1998, Konstantin married Margarita, a fashion designer of outerwear. The spouses are united by a passion for the English language. Since the early 2000s, Konstantin has been keenly interested in the Bible. He was deeply impressed by the accuracy and consistency of this book with history and science. The couple decided that love for God and neighbor would become their top priority in life.\nKonstantin and Margarita travel a lot and like to communicate with many friends. Until 2016, they lived in the village of Minderla, Krasnoyarsk Territory, where they took care of Konstantin\u0026#39;s blind grandmother for 6 years until her death. Now they live in Zeya. Konstantin\u0026#39;s friends and relatives are well aware that he was the victim of persecution for his faith.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/moiseyenko/photo_hu_f6ba77f61c04c328.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/moiseyenko/photo_hu_1a24f31def54429b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/moiseyenko/photo_hu_27a79801ea7db9e7.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/moiseyenko/photo_hu_bc08e20a5d6f632d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/moiseyenko.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Konstantin Moiseyenko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In February 2022, Margarita Moise‌yenko, a civilian resident of the city of Zeya, was accused of participating in extremist activities. Seven months earlier, her husband Konstantin had been convicted under the same criminal article. Their belief in Jehovah God was the reason for the criminal prosecution.\nMargarita was born in Krasnoyarsk in December 1978. She has an elder sister. Her father worked as a welder in an aluminum factory. Mother — a teacher and artist — from childhood instilled in Margarita a love of art and reading. The girl learned to read early, loved to draw, was fond of embroidery and making crafts. She graduated from art school.\nMargarita went to college and studied to be a fashion designer. Later, she graduated from the Institute of Trade and Economics with a degree in management. After working for three years in the atelier, Margarita decided to open her own business for individual tailoring. This is what she is still doing.\nThe love of reading prompted Margarita to pick up the Bible at a young age. She recalls: “Many things were not clear, I treated this book as ancient myths. But later, after the tragic death of a relative, I thought about the meaning of life and at the age of 18 I decided to explore this book more deeply. To her surprise, Margarita found that the Bible was scientifically and historically accurate. Fulfilled Bible prophecies strengthened trust in God and the Bible, and in 2001 Margarita embarked on the Christian path.\nShe met her future husband Konstantin while still at school. He is was educated as a systems engineer. They got married in 1998. When Konstantin's blind grandmother needed help, the couple moved in with her in the village of Minderla, Krasnoyarsk Territory, where they took care of the elderly woman for the last six years of her life. Since 2016, the Moiseyenkos have been living in the city of Zeya.\nMargarita still loves to read. She is a sociable person, she has many friends. She and her husband also love to travel and visit, study English together.\nWith the beginning of the criminal prosecution in the family, anxiety increased, Margarita's sleep was disturbed. Parents are alarmed, try to help her and Konstantin. Friends and acquaintances of the spouses are worried, realizing that the criminal prosecution of believers is unfounded.\n","date":"2022-03-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/moiseyenkom/photo_hu_7312bceebd61f015.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/moiseyenkom/photo_hu_7d586de4dda5e1b5.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/moiseyenkom/photo_hu_4d6758d0aa8c9011.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/moiseyenkom/photo_hu_8ede0851a5e913e9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/moiseyenkom.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Margarita Moiseyenko","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Svetlana Monis, similar to her husband, Alam Aliyev, became a victim of criminal prosecution for her faith. For several years, she and her husband were forced to defend their right to freedom of religion and yet Svetlana received a 2.5-year suspended sentence, and the court sent Alam to a penal colony for 6.5 years.\nSvetlana was born in 1977 in the city of Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory) in a simple family. She has a younger brother. Due to her progressive myopia, sports and needlework were not for her, but still she found something she liked—learning foreign languages (German and English).\nAfter leaving school, Svetlana moved to Birobidzhan and entered the Birobidzhan Teaching Institute at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, where she studied Chinese. In the third year, she gave birth to a son, so she failed to finish the university. Svetlana decided to become an entrepreneur, opened a Chinese cafe, and later engaged in foreign economic activity. She also cared for her elderly grandmother.\nEven as a teenager, Svetlana was interested in spiritual topics. “There was an incomplete Bible in the house that I read,” she says. “Even then, I was thinking about what is the purpose of human existence, if everything ends with death, and why is there so much injustice in the world.” Svetlana received answers to her questions by deeply researching the Scriptures. Applying Bible teachings helped her raise her son, which she did on her own from when he was four. It made her life more meaningful and happy and she made many friends.\nIn 2015, Svetlana married Alam. Despite difficulties and the prosecution, the couple try to find positive aspects in everything.\nAt first Svetlana's parents did not approve of their daughter's religious choice, but over time their attitude changed. Today they empathize with their daughter and son-in-law and cannot understand why this happened to them.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/monis/photo_hu_b888e907939fba10.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/monis/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/monis/photo_hu_bb1331de9581c9fe.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/monis/photo_hu_f67fb3ad46251628.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/monis.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Svetlana Monis","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 28, 2019, in Ulyanovsk, criminal cases were initiated against several civilians in connection with their faith. One of them, Sergey Mysin, was arrested and placed in a pre-trial detention center. He is accused of organizing extremist activities. At the same time, his wife Nataliya was placed under house arrest.\nSergey was born in 1965 in Kulebaki (Nizhny Novgorod region). As a child, he moved with his parents and younger sister to Ulyanovsk, where they live to this day.\nSergey is an engineer by education. As a child, he was actively involved in sports - bandy and weightlifting. He has always been drawn to the spiritual, and for the last twenty years he has been studying the Bible in depth with his wife Natalia, with whom he married in 1991. They have two adult children. The whole family loves to spend time together, travels a lot.\nRelatives and friends of Sergey and Natalia are worried about the absurd accusation of extremism, which fell like snow on the head of this married couple. Everyone is trying to help as much as they can.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/mysin/photo_hu_1e8b064dfab8d734.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/mysin/photo_hu_1e8b064dfab8d734.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/mysin/photo_hu_6863f59068056d94.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/mysin/photo_hu_6863f59068056d94.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mysin.html","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Sergey Mysin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 28, 2019, in Ulyanovsk, criminal cases were initiated against several civilians in connection with their faith. One of them, Natalia Mysina, was placed under house arrest. At the same time, her husband Sergey ended up in a pre-trial detention center.\nNatalia was born in 1971 in Leningrad in a military family. She has a younger sister. For some time she lived in Germany, but most of her life she lives in Ulyanovsk, where she graduated from college with a degree in pharmacy. There she also met Sergey, whom she married in 1991.\nIn the 1990s, Nataliya became exposed to the teachings of the Bible that touched her heart. A common faith united the spouses. The couple has two adult children.\nNataliya loves to cook, especially bake, and happily treats family and friends. This close-knit family often gathers together, travels a lot.\nRelatives of Natalia and Sergey are worried about them, not understanding why civilians are accused of extremism only because of their religion. Natalia's own sister, who does not share her religious views, came from another city with her husband to attend the appeal hearing in Sergey's case.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/mysina/photo_hu_22c66cc67fd94abd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/mysina/photo_hu_22c66cc67fd94abd.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/mysina/photo_hu_a7c7801b1b77c79a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/mysina/photo_hu_a7c7801b1b77c79a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/mysina.html","regions":["ulyanovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Nataliya Mysina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"At a young age, Ivan Neverov, following the example of his parents, became a Christian and has remained loyal to his decision despite being persecuted for his faith.\nIvan was born in April 1986 in the city of Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Territory. He has an elder sister. Their father was a builder, and their mother was a footwear technologist. Parents instilled in their children a love for work and the Bible. Ivan spent his free time with friends who were also raised with high moral standards. He is still friends with many of them to this day.\nIvan\u0026#39;s family had difficulties: his father abused alcohol, and his mother was already thinking about divorce. Everything changed when, at a construction site where the man worked, a woman entered a construction booth and told about the Bible. Ivan\u0026#39;s father was interested, and he said to her: \u0026quot;Come to us and explain to my wife that divorce is not allowed.\u0026quot; Bible study began, the father broke with bad habits and kept the family together. The son was baptized at the age of 12, in 1998.\nAfter school, Ivan went to college and graduated as an auto mechanic. The young man gained a good reputation and was invited to serve in the Presidential Regiment. Guided by peaceful Christian principles, Ivan refused military service and instead performed alternative civilian service (ACS) for three and a half years at a psychoneurological boarding school 1,500 km from home. The believer humorously recalls that at first, he had to sleep in the treatment room on a gurney, and that his salary was 2,000 rubles a month, despite having to pay 2,200 rubles just for food in the dining room.\nAfter the ACS, Ivan worked as a builder and also helped his parents in solving household issues. Gradually, he mastered new skills: painting and plumbing work, tiling. Clients and colleagues spoke of him as an honest, diligent person and a qualified specialist.\nIn 2013, at a friend\u0026#39;s wedding, Ivan met his future wife, Tatyana. A year later they got married. In the same year, Ivan lost his mother, and in 2022, his father.\nSince 2015, the couple have been living in Saransk, where Ivan continued to work in the field of repair and construction. Tatyana works as a hairdresser; regular advanced training courses have helped her become a sought-after master.\nSearches of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Saransk began in 2016. Among the first to have them was Vladimir Atryakhin, Ivan\u0026#39;s half-brother.\nFrom 2020 to 2022, covert surveillance was conducted in the apartment of the couple Neverovs. \u0026quot;Later we realized that we were listened to not only during meetings for worship—there was a wiretapping in the apartment, and they heard our entire personal life. It was unpleasant,\u0026quot; Ivan shared.\nRelatives and friends were worried about the arrest of the believer and wondered how it was possible to send such a person to a pre-trial detention center. Ivan recalls: \u0026quot;Tatyana and I already understood that this would happen, we were preparing. Most of all, I was worried that we would be apart, and how it would all affect her.\u0026quot;\n","date":"2023-03-07","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/neverov/photo_hu_abfbe87adbb73151.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/neverov/photo_hu_20a398799e2950e9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/neverov/photo_hu_ad7ccaa2a10e06a3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/neverov/photo_hu_b4154dd280d4406a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/neverov.html","regions":["mordovia"],"tags":["hidden-surveillance","families"],"title":"Ivan Neverov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, several residents of Saransk, including Elena Nikulina and her husband, Georgiy, were prosecuted for their faith. Law enforcers considered the conversations about the Bible to be participation in the activities of an extremist organization.\nElena was born in 1968 in the village of Monastyrskoe (Mordovia). She has a younger sister. The parents are long dead. As a child, Elena was fond of cross-country skiing and sewing.\nAfter school, Elena studied to be a dressmaker and cutter. In search of work, she moved to Saransk and Tolyatti. She worked as a seamstress at various enterprises, was engaged in cleaning the premises. In his spare time, he likes to sew, take care of cats and be in nature.\nIn 2016, Yelena married Georgiy, whom she calls a “jack of all trades”—he has 9 specialties as a handyman. According to Yelena, they lived for 13 years without registering a marriage, until they learned from the Bible how important it was. In this book, they also liked the fact that God is not indifferent to the suffering of people.\nBecause of the criminal prosecution, the Nikulins lost their jobs and lost their livelihood. Relatives cannot understand why these peaceful and law-abiding people were sentenced to real terms of imprisonment. In court, Elena emphasized: “We . . . do not pose a danger either to the state and authorities, or to others. We respect the laws and rules established by the authorities, we try to work honestly and conscientiously.”\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/nikulina/photo_hu_67ac98914da3db3f.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/nikulina/photo_hu_8f63428d47e94ce6.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/nikulina/photo_hu_35867c5c9b5f932a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/nikulina/photo_hu_cd9597a9c4a0cb16.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/nikulina.html","regions":["mordovia"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Elena Nikulina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yekaterina Olshevskaya, a pharmacist from Blagoveshchensk, has been raising a small child alone since December 2022—the court sent her husband Anton to a penal colony for more than 6 years because of his faith in Jehovah God. Yekaterina\u0026#39;s father, Sergei, is also in a penal colony—he was sentenced to 6.5 years for his beliefs.\nYekaterina was born in August 1984 in the city of Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region. She has a younger brother and sister. The whole family loved to go out into nature and fish.\nAs a child, Yekaterina attended sports sections, was fond of athletics. After school, she qualified as a pharmacist and worked in her specialty.\nFrom a young age, her parents instilled high moral values in Yekaterina. She was deeply moved by the Bible\u0026#39;s promise that God\u0026#39;s government would bring justice to all the earth. In 2000, the girl became one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2010, Yekaterina married Anton Olshevskiy. 10 years later, they had a son. The couple love to ride bicycles, play sports, play volleyball with friends, go to the forest for mushrooms and berries, sit by the fire and admire the starry sky. Together with her son, Yekaterina likes to make something with their own hands.\nIn 2018, the Olshevskiy family faced persecution for their faith when their house was unexpectedly searched. Later, Anton was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Two years later, a criminal case was opened on similar charges against Yekaterina.\nPreparing for court hearings and taking care of the husband\u0026#39;s needs takes a lot of time and effort. Yekaterina shared: \u0026quot;Since my husband is in a penal colony for his religious beliefs, the entire burden of raising and financially supporting my son fell on me. But the hardest thing for us is the threat of my real imprisonment, because of which our little son may be left without parents. After all, even now he does not receive the necessary paternal attention and upbringing.\u0026quot;\nRelatives of the spouses are perplexed what the Olshevskiys can have to do with extremism. Friends try to support Yekaterina and take care of the needs of her family.\n","date":"2024-11-05","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/olshevskaya/photo_hu_84d2335f9a47865b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/olshevskaya/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/olshevskaya/photo_hu_e31eba0d10002c83.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/olshevskaya/photo_hu_8c99c697e0c7db4d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/olshevskaya.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yekaterina Olshevskaya","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In October 2019 in the city of Blagoveshchensk, a criminal case was initiated against Anton Olshevsky because of his faith. Later, his father-in-law, Sergei Afanasiev, became a defendant in the case. In July 2021, Anton's wife, Ekaterina, was also accused of extremism. In the winter of 2022, the court sentenced Anton and Sergey to terms of actual imprisonment merely because of their religion.\nAnton was born in 1987 in the village of Chulman (Sakha, Yakutia). He is the second of five children. His parents took their responsibilities seriously and sought reliable guidance for raising their children. They were interested in what was written in the Bible. They decided to study this authoritative book in depth.\nAnton was also impressed by the wisdom of the Bible. “I clearly saw the difference between people who lived by Bible principles and people who didn't,” he said. “I set out to find hard evidence that the Bible can be trusted. I was particularly convinced by its fulfilled prophecies and its scientific credibility.”\nAfter school, Anton entered a university and studied electric drive and automation of industrial enterprises and technological complexes. He studied well and was given an increased scholarship, but after a year and a half, he decided to leave the university. In 2007 he asked the military registration and enlistment office for alternative civilian service (ACS). He spent his civilian service at the Amur Regional Drama Theater, where he worked as a stage setter. The local newspaper wrote about the first person who served as an \"alternativist\" in the city of Blagoveshchensk.\nIn 2010 Anton married Yekaterina. They have a lot in common: both lead an active lifestyle, enjoy sports, and love camping and outdoor recreation. A year after finishing alternative civilian service, the couple moved to the city of Ulan-Ude. There Anton became an electrician and made many friends. Later, the family moved to the city of Chita, but due to health reasons, they could not live there. For some time they went to Pattaya, Thailand, where Yekaterina's relatives lived, and tried a new business—visualization of interiors and support of design renovation. Six months later, they returned to the city of Blagoveshchensk and opened their own business—an electronics pawnshop. Later, they lived in the cities of Irkutsk and Blagoveshchensk. They have a son.\nThe criminal prosecution of the family had a negative impact on their emotional and physical health. Relatives were in disbelief when they found out about Anton's criminal prosecution. Acquaintances and former colleagues do not understand how a peaceful and law-abiding person can be listed among extremists.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/olshevskiy/photo_hu_2632dc0e914f698b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/olshevskiy/photo_hu_463211883f1dd848.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/olshevskiy/photo_hu_4e705a517c7c6a6a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/olshevskiy/photo_hu_bb2cc4b7b125e156.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/olshevskiy.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anton Olshevskiy","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Due to the stress caused by the criminal prosecution, Olga Opaleva suffered a stroke and a heart attack. For several years, she was forced to defend her good name, despite serious health problems, after which the court sentenced her to 5 years probation. Olga's son, Vitaly Ilyinykh, was also convicted for his faith.\nOlga was born in 1952 in Spassk-Dalniy in a family with three children. From childhood she loved music and singing.\nFor a long time Olga believed in God, but she was not interested in the Bible and its teachings. After experiencing the death of her 22-year-old daughter, she began to seriously reflect on the Bible's doctrine of the resurrection and decided to get to know the Bible better. “From that moment my new life began,” says the believer. Olga sincerely wishes that all people have the same firm hope that she has.\nOlga's relatives, friends and relatives do not understand how this peaceful elderly woman could be condemned for extremism. They support her the best they can.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/opaleva/photo_hu_210c678e7ab13b45.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/opaleva/photo_hu_346b38b6b8149622.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/opaleva/photo_hu_61b88a028f5ed48e.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/opaleva/photo_hu_b503aaa3f98788e7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/opaleva.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Olga Opaleva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In December 2019, in Nevinnomyssk, the Investigative Committee opened criminal cases under two extremist articles against 9 elderly believers. One of the victims of persecution was Georgiy Parfentyev, an amateur gardener. All charges were later dropped from him. In July 2023, the elderly man passed away.\nGeorgiy was born in 1946 in the village of Stepanchikovo, Yaroslavl region. His mother was a milkmaid, and the man did not remember his father. His childhood was active: he went skiing with friends and every day overcame 5 kilometres, going to school through marshland.\nAfter school, Georgiy entered the railway school, where he studied as a locksmith for the repair of wagons and brakes. He worked as a grinder at a factory—first in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, then in Yaroslavl, where he moved to take care of his disabled mother, and from 1992 until retirement—in Nevinnomyssk. In retirement, an elderly man was doing what he loved—growing plants on his land and harvesting for the whole family.\nIn 1970, Georgiy met his future wife. Tatyana is a kindergarten teacher by profession. Together the spouses led an active lifestyle: skiing, skating and dreaming of a brighter future. The couple raised and educated their three children—their daughter graduated from a music school, their eldest son graduated from a construction institute, and the youngest received a degree in mechanical engineering.\nIn the early 1990s, the couple became interested in the Bible. “The Bible has answers to all questions that help me be happy,” Georgiy said.\nThe criminal prosecution greatly overshadowed the life of Georgy and his wife, and also hit their health, leading to an exacerbation of long-standing illnesses. The children considered the accusations of extremism to be unfair and meaningless.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/parfentyev/photo_hu_d889b5718803150c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/parfentyev/photo_hu_1bae1be6d0d232da.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/parfentyev/photo_hu_4acf16ea82f92110.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/parfentyev/photo_hu_4e64b10751c7895d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/parfentyev.html","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["died","elderly","families"],"title":"Georgiy Parfentyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In December 2019, the Investigative Committee opened 9 criminal cases in Nevinnomyssk. This time, mostly people of venerable age fell into the category of \"extremists\". Pensioners were summoned for interrogations, during which some of them had high blood pressure, and searches took place for many hours in their homes. Among the defendants is a respectable married couple of the Parfentievs, each of whom is already over 70. What is known about Tatyana Parfentieva?\nTatiana was born in Yaroslavl in March 1947. The family is the only child, the mother raised her daughter alone. After graduating from school, Tatyana studied at a technical school of preschool education, worked as a kindergarten teacher, and later worked at home as a knitter.\nIn 1970 she married Georgy. Together we moved from Yaroslavl to the south, to Nevinnomyssk. The spouses are happy to engage in agriculture. Tatiana tries not to leave sports activities and continues to roller skate, visits the pool. The couple have three adult children.\nGeorge was the first in the family to become interested in Bible teachings. At this time, he moved to Nevinnomyssk, and Tatyana remained in Yaroslavl for some time. In his letters, he shared valuable insights from the Bible with his wife. Later, Tatiana joined her husband, and for more than 20 years she has remained faithful to her dedication to God. She is looking forward to the time when, according to the promise of the Creator, the resurrection of the dead will take place. \"When I found out about this,\" says Tatiana, \"I immediately thought of my mother-in-law. After all, she will also be resurrected! I wanted so much to ask her for forgiveness...\"\nDue to criminal prosecution, Tatyana's chronic diseases have seriously worsened, and most of her modest income is spent on treatment. A 7-hour search had a particularly negative impact on physical and emotional health, during which the spouses lost 10 thousand rubles - the pension they had just received. The children of Tatiana and Georgy are very worried about their elderly parents.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/parfentyeva/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/parfentyeva/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/parfentyeva/photo_hu_8646bf66aff0fc0a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/parfentyeva/photo_hu_8646bf66aff0fc0a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/parfentyeva.html","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Tatyana Parfentyeva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2019, Aleksandr Parkov was detained and placed in custody. A criminal case was also opened against the believer's wife, Galina. In January 2021, the court sentenced her to 2 years and 3 months on probation, and in July 2021, Aleksandr himself received 6.5 years of real imprisonment for believing in Jehovah God.\nAleksandr was born in 1967 in the village of Spassk (Kemerovo Region). He has three siblings, their sister died. A large family lived in the village, and Aleksandr got used to work from an early age: he carried hay, grazed cattle, and later mastered the professions of a tractor driver and a bulldozer driver.\nIn 1990, Aleksandr married Galina, a primary school teacher. Recently, Galina has taught Chinese. Soon after the wedding, the Parkovs became keenly interested in the Bible and carried their love for this book throughout their lives. The couple have three children and already have grandchildren.\nIn 1999, Aleksandr moved his family to Mineralnye Vody and mastered a new business for himself — artistic copper forging. For some time the family lived in Yekaterinburg, and since 2016 Rostov-on-Don became their home.\nThe eldest daughter, Aleksandra, was expecting a child when her father was arrested. She had complications due to the stress. Not all of Aleksandr's relatives share his religious convictions, but everyone is outraged by the unfair treatment of him. The harsh verdict of the court came as a complete surprise to them.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/parkov/photo_hu_93da4af6367bcaca.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/parkov/photo_hu_199c3b0a33ec1d3.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/parkov/photo_hu_5b480634709d19eb.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/parkov/photo_hu_f6e1bbbe926ccd9d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/parkov.html","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Parkov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, in Rostov-on-Don, criminal cases were opened against Alexander and Galina Parkov. On January 26, 2021, the court sentenced Galina to 2 years and 3 months on probation. On March 22, the appellate instance upheld the verdict.\nGalina was born in 1970 in the city of Kaltan, Kemerovo Region. Her childhood was difficult - she drank injustice and violence in her own family, worked hard in the garden, cared for livestock, took care of her three younger brothers and sisters. Despite all this, Galina was a creative child – she loved to sing and draw. But due to the ongoing domestic violence at the age of 13, she decided to leave home and enrolled in a pedagogical college. Recently she worked as a tutor of the Chinese language.\nIn 1990, Galina met her future husband Alexander, and in the same year they got married. They have three daughters and two grandchildren. Due to health problems, the whole family decided to move to the city of Rostov-on-Don. Before that, we lived in Yekaterinburg for a year.\nSince childhood, Galina struggled with the feeling of uselessness and worthlessness, and a great support for her was the knowledge that God cares about everyone, and the secret of family happiness is in the application of His laws in her life. Advice from the Bible helped a lot in raising children.\nThe criminal case against Aleksandr was opened on May 20, 2019, and on the same day he was sent to a pre-trial detention center. A few days later, on June 6, a separate case was opened against Galina herself. She is forced to do odd jobs in order to support herself and help her husband in prison. I had to quit my previous job, as the bank card to which the salary was transferred was blocked. Relatives wonder why their mother, grandmother and daughter were labeled an extremist.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/parkova/photo_hu_7cb35fcfd7e5a730.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/parkova/photo_hu_eba9a6373ef5006d.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/parkova/photo_hu_6941a3ec274f39ca.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/parkova/photo_hu_a8b98ed547bb93a5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/parkova.html","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Galina Parkova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In November 2021, the house of Aleksey Pasynkov and his wife Yuliya, who live in Stavropol and are raising a disabled son, was invaded by security forces. The head of the family was suspected of extremism only because of his faith in Jehovah God. At the same time, searches were carried out at the homes of Aleksey\u0026#39;s brothers in Karachay-Cherkessia. Later, in the summer of 2024, criminal cases on similar charges were opened against Aleksey\u0026#39;s wife, Yuliya, and his mother, Tatyana.\nAleksey was born in February 1988 in Moscow. In 1989, he moved with his parents from Moscow to Tashkent (Uzbekistan), then the family lived for some time in Kazakhstan, and in 1998, Tatyana and her two sons moved to their parents in Karachay-Cherkessia, where Aleksey\u0026#39;s younger brother was soon born. The mother raised her sons alone, as the father left the family when the woman was pregnant with her third child. Her middle son was then only 1.5 years old, and Aleksey was 10.\nAs a child, Aleksey was fond of basketball and played table tennis. Right after high school, he got a job. He works as a plumber and is engaged in the decoration of houses and apartments.\nMother was the first in the family to start studying the Bible in 1997 in Kazakhstan. Three years later, she made the decision to live according to Bible principles. Soon Aleksey also embarked on the Christian path. He recalls: \u0026quot;I was impressed by how kind Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were to each other.\u0026quot;\nAleksey lived for 6 years in Sol-Iletsk (Orenburg region), and now lives with his wife and son in Stavropol. Since November 2013, he has been married to Yuliya, who shares his views on life. She is a master of manicure by profession, but now she devotes all her time to caring for a disabled child, who is completely dependent on the help of her parents.\nThe persecution seriously affected the already difficult life of the Pasynkov family. Since they live in Stavropol, and the criminal case was initiated in Karachay-Cherkessia, trips to another region take time and money from Aleksey. He fails to carry out enough orders at work, as the investigator can call him at any time. The couple are also worried about how the criminal prosecution will affect their child\u0026#39;s life. Going to the store, clinic or any institution for a boy is possible only in the presence of one of the parents.\nAleksey\u0026#39;s relatives are also concerned about what is happening, they are especially worried that depending on what the persecution of the Pasynkovs will result in, the child may grow up without the support of his parents.\n","date":"2023-03-10","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/pasynkov/photo_hu_f4b303ba7fc57c49.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/pasynkov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/pasynkov/photo_hu_3f88217d0b33817a.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/pasynkov/photo_hu_1ec343ec5d665e98.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/pasynkov.html","regions":["karachaevo"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksey Pasynkov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Vladimir Piskarev is one of three civilians in Oryol who ended up behind bars because of their faith in Jehovah God in December 2020. The pre-trial detention center in which believers were placed, once known as the Oryol Central, is one of the oldest institutions in the Russian penal system. At one time, political prisoners of the Stalinist regime were placed there, so a monument to the victims of political repression was erected there. About 3 years later, Vladimir was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony for his beliefs.\nVladimir was born in 1956 in the city of Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk region). He has a younger brother. Their mother and father are no longer alive. As a child, the boy was fond of music, played the button accordion. He was also a radio amateur, collected stamps, skied and skates, was engaged in wood carving and painting.\nAfter school, Vladimir graduated from a technical school, where he received the profession of an electromechanic. He worked as an electrician, signalman, power engineer, engineer. He is now retired.\nIn 1976, Vladimir married Tatyana, who was also prosecuted for faith about a year after Vladimir was taken into custody. The couple raised two children—a son and a daughter. When the children lived with them, they loved to go to the forest with the whole family to pick mushrooms, as well as visit the theater. In 1990, the family moved from Stary Oskol (Belgorod region) to the Caucasus, closer to their parents. They lived there for 10 years, and later settled in Oryol.\nVladimir loves justice and honesty. He wanted to find decent people living according to the commandments of Jesus Christ. Having met Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in the early 1990s, he eventually made a decision to become a Christian too, which he did in 1995.\nThe criminal prosecution was a serious shock. Behind bars Vladimir had an acute attack of gallbladder disease, due to which he was hospitalized. There he also repeatedly suffered hypertensive crises and stroke. Piskarev said: \u0026quot;Why did this happen? Because in the pre-trial detention center they simply did not give me medicines, although they were there. The medications were given by my beloved wife, because I had to take them literally every day. Even when they started giving it out, they gave me literally one or two pills a week.\u0026quot; The believer was released in April 2025, having served his sentence in full.\n","date":"2021-01-12","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/piskarev/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/piskarev/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/piskarev/photo_hu_f7d7e7c38d1004ff.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/piskarev/photo_hu_f7d7e7c38d1004ff.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/piskarev.html","regions":["oryol"],"tags":["elderly","health-risk","families"],"title":"Vladimir Piskarev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Tatyana Piskareva was prosecuted for her faith about a year after her husband, Vladimir, was jailed on charges of extremism.\nTatyana was born in 1956 in the village of Belenikhino (Belgorod Region). She has a younger sister. The parents are no longer alive. As a child, Tatyana loved skiing, listening to music, dancing, singing and writing poetry.\nAfter school, Tatyana completed accounting courses and worked in her specialty, she also worked in the technical control department of the repair shop.\nTatyana was introduced to the Bible and its teachings by a neighbor. The woman was impressed that the truths of this book were simple and clear. The warm attitude of other believers towards her strengthened Tatyana's faith and prompted her to embark on the Christian path in 1995.\nTatyana met her future husband Vladimir while visiting a friend. They got married in 1976. The couple raised two children: a son and a daughter. The whole family loved to go fishing.\nTatyana is a sociable person. She enjoys spending time with friends, as well as visiting beautiful places, playing billiards and table tennis.\nThe Piskarevs moved around a lot. They managed to visit many cities and regions of Russia—from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Rostov-on-Don. For some time they lived in Armenia. Later they settled in Orel.\nDue to the persecution, Tatyana's health deteriorated, now she needs to take medication regularly. Relatives worry about Tatiana and Vladimir and support them.\n","date":"2022-02-15","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/piskareva/photo_hu_ff35cc22492692ef.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/piskareva/photo_hu_8758696188b73234.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/piskareva/photo_hu_5255194f39d3cbe8.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/piskareva/photo_hu_fb0cce232e108b7d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/piskareva.html","regions":["oryol"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Tatyana Piskareva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2018, security officials raided Sergey Polyakov and his wife Anastasiya with a search. Masked men beat the believer, and then he and Anastasiya were placed in solitary confinement for 5 months. The reason for this was the religion of the spouses. In November 2020, the court found Sergey guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 3 years in a penal colony. Anastasiya was sentenced to 2.5 years of suspended sentence.\nSergey was born in 1972 in the Murmansk region. From childhood he had an inquisitive mind. Sergey was fond of reading. After graduating from school, he received an engineering education as a radiophysicist-researcher, speaks English.\nIn the early 2000s, Sergei met Anastasiya, who became his reliable life companion. Together they traveled a lot. They have common hobbies: both are fluent in Serbian, Kazakh and Chinese, and can express themselves in sign language.\nNumerous friends of the Polyakovs consider it outrageous that Sergey, a peaceful believer, was thrown into jail only because of his faith in Jehovah God.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/poliakov/photo_hu_d340a37e8eeb40e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/poliakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/poliakov/photo_hu_46f66cdcd34bd9df.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/poliakov/photo_hu_becb243990e5dfbd.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/poliakov.html","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Polyakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2018, security forces raided Anastasiya Polyakova and her husband Sergey. Masked men beat the believer, and then he and Anastasiya were placed in solitary confinement for 5 months. The reason for this was the religion of the spouses. In November 2020, the court found Anastasiya guilty of extremism and sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation. The court sent Sergey to a correctional colony for 3 years.\nAnastasiya was born in 1984 in the Murmansk region. She has a secondary specialized legal education. In 2003 she married Sergey. The couple traveled a lot, together they were fond of studying Serbian, Kazakh, Chinese and Russian sign languages.\nNumerous friends of the Polyakovs cannot believe that the couple were condemned as extremists only because of their faith in Jehovah God.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/poliakova/photo_hu_cb503a8a70c8b64a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/poliakova/photo_hu_9abb225cc7c94b79.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/poliakova/photo_hu_98d0a9d5ad616431.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/poliakova/photo_hu_f4a0746598bdfe4e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/poliakova.html","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Polyakova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Mikhail Popov was arrested for his faith on July 30, 2018, together with his wife Yelena in Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka region), spent several days in a pre-trial detention center. What is known about him?\nMikhail was born in 1962 in Leningrad, but as a child he lived for many years in Kamchatka in connection with his father's work. Entrepreneur, owned a number of small firms. Since childhood he is fond of music, graduated from a music school, created his own musical group. He has been married since 1985 and has a son and a daughter.\nMikhail first learned about the teachings of the Bible in the early 1990s, and they touched his heart vividly. The Bible gave reasonable answers to exciting questions, gave life meaning. Mikhail and Elena decided to build their family life on biblical principles, and today it is a close-knit, close-knit family.\nAlthough not all of Mikhail's relatives share his Christian beliefs, they were all very sensitive to the events of the summer of 2018, when Mikhail and Yelena were thrown behind bars on false accusations. Both of them have nothing to do with extremism and violence.\nAfter 22 months, the criminal prosecution lasted, the believers were found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced to a large fine. The verdict came into force on May 19, 2020, when the Kamchatka Regional Court issued an appeal ruling on their complaint.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/popov/photo_hu_cc95d8acab92930b.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/popov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/popov/photo_hu_4a85d18ff3eec277.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/popov/photo_hu_aae6b6b3e49e20fa.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/popov.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Mikhail Popov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Yelena Popova was arrested on July 30, 2018 in Kamchatka together with her husband Mikhail, spent several days in a temporary detention center and under house arrest. He is charged under Article 282.2 (parts 1, 1.1) related to \"extremist activity\". What do we know about her?\nElena was born in 1963 in Aleksin (Tula region). As a child, she studied piano at a music school, was fond of photography and sewing clothes. In 1972, together with her parents, she moved to Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka Territory). Later she met Mikhail there, whom she married in 1985. Mikhail was a talented musician, performed in a vocal and instrumental ensemble. In the following years, they had two children. All members of the Popov family love to relax together, play musical instruments, be in nature and communicate on spiritual topics.\nIn the mid-1990s, both Elena and Mikhail became keenly interested in the teachings of the Bible and in the future always sought to adhere to the norms of behavior and attitude towards people that it prescribes in their lives. \"Love and harmony should reign in all families, around the world. This is what the Bible teaches, and what my husband and I strive for, \"says Elena. Yelena's relatives and neighbors, who do not even share her religious views, were very surprised to learn about the arrest. They wonder how the \"extremist\" Article 282.2 can be applied to such a peace-loving and decent person.\nAfter 22 months, the criminal prosecution lasted, the believers were found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced to a large fine. The verdict came into force on May 19, 2020, when the Kamchatka Regional Court issued an appeal ruling on their complaint.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/popova/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/popova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/popova/photo_hu_72fdd2a59811a41b.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/popova/photo_hu_72fdd2a59811a41b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/popova.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yelena Popova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Oleg Postnikov was born in 1965 in the city of Vyazemskiy (Khabarovsk Territory). He spent his childhood and youth in Khabarovsk. During his school years, he was engaged in sports and design, as well as collecting stamps and badges. After school, he received the specialty of an assistant locomotive driver. For some time he was fond of sailing.\nSince childhood, he read many books of different genres: from detective stories to astronomy textbooks. Reading encouraged me to think about the past, the future, and ask questions: why do people fail to achieve peace? Why do people destroy the earth? Are we alone in the vast universe and what is the meaning of life?\nBy the age of 18, Oleg was addicted to alcohol and drugs, got into a hooligan group, was soon arrested and ended up in prison. After a while, Oleg met people studying the Bible. They surprised him with their desire to live according to high moral standards, provided evidence of the existence of the Creator, and soon Oleg changed his outlook on life, quit smoking and stopped swearing. After his release in 1986, he continued to lead a meaningful life and develop friendship with God.\nIn 1989, Oleg married Agnessa, the couple moved to Birobidzhan. They raised two children. Oleg has several specialties, the last 15 years he worked as a plumber. He is fond of astronomy and biology, reads a lot about discoveries and research in these areas. The spouses love to spend time in nature, go hiking.\nThe prolonged criminal prosecution has had a negative impact on the physical and emotional state of the family. In court, Postnikov said: \u0026quot;Now, when there is so much talk in the country about the need to strengthen family ties, about traditional family values . . . I just can\u0026#39;t believe it: does the state really need to destroy my family in order to punish me for my faith?\u0026quot;\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/postnikov/photo_hu_deac10849414867c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/postnikov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/postnikov/photo_hu_2a7197286160f55d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/postnikov/photo_hu_7d86ddb9f9168356.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/postnikov.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Oleg Postnikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Oleg Postnikov was born in 1965 in the city of Vyazemsky (Khabarovsk Territory). He spent his childhood and youth in Khabarovsk. During his school years, he was engaged in sports and design, as well as collecting stamps and badges. After school, he received the specialty of an assistant locomotive driver. For some time he was fond of sailing.\nSince childhood, he read many books of different genres: from detective stories to astronomy textbooks. Reading encouraged me to think about the past, the future, and ask questions: why do people fail to achieve peace? Why do people destroy the earth? Are we alone in the vast universe and what is the meaning of life?\nBy the age of 18, Oleg was addicted to alcohol and drugs, got into a hooligan group, was soon arrested and ended up in prison. After a while, Oleg met people studying the Bible. They surprised him with their desire to live according to high moral standards, provided evidence of the existence of the Creator, and soon Oleg changed his outlook on life, quit smoking and stopped swearing. After his release in 1986, he continued to lead a meaningful life and develop friendship with God.\nIn 1989, Oleg married Agnes, the couple moved to Birobidzhan. They raised two children. Oleg has several specialties, the last 15 years he worked as a plumber. He is fond of astronomy and biology, reads a lot about discoveries and research in these areas. The spouses love to spend time in nature, go hiking.\nThe criminal prosecution had a negative impact on the physical and emotional state of the family: there was a fear of wiretapping and surveillance, sleep was lost, and Agnesa's chronic diseases worsened.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/postnikov2/photo_hu_deac10849414867c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/postnikov2/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/postnikov2/photo_hu_2a7197286160f55d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/postnikov2/photo_hu_7d86ddb9f9168356.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/postnikov2.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Oleg Postnikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the early 1980s, the large family in which Agnessa Postnikova grew up was persecuted by the authorities for practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. They came to them with a search, their mother was summoned for talks in the KGB, the father and one of Agnessa's brothers were fined, and the other was imprisoned for a year and a half for refusing to cooperate with the special services. Today, the believer is again facing persecution: a criminal case for extremism has been opened against her and her husband.\nAgnes was born in 1963 in Kazakhstan. She is the fifth of seven children in the family: she has 4 older brothers and 2 younger sisters. Parents worked hard to provide the children with everything they needed. They believed in God and instilled this faith in their children, but it was not easy - the school brought them up in the spirit of atheism.\nAs a child, Agnessa attended dance and theater classes. She loved skiing and skating. In summer they fished on the river, went hiking. After school, she graduated from courses in cutting and sewing, worked in a tailor shop.\nWhen Agnessa was in high school, the whole family became acquainted with Jehovah's Witnesses. Their logical reasoning during discussions on religious topics convinced Agnes and her brothers of the existence of a Creator. It was then that she first heard the name of God - Jehovah. She was especially touched by the Creator's promise to resurrect the dead (Agnessa never saw her grandparents, and she really missed them). As a result, all family members became Christians.\nFrom Kazakhstan, Agnessa moved to the Far East, to Khabarovsk. After a while, all the other family members moved to her. In 1989 she married Oleg. Immediately after the wedding, the couple moved to Birobidzhan. They raised two children. The family loves to spend time in the country, take care of flowers, go hiking.\nThe persecution fundamentally changed the life of the married couple and badly affected the poor health of Agnessa, who had previously undergone three surgeries. The spouses now live in constant stress, waiting for the next search.\n","date":"2021-03-16","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/postnikova/photo_hu_2a5c0afa72ecf0a5.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/postnikova/photo_hu_4623a88f0e88f9a1.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/postnikova/photo_hu_5a431c2a18527f46.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/postnikova/photo_hu_8f607ce3d41128ca.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/postnikova.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families","elderly"],"title":"Agnessa Postnikova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2018, Aleksandr Pryanikov was arrested by the police while talking on biblical topics. A month later, a criminal case was opened against the peaceful believer, accusing him of participating in the activities of a banned organization. More than a year later, the case went to court. In July 2021, Pryanikov was found guilty and sentenced to 2.5 years of probation. A second criminal case was also initiated against the believer, which is pending before another judge.\nAleksandr was born in 1987 in the village of Udinsk (Khabarovsk Territory). He has two sisters. Mom is retired now, father works on a watch. Back in the early 1990s, Aleksandr's family moved to Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), and in the summer of 1997 — to the city of Nazarovo, where his parents still live. From childhood, Aleksandr was fond of music: he studied at the music school in the accordion class, participated in competitions, in which he often took first places. For some time he was engaged in weightlifting.\nAfter school, Aleksandr graduated from the Nazarov Power Engineering College with a degree in Power Plants, Networks and Systems. He worked as an electrician at a factory of reinforced concrete structures.\nFrom childhood, Aleksandr sincerely believed in the existence of God and read the Bible. His heart was deeply moved by God's promise that people would never die again. Due to his Christian beliefs, which did not allow taking up arms, he underwent alternative civilian service in a boarding house for the elderly and disabled in Kemerovo.\nAleksandr does not work in his specialty, but is engaged in a small-income business — the manufacture of decorative tiles for sale. In his free time, he tries to keep himself in physical shape and learns to repair computer equipment.\nAleksandr met his future wife Anastasiya in Kemerovo, when he was doing alternative civilian service there. They got married in 2011. Anastasiya is a seamstress by profession. He loves making various souvenirs, postcards and gifts with his own hands. In May 2020, Anastasiya also became accused in a criminal case of extremism — already the second in which her husband appears.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/prianikov/photo_hu_77a42442ddd6c01d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/prianikov/photo_hu_4ad82f723cde7c13.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/prianikov/photo_hu_aebcf35057ad01a3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/prianikov/photo_hu_7c119eef7dde7ac3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/prianikov.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Prianikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2018, Aleksandr Pryanikov was detained by the police while talking about Bible topics. A month later, a criminal case was opened against the peaceful believer, accusing him of participating in the activities of a banned organization. More than a year later, the case went to court. In July 2021, Pryanikov was found guilty and sentenced to 2.5 years of probation. A second criminal case has also been initiated against the believer, which is under consideration by another judge.\nAleksandr was born in 1987 in the village of Udinsk (Khabarovsk Territory). He has two sisters. Mom is retired now, father works on a watch. Back in the early 1990s, Aleksandr's family moved to Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), and in the summer of 1997 — to the city of Nazarovo, where his parents still live. From childhood, Aleksandr was fond of music: he studied at the music school in the accordion class, participated in competitions, in which he often took first places. For some time he was engaged in weightlifting.\nAfter school, Aleksandr graduated from the Nazarov Power Engineering College with a degree in Power Plants, Networks and Systems. He worked as an electrician at a factory of reinforced concrete structures.\nFrom childhood, Aleksandr sincerely believed in the existence of God and read the Bible. His heart was deeply moved by God's promise that people would never die again. Due to his Christian beliefs, which did not allow taking up arms, he underwent alternative civilian service in a boarding house for the elderly and disabled in Kemerovo.\nAleksandr does not work in his specialty, but is engaged in a small-income business — the manufacture of decorative tiles for sale. In his free time, he tries to keep himself in physical shape and learns to repair computer equipment.\nAlexander met his future wife Anastasia in Kemerovo, when he was doing alternative civilian service there. In 2011 they got married. Anastasia is a seamstress by profession. He likes to make various souvenirs, postcards and gifts with his own hands. In May 2020, Anastasia also became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism, the second one, in which her husband appears.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/prianikov2/photo_hu_77a42442ddd6c01d.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/prianikov2/photo_hu_4ad82f723cde7c13.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/prianikov2/photo_hu_aebcf35057ad01a3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/prianikov2/photo_hu_7c119eef7dde7ac3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/prianikov2.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Prianikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On May 19, 2020 in the city of Karpinsk, Sverdlovsk region, a criminal case was opened against three more local residents on charges of extremism. One of them is Anastasia Pryanikova.\nAnastasia was born in 1987 in Kemerovo. She grew up with her older brother. Her mother brought them up alone. Nastia studied at a music school, sang folk songs and attended an art club. After the 11th grade she entered a sewing school and finished it with a red diploma.\nIn 2011, Anastasia married Aleksandr. Soon they moved to the city of Tarko-Sale, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. A year and a half later, she moved to the city of Karpinsk in the Sverdlovsk region. At the moment, the spouses live in the neighbouring town of Volchansk.\nWhen Nastia was 10 years old, her mother started studying the Bible. The girl was touched by the promises of a peaceful future for humanity recorded in this book. Later, when she became a teenager, she was able to appreciate the wisdom and practicality of biblical advice. Their application helped to avoid the mistakes of her peers.\nNow Anastasia is studying at a hairdresser and a driving school.\nHer favorite activities are growing vegetables, making cards for friends, sewing and embroidery with her own hands. Anastasia is also fond of making costume jewellery from polymer clay.\nIn 2018, the first criminal case was initiated against Anastasia's husband, Aleksandr, on charges of extremism. The ensuing search, the trial and the court verdic concerning her husband caused Anastasia a lot of stress. She fell ill with panic attacks and had to take medication. In February 2020, investigators opened one more case gegen Alexander against Aleksandr. And in May, Anastasia herself was also under investigation.\nNastia's friends and relatives are outraged by the fact that ordinary decent citizens are prosecuted.\n","date":"2020-06-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/pryanikova/photo_hu_bdc78655646e3af4.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/pryanikova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/pryanikova/photo_hu_44cb1dcffc5bcaed.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/pryanikova/photo_hu_710c519915e79a7f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/pryanikova.html","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Anastasiya Pryanikova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Ivan Grigorievich Puida was born in 1978 in the village of Kvitok (Irkutsk region) in a large believing family. Ivan has six younger brothers and a sister.\nAs a child, Ivan loved to read, played the accordion, dreamed of traveling. After graduating from school, he began working as a driver, lived and worked in different places: in Nizhneudinsk (Irkutsk region), Krasnoyarsk, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk.\nIn Krasnoyarsk, Ivan met a girl named Anastasia, a dentist by education. They got married in 2005. Ivan and Anastasia love to travel, play board games, spend time together. Ivan's wife and other relatives are shocked that in a civilized country, peace-loving citizens are thrown behind bars as \"extremists\".\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/puida/photo_hu_bb7be265e4293b66.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/puida/photo_hu_211b78ea9a81ad0b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/puida/photo_hu_81fa96a1231adab0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/puida/photo_hu_6270e97bf9d49dc5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/puida.html","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Ivan Puyda","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 15, 2019, one of the most massive and inhuman operations against believers took place in Surgut and several other cities of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Seven people were tortured, three were sent to a pre-trial detention center (two of them spent 56 days behind bars), and the total number of defendants in criminal cases exceeded 20. Among them are the spouses Pavel Romashov and Viola Shepel. What do we know about Paul? Pavel was born in 1974 in Tomsk. He was brought up without a father. Mom is a master of the radio editing section, currently retired. There are two more siblings. As a child, he was fond of sports, in particular, hockey and hand-to-hand combat. He graduated from college, having received the professions of a bricklayer, installer and electric welder. After serving in the army, he worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Later he moved to Surgut to live with relatives, where he worked for some time in an armed guard until he became acquainted with the truths from the Bible. Currently, he is a building repair and maintenance worker at Surgutneftegaz. He met his future wife Viola in Tomsk, and the marriage was registered in Surgut in 2003. Viola works as a district nurse in the pediatric department. About a year after the wedding, the couple, observing how biblical truths have a beneficial effect on their family, made a conscious decision to live according to the commandments of Christ. They were deeply touched by the love and friendship that prevails among those who truly love God. Pavel and Viola have a teenage daughter. The whole family loves to be in nature and travel together by car. Often organize holidays for friends and family. Pavel's mother, his sister and friends are very worried about the spouses, watching with fear the injustice that is happening to them. ","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/romashov/photo_hu_7c7be33c54da1376.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/romashov/photo_hu_d270cbcefb561c8c.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/romashov/photo_hu_d2d8a9d72e56545b.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/romashov/photo_hu_c0aaf55d16136998.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/romashov.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Paul Romashov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Spouses Snezhana and Konstantin Bazhenov were detained on August 19, 2018 in the town of Yelizovo. After long legal proceedings, the spouses were sentenced to 2 years probation for extremism.\nSnezhana Bazhenova was born in 1977 in the village of Krabozavodskoye on Shikotan Island (Sakhalin Region). She was left without a father early, and her mother raised her alone, taking on any job so that her daughter had everything she needed. Snezhana's faith was instilled in her by her grandmother as a child, who told her about the Creator and prayed with her. This determined the future life and views of Snezhana.\nSince childhood, Snezhana is a creative person, loves children. She is a primary school teacher by profession. However, due to the fact that she was unreasonably included in the list of extremists, she cannot work in her specialty. In any children's institution, she will not even be able to get a job as a cleaner.\nIn 2001, Snezhana married Konstantin, they had a daughter, Elizaveta. At school, she was an exemplary student, received awards and commendations. This is a close-knit family, they often invite guests or are with them in nature. Konstantin and Elizaveta love to ride a motorcycle.\nRelatives of Snezhana and Konstantin were shocked by the news of their criminal prosecution. Even those of them who do not share their religious views are outraged by what is happening and try to help in any way they can. \"They had to go through a strong shock,\" says Snezhana, adding that she is grateful to her loved ones for their support and love.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sbazhenova/photo_hu_361ebd4a7939c338.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sbazhenova/photo_hu_48a3f7d31fba82eb.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sbazhenova/photo_hu_8d7d9a03a2881e8d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sbazhenova/photo_hu_b50348817435e019.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sbazhenova.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Snezhana Bazhenova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Dmitriy Semenov, who acted as a witness in the case against another believer, after a while he himself found himself under investigation. According to law enforcement officers, Dmitriy and his wife Nadezhda \u0026quot;inclined\u0026quot; the residents of their city to study the Bible.\nDmitriy was born in 1984 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatska Territory). He has a younger sister. Their parents are retired. As a child, Dmitriy was fond of sailing, modeling, collecting foreign coins, and loved to go hiking.\nAfter school, Dmitriy graduated from the Kamchatka State University named after Vitus Bering, where he received a degree in applied mathematics and computer science.\nDmitriy\u0026#39;s parents from early childhood instilled in the boy a love of reading the Bible. But faith in God in his heart was strengthened during his studies at the university. There the theory of evolution was taught as a proven fact. Dmitriy, however, recalls: \u0026quot;When we built various models, for example, the development of animal populations, I saw how everything is interconnected, that this could not be the result of evolution.\u0026quot; After graduating from university, Dmitriy decided to take the Christian path.\nGuided by peace-loving Christian convictions, Dmitriy took advantage of the right to undergo alternative civilian service instead of military service. He worked in Yekaterinburg at the Uraltransmash plant. The first months — as a system administrator, and then transferred to the design bureau of general civil production, to the department of engineering calculations, where he could work in his specialty and took part in the design of trams.\nIn Yekaterinburg, Dmitriy met his future wife, Nadezhda. They got married in 2010. The couple loves to cook, walk and ride bikes together. Dmitriy works as a programmer, and Nadezhda works as a merchandiser in a chain of stores. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, playing the guitar and, as before, loves to go hiking.\n\u0026quot;The very fact of criminal prosecution and everything that was associated with it caused us great emotional harm,\u0026quot; Dmitriy said in his final statement in court. In July 2025, the court found Dmitriy guilty and sentenced him to four years suspended.\n","date":"2022-02-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/semenov/photo_hu_1cf4be1cc840f779.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/semenov/photo_hu_6bb3aa9e35b28ba7.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/semenov/photo_hu_a33b4cfc328be053.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/semenov/photo_hu_21cf3872ecd764a6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/semenov.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Semenov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The criminal prosecution disrupted the quiet life of Nadezhda Semenova and her husband Dmitriy. The religion of the spouses was the reason for the search and charges of extremism.\nNadezhda was born in June 1985 in Yekaterinburg. She has two elder sisters, one of whom was born in her father's first marriage. He was a jack of all trades, his mother mainly took care of the house and daughters, from time to time worked as a cleaner and nanny. Now she is retired, and her father is no longer alive.\nNadezhda was a versatile child: she sang in the school choir, danced, read a lot. She especially enjoyed reading the Bible with her mother and sister. They were inspired by the biblical promise to bring their dead loved ones back to life on earth. Even at a young age, Nadezhda embarked on the Christian path.\nAfter school, the girl immediately went to work. She was a nanny for many years, worked in a private kindergarten, prepared children for school. For a while, Nadezhda worked at a medical services center.\nIn 2010, Nadezhda married Dmitriy, who shares her views on life. For some time they lived in the city of Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region, then they moved to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Dmitriy's hometown. Nadezhda works as a merchandiser in a chain of stores, and her husband works as a programmer. Spouses love to spend time together: ride bicycles, play the guitar.\nThe criminal prosecution affected the life of the family. Nadezhda says: “It has become more difficult to plan any cases due to the fact that they can be called to the investigation department or suddenly come to work.” Relatives worry about the spouses, considering the accusation of extremism to be groundless.\n","date":"2022-02-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/semenova/photo_hu_b32cd27ce31f2538.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/semenova/photo_hu_7b3550621a3d13c5.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/semenova/photo_hu_609c3c9823072c14.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/semenova/photo_hu_9aceac6edfb017d4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/semenova.html","regions":["kamchatka"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Nadezhda Semenova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The Serebryakov family was separated twice in connection with persecution for their faith. First, Aleksandr was arrested and given a 6-year suspended sentence. Two years later, after a second search, he was again deprived of liberty. Subsequently, the court sentenced him to 5 years in prison, in fact, twice convicted him for the same thing.\nAleksandr was born in April 1977 in the city of Chekhov (Moscow region). His father, a military ensign, died when Aleksandr was 15 years old. Her mother worked in the military registration and enlistment office, but now she is retired. Three sons grew up in the family, Aleksandr is the youngest. The middle brother died in 2014.\nIn kindergarten and school, Aleksandr actively participated in art and sports events—not a single holiday was complete without his participation. He also played for the city\u0026#39;s hockey team.\nAleksandr\u0026#39;s family often moved: at first, they lived in Ukraine, then in Kazakhstan, and later settled in Chekhov near Moscow.\nAfter the first year of law school, Aleksandr left his studies and began working: first as a carpenter, then as a security guard.\nAleksandr learned about Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from one of his brothers. He was especially touched by how warmly the believers treat each other and show love. In 1996, he was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and a year later his mother was baptized as well.\nIn 2006, Aleksandr married Irina, who shares his religious beliefs. At one time, she especially liked God\u0026#39;s promise to change the world for the better and the fact that he shares his plan with people through the Bible. Irina loves animals, is fond of sewing and enjoys making electronic cards for friends.\nAleksandr is interested in construction technologies and the interior of residential buildings. In his free time, he enjoys playing football and volleyball with friends, as well as walking in the forest. Aleksandr is known as a friendly, sympathetic person, always ready to help.\nSeparation became a difficult test for the couple. Irina says: \u0026quot;There is no opportunity to see the closest person on earth! We cannot communicate, do things that we are used to doing together, and support each other in difficulties. If it were not for true friends, I would not even have the means to live.\u0026quot; The worries were added by the fact that Irina\u0026#39;s mother and her husband were persecuted and convicted for their faith in God.\n","date":"2021-06-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/serebryakov/photo_hu_8b97c03033f57945.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/serebryakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/serebryakov/photo_hu_37952f90a2f840cc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/serebryakov/photo_hu_84e9cd1c989a49a8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/serebryakov.html","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Serebryakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The Serebryakov family was separated twice in connection with persecution for their faith. First, Aleksandr was arrested and given a 6-year suspended sentence. Two years later, after a second search, he was again deprived of liberty. Subsequently, the court sentenced him to 5 years in prison, in fact, twice convicted him for the same thing.\nAleksandr was born in April 1977 in the city of Chekhov (Moscow region). His father, a military ensign, died when Aleksandr was 15 years old. Her mother worked in the military registration and enlistment office, but now she is retired. Three sons grew up in the family, Aleksandr is the youngest. The middle brother died in 2014.\nIn kindergarten and school, Aleksandr actively participated in art and sports events—not a single holiday was complete without his participation. He also played for the city\u0026#39;s hockey team.\nAleksandr\u0026#39;s family often moved: at first, they lived in Ukraine, then in Kazakhstan, and later settled in Chekhov near Moscow.\nAfter the first year of law school, Aleksandr left his studies and began working: first as a carpenter, then as a security guard.\nAleksandr learned about Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from one of his brothers. He was especially touched by how warmly the believers treat each other and show love. In 1996, he was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, and a year later his mother was baptized as well.\nIn 2006, Aleksandr married Irina, who shares his religious beliefs. At one time, she especially liked God\u0026#39;s promise to change the world for the better and the fact that he shares his plan with people through the Bible. Irina loves animals, is fond of sewing and enjoys making electronic cards for friends.\nAleksandr is interested in construction technologies and the interior of residential buildings. In his free time, he enjoys playing football and volleyball with friends, as well as walking in the forest. Aleksandr is known as a friendly, sympathetic person, always ready to help.\nSeparation became a difficult test for the couple. Irina says: \u0026quot;There is no opportunity to see the closest person on earth! We cannot communicate, do things that we are used to doing together, and support each other in difficulties. If it were not for true friends, I would not even have the means to live.\u0026quot; The worries were added by the fact that Irina\u0026#39;s mother and her husband were persecuted and convicted for their faith in God.\n","date":"2021-06-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/serebryakov2/photo_hu_8b97c03033f57945.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/serebryakov2/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/serebryakov2/photo_hu_37952f90a2f840cc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/serebryakov2/photo_hu_84e9cd1c989a49a8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/serebryakov2.html","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Serebryakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On March 17, 2019, mass interrogations and detentions of citizens for their faith took place in the village of Luchegorsk (Primorye Territory). Two days later, the court ruled to send two local believers to the pre-trial detention center. One of them is Sergey Sergeev. What do we know about him?\nSergey was born in 1955 in the village of Dukhovnitskoye, Saratov Region. Together with his sister and parents he lived in a private house in the countryside, so from childhood he was used to working on the farm. Later he mastered the profession of a milling machine operator and machinist of mining and quarry excavators and until his retirement he worked in a coal mine on excavators of various types. After retirement, he continued to work as a watchman.\nIn addition to his native village, in different years Sergey lived in Saratov and Vladivostok, and later moved to Luchegorsk, which attracted him by the lack of city bustle. His wife's relatives also live in Luchegorsk.\nIn 1991, Sergey married Nelly. The couple raised two daughters and a son. Both spouses are united by a love of dogs.\nSoon after the wedding, Sergey and Nelly began to study the Holy Scriptures. The validity of the Bible's teachings and the accuracy of the prophecies convinced both that they had found the truth.\nSergey's relatives are perplexed by the fact that citizens of the country are imprisoned for their faith. They do not understand how to practice their faith with impunity for more than 20 years and suddenly become a \"criminal\" overnight.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sergeyev/photo_hu_c30818f71820a8c1.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sergeyev/photo_hu_2d91c1eabd22c487.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sergeyev/photo_hu_d5023f08df605101.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sergeyev/photo_hu_3f9bb6d2cde14c67.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sergeyev.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Sergeyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In November 2021, Oleg Sergeyev became a target of law enforcement officers. Two years earlier, his father, Sergey, had also been persecuted. The only reason for these unpleasant events is faith in Jehovah God.\nOleg was born in January 1984 in Vladivostok. When Oleg was still a child, his parents began to study the Holy Scriptures and instill biblical values in him and his younger sister. Later, Oleg decided to understand the religious teachings himself. A thorough study of the Bible subsequently prompted him to embark on the Christian path.\nIn his youth, Oleg was fond of fishing and car maintenance. After school, he studied in Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory) as a technician of thermal and power plants and networks. Oleg serviced security systems, worked at various enterprises in the energy industry, and since 2016 he has been working as an electrician for the repair of substations.\nOleg had known his wife Anastasiya since his school years—the last two years of study they sat at the same desk. Anastasiya, like Oleg, loved Christian values since youth. In 2010, the young people got married. Oleg likes to listen to guitar melodies, he has plans to master this musical instrument. Anastasiya loved to embroider and make handicrafts with her children. Unfortunately, at the end of 2023, Anastasiya died in an accident, and three young children were left in the care of their father.\nThe criminal prosecution had a negative impact on the life of the Sergeyev family. Oleg says: \u0026quot;Because of the uncertainty, I live constantly in anticipation of the next stress.\u0026quot; Relatives and friends of the Sergeyevs are perplexed why peaceful people are persecuted only for their religion.\n","date":"2022-02-03","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sergeyevo/photo_hu_e8372b02ddfee03c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sergeyevo/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sergeyevo/photo_hu_f8741f987c092cc5.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sergeyevo/photo_hu_12dc1b272bda3443.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sergeyevo.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Oleg Sergeyev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 15, 2019, one of the most massive actions of intimidation of believers at that time took place in Surgut. Security forces broke into the homes of local residents throughout the city, some were tortured, and criminal cases were initiated against 19 people. One of them is Artur Severinchik. What is known about him?\nArtur was born in 1968 in Vladivostok. He is a crane operator by profession, he is fond of fishing and amateur radio. As a child, he often fished with his father on a boat. Recently, he has been taking care of the garden and vegetable garden, repairing television equipment and other equipment.\nSince 1990, Artur has been married to Irina, a preschool teacher and easel painter and graphic artist. A few years after the wedding, the couple made a conscious decision to live according to the precepts of Christ. According to Arthur, he always had faith in God, but he had no knowledge. Bible study helped both spouses strengthen their faith and see God's support in their lives. The family has four adult children, and at times they get together to go out into nature or go fishing together.\nFor the whole family, Arthur's imprisonment was a great shock. They were hurt by the cruelty and humiliation that believers face today. Many of Arthur's relatives and colleagues, who do not share his religious views, cannot understand what the authorities saw as extremist in his religion.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/severinchik/photo_hu_6f379465dc553c59.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/severinchik/photo_hu_6f379465dc553c59.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/severinchik/photo_hu_6e35a415fe5967a3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/severinchik/photo_hu_6e35a415fe5967a3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/severinchik.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Arthur Severinchik","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In April 2020, at the height of the pandemic, FSB officers with representatives of the Cossacks broke into the homes of civilians in two villages of the Krasnodar Territory, conducted searches and interrogations of believers. Lyudmila Shchekoldina from the village of Pavlovskaya was suspected by law enforcement officers of being an \u0026quot;adherent of a banned organization.\u0026quot; A criminal case was initiated against her, and in 2022 the court sent her to a penal colony. She was released in April 2026.\nLyudmila was born in the village of Aleksandrovka (Krasnodar Territory). She has an elder sister and a brother. Their father is already dead; their mother is retired. As a child, Lyudmila learned to play the piano and was fond of macramé weaving.\nAfter graduating from Oryol State University, Lyudmila received the specialty \u0026quot;primary school teacher with the right to teach Russian language and literature in secondary school.\u0026quot; In her native village, she worked with pensioners, disabled people, orphans as a specialist of the social protection service. In 2007, she moved to the village of Pavlovskaya, where she worked as a plasterer, housekeeper, and before the criminal prosecution—as a janitor at a sports school. Employees respected Lyudmila, and the employer appreciated her conscientious attitude to work, which is confirmed by letters of thanks addressed to her.\nAs a child, Lyudmila thought about the meaning of life and the causes of evil and injustice in the world. She was especially worried about the question of what happens to a person after death. In the mid-1990s, Lyudmila became acquainted with Bible teachings and received satisfying answers to her questions. As a result, the woman took the Christian path.\nBecause of the criminal prosecution, Lyudmila\u0026#39;s chronic illnesses worsened due to nervousness. In the colony, she underwent a planned operation, which did not take place due to her arrest. Lyudmila\u0026#39;s nephew, Aleksandr Davydenko, was also behind bars on similar charges. In January 2025, he sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months in a penal colony.\n","date":"2020-05-20","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shchekoldina/photo_hu_978920c7de4ece4c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shchekoldina/photo_hu_264aaa5b89473012.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shchekoldina/photo_hu_4c96e005e06d769d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shchekoldina/photo_hu_708750743da7f2e3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shchekoldina.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Lyudmila Shchekoldina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In February 2019, one of the most massive and inhumane operations against believers took place in Surgut and several other cities of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 7 people reported torture, 3 people were in custody for a long time, and the total number of defendants in criminal cases exceeded 20. One of them is Viola Shepel.\nViola was born in 1976 in the city of Stepnogorsk (Kazakhstan). She has a brother. Their father is an engineer, their mother is a computer operator of an instrument factory. Viola herself chose the medical path and graduated from the Tomsk Basic Medical College. She worked for 8 years in the oncology department of the clinic, and recently she has been working as a district nurse in the pediatric department.\nWhen Viola was 3 years old, her family moved to Tomsk, Russia. In 2003, she got married and moved in with her husband in Surgut. Around the same time, she found in the Bible reasonable answers to her questions about the existence of God, the meaning of life, and relationships between people.\nViola and her husband Pavel have a daughter. The whole family loves to be in nature and travel, often organize holidays for friends.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shepel/photo_hu_f419979eb130211e.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shepel/photo_hu_cd17497a6041e43.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shepel/photo_hu_156ef56852f031f3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shepel/photo_hu_68f93ef17b89438b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shepel.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Viola Shepel","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, several residents of Saransk, including Aleksandr Shevchuk, were prosecuted for their faith. Law enforcers considered the conversations about the Bible to be participation in the activities of an extremist organization. As a result, the court sentenced the believer to 2 years in a penal colony.\nAleksandr was born in 1989 in Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory). He has an elder brother, Mikhail. Since childhood, Aleksandr was a responsible person, he studied excellently at school, and then received a specialty in the field of garden and park construction. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports, especially playing basketball and table tennis.\nAleksandr grew up in a family of believers, many of his relatives survived repression during the Soviet years. His great-grandparents were exiled to Siberia in 1951 for their Christian faith. There, in exile, his father and mother were born.\nSince Aleksandr adheres to the principles of Christian neutrality, he asked for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian one and did it in Khimki near Moscow.\nLater, Aleksandr moved to Saransk, where he worked in the furniture industry. Among his friends, he has a reputation as someone who will readily come to the rescue at any time of the day or night.\nIn February 2024, after his release from the penal colony, Aleksandr married Irina, who shares her husband\u0026#39;s views. The couple loves to travel, play sports together and go hiking with friends.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shevchuk/photo.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shevchuk/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shevchuk/photo_hu_5a12953169d59ca2.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shevchuk/photo_hu_5a12953169d59ca2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shevchuk.html","regions":["mordovia"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Aleksandr Shevchuk","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Mikhail Shevchuk is a fourth-generation Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witness. He and his younger brother Aleksandr were persecuted for their Christian beliefs, just like their ancestors who were exiled to Siberia for their faith.\nMikhail was born in November 1986 in the village of Goryachevodskiy, Stavropol Territory. From early childhood, he was a sympathetic and hardworking child. In his teenage years, he helped his mother sew clothes for sale. In 2005, he graduated with honors from the College of the Pyatigorsk Institute of the North Caucasus Federal University with a degree in sewing technology.\nIn 2006, Mikhail moved to Saransk, where he worked in the furniture industry—first as an assembler, and later as a designer. He is creative in his work and likes to solve non-standard tasks. In his free time, he reads, chats with friends, relaxes in nature, plays chess and sometimes bakes cakes for family and friends.\nIn 2013, Mikhail married Yaroslavna. They have a strong marriage, and, according to the couple, they do everything together. Yaroslavna told what she felt when Mikhail was arrested: \u0026quot;We have a very strong, close bond. And when it is destroyed, it feels like the heart is being torn apart.\u0026quot;\nMikhail\u0026#39;s great-great-grandmother was the first in the Shevchuk family to start studying the Bible in 1936. Parents instilled moral values in their children, and at a young age they embarked on the Christian path. Love for people and the desire to remain a peaceful person prompted Mikhail to ask for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian one, but he was exempted from conscription for health reasons.\nFor several years, the couple Shevchuk took care of Yaroslavna\u0026#39;s seriously ill grandmother, and at the time of the search she lived with them. Yaroslavna talks about the sad consequences of what happened: \u0026quot;My grandmother experienced a lot of stress during the search. She was almost 91. She could not calm down in the last six months. My heart could not stand it.\u0026quot;\nIn 2017, when the ruling to liquidate the legal entities of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses was issued, Mikhail and his wife personally attended the court session at the Supreme Court and heard the statement that the decision would not affect in any way the right of believers to practice their religion. However, he was later prosecuted for not renouncing his Christian views.\n","date":"2023-03-09","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/shevchukm/photo_hu_e2c7eeb1f6e96366.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/shevchukm/photo_hu_8bc9b8558515c4a9.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/shevchukm/photo_hu_5a1d837134cedf2f.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/shevchukm/photo_hu_bf812b21fe053c85.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/shevchukm.html","regions":["mordovia"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Mikhail Shevchuk","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On March 20, 2019, searches and interrogations of citizens in connection with their Christian beliefs resumed in Magadan. Spouses Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev became new defendants in a criminal case against believers in Magadan, who by this time had already become 13. The investigation believes that they participated in worship services. What do we know about Michael? Mikhail was born in Novosibirsk in 1962, and a year later he moved to Magadan with his parents. Since childhood he was fond of sports (hockey, football, swimming, skiing). The family often spent weekends in nature: they went hiking, skiing in winter, fishing all year round. In 1982, Mikhail graduated from the Riga Civil Aviation Flight Technical School and worked as an air traffic controller at Magadan Airport. In 2008, he graduated from the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation with a degree in air traffic control. Since that time, he has been working as a full-time dispatcher-instructor, training young professionals. He is still fond of fishing and enjoys going out into nature, but with his family. He and his wife Oksana have been together for over 30 years. Oksana was the first in the family to show interest in the Bible, and it became noticeable. \"For a long time I did not understand this passion,\" admits Mikhail. \"But my wife's behavior, which was changing for the better, and communication with fellow believers aroused interest in me as well. I also decided to study the Holy Scriptures. It brought me closer to God.\" The couple raised a daughter who lives with her family in St. Petersburg. Now Mikhail and Oksana are raising an 8-year-old son. The criminal prosecution of Mikhail and Oksana was a big blow to the whole family, ruined various plans. Oksana wanted to move to Taganrog to take care of her sick parents, but the recognizance not to leave for both spouses did not allow this. Mikhail hoped to finalize it by the end of the year in order to go on a well-deserved rest, but, being under recognizance not to leave, he could not go to Khabarovsk to get an attestation conclusion. He is unable to continue to work and provide for his family. A law-abiding family does not have the opportunity to lead a normal life. ","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/solntsev/photo_hu_f31dbce7752640f6.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/solntsev/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/solntsev/photo_hu_c21570c050de86d0.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/solntsev/photo_hu_1a43bdcffcd3c92a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/solntsev.html","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Mikhail Solntsev","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On March 20, 2019, searches and interrogations of citizens in connection with their Christian beliefs resumed in Magadan. Spouses Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev became new defendants in a criminal case against believers in Magadan, who by this time had already become 13. The investigation believes that they participated in worship services. What do we know about Oksana?\nOksana was born in 1966 in Yenakievo, Donetsk region of Ukraine. When she was 6 years old, the whole family moved to the Magadan region, the village of Ust-Taskan, where Oksana spent her childhood. From a young age, she admired the beauty of nature, loved to paint landscapes and people. Her other passion was the exact sciences, which eventually led her to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Magadan Pedagogical Institute. After graduating from it, she worked as a programmer in various institutions, including the Department of Internal Affairs of the Magadan Region. While studying at the institute, she met her future husband Mikhail.\nBack in the early 1990s, Oksana was surprised to learn from the Bible that God had conceived a paradise on Earth and did not torment people in hell. Since then, the Bible has been the main guide for her life. Little did she know that one day it would lead her to the dock. According to Oksana, the criminal prosecution has become a great stress for her entire family and deprived her of the opportunity to take care of her sick parents.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/solntseva/photo_hu_bce1fadbe8d0163.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/solntseva/photo_hu_7091bb6c8250c830.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/solntseva/photo_hu_b663be3ad04b3697.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/solntseva/photo_hu_c1bffa10d5f59c4d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/solntseva.html","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Oksana Solntseva","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The Stefanidin family was subjected to searches twice, in 2021 and 2022, because of their religion as Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. The stress experienced unexpectedly undermined the health of the young head of the family, resulting in a disability.\nYevgeniy Stefanidin was born in July 1989 in the city of Izhevsk (Udmurtia). From childhood he was fond of active sports; he played football and hockey. Yevgeniy loves fishing and football to this day. After school, Stefanidin qualified as a tiler. At first he worked in construction, and later moved into commercial real estate.\nFrom childhood, Yevgeniy showed an interest in reading the Bible. When he became acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, he was impressed by the accuracy of the fulfillment of Bible prophecies. At the age of 17, Yevgeniy was baptized as one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nIn 2011, Yevgeniy married Marina. His wife is a tailor-cutter by profession, and in her spare time she knits and draws. In 2013, the couple had a daughter. She loves to draw, make cards and other handcrafts.\nIn April 2021, law enforcement officers searched Yevgeniy\u0026#39;s home. The incident greatly frightened the couple\u0026#39;s daughter. To this day, the Stefanidins react anxiously to every knock on the door. The stress he experienced caused the believer to have problems sleeping, and two months later, Yevgeniy began to have difficulty breathing. During an examination, doctors discovered a tumor in his chest. His state of health continued to deteriorate, and in the fall of 2022, Yevgeniy was categorized as disabled. According to doctors, the malignant tumor that has rapidly grown since the summer of 2021 could be the result of an emotional shock.\nThe believer was on sick leave until mid-December 2022. One morning, when he was about to go to work, the law enforcement officers again came to him, conducted a search and took him for interrogation. His employer appreciates Yevgeniy for his honesty and conscientious work. Despite the criminal prosecution, the believer did not lose his job.\nRelatives and friends are worried about Yevgeniy\u0026#39;s health. His father, although he does not share his religious beliefs, does not understand how an innocent and at the same time seriously ill person could be thrown behind bars just because he does not want to give up his faith in God. Adding to the worries is the fact that Yevgeniy\u0026#39;s brother, Aleksandr, is being prosecuted on similar charges.\n","date":"2023-02-17","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/stefanidin/photo_hu_b18998e1898df8c7.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/stefanidin/photo_hu_f31b39e33ccb52ab.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/stefanidin/photo_hu_b77728f1f327a1bc.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/stefanidin/photo_hu_965fd27e91db20f1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/stefanidin.html","regions":["udmurtia"],"tags":["disability","families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Stefanidin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"A peaceful pensioner and labor veteran from Novokuznetsk, 64-year-old Sergey Sushilnikov, faced persecution for his faith in June 2021. His house was searched, the believer himself was accused of extremism and a written undertaking not to leave was taken from him.\nSergey was born in January 1957 in the city of Korkino, Chelyabinsk Region. As a child, he was fond of various sports. He was the champion of the city among schoolchildren in athletics, basketball, volleyball and table tennis.\nSergey graduated from the Korkinsky Mining and Construction College with honors. He worked as a mechanic in the housing and communal services, a foreman and head of the district boiler house, a grinder at the plant. After retiring, he worked as a janitor until 2019. He was repeatedly awarded certificates of honor and cash prizes for conscientious work and received the honorary title of veteran of labor.\nIn 1979, Sergey married Tatiana, whom he met while studying at a technical school. After the wedding, the couple moved to Novokuznetsk for distribution. Sergey and Tatyana raised two daughters. Now both are married and have children. The Sushilnikovs love to walk in nature, pick mushrooms, do housework and receive guests.\nIn 1995, Sergey bought a Bible and began reading it out of curiosity. Sergey's relative, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, helped him better understand this book. Thanks to thoughtful reading of the Bible, Sergey quit smoking and swearing. Inner consistency and the fulfilling prophecies in this book soon prompted him to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. His wife, Tatiana, liked God's promises about the future. As a result, she became a Christian.\nThe criminal prosecution affected the financial situation of the Sushilnikovs - Sergey's bank accounts were blocked, and the apartment requires repair, since during the search the security forces damaged the property. In addition, the persecution affected their emotional state. Sergey says: \"We still feel anxious, we shudder at every doorbell. When we are summoned to the investigator, to the court, we experience stress - blood pressure rises, headaches begin. The daughters of Sergey and Tatiana worry about their parents, regularly calling them, asking if they have come to them with a new search.\n","date":"2021-09-17","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sushilnikov/photo_hu_31a565b6a01350ca.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sushilnikov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sushilnikov/photo_hu_e3cf57adcc5f08c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sushilnikov/photo_hu_8c647eee6cd4c9bf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sushilnikov.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Sergey Sushilnikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"The life of Tatyana Sushilnikova changed dramatically in 2021: a criminal case was opened against her husband, Sergey under an extremist article. A year later, Tatyana herself faced criminal prosecution for faith.\nTatyana was born in June 1959 in the city of Korkino (Chelyabinsk region). She was the youngest of three children. Her father worked as an auto mechanic, and her mother worked as a cashier. Parents and one of the brothers are no longer alive.\nDuring her school years, Tatyana attended the section of speleologists, explored the caves of the Urals. She also loved to read and skate.\nTatyana graduated from the Korkinsky Mining and Construction College. She worked as a plasterer, safety engineer, factory foreman and janitor. She is now retired.\nIn 1979, Tatyana married Sergey, whom she met while studying at a technical school. The couple moved to Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo Region). They raised two daughters who already have families of their own.\nIn the mid-1990s, the couple learned about God's promises recorded in the Bible. In 1996, after carefully researching this book, they embarked on the Christian path together.\nSergey and Tatyana love to do everything together: solve everyday problems, walk in nature, pick mushrooms and berries. They like to receive guests, make gifts and help friends.\nCriminal prosecution negatively affects the emotional state of spouses. Relatives of Sergey and Tatyana are worried about them.\n","date":"2022-08-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/sushilnikova/photo_hu_c76e8a2bf245df01.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/sushilnikova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/sushilnikova/photo_hu_41027ac27dcbf688.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/sushilnikova/photo_hu_b4625234f1ee1cbb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/sushilnikova.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Tatyana Sushilnikova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On December 5, 2019, 71-year-old Valentina Suvorova from Chelyabinsk was charged in a criminal case for her faith. A few months later, her husband Vladimir was also accused of extremist activities. The believer, despite her health problems, defended her good name in court for more than a year. However, on March 11, 2021, the court found her guilty for singing songs and prayers to Jehovah. Valentina Suvorova was sentenced to 2 years of suspended sentence with restriction of liberty for a term of 6 months with a probation period of 1 year.\nValentina was born in January 1948 in the village of Sorovskoye (Kurgan region). Parents had to work very hard to raise three daughters. Later, the family moved to the neighboring town of Shadrinsk. As a child, Valentina was fond of dancing, music and vocals, loved to skate. She graduated from music school. Her love for music led her to a music school in Kurgan, after which she received the specialty of a music teacher and choir conductor.\nSince 1972, for more than 30 years, Valentina Suvorova worked as a teacher in one of the schools in Chelyabinsk. She received the honorary title of \"Veteran of Labor\". Now he is on a well-deserved rest, he is fond of design and gardening. In 1973, Valentina married Vladimir, a talented artist of the Philharmonic. In a happy marriage, a son, Igor, was born. The couple have been living together for more than 50 years, they love to go to nature, attend concerts, theaters, chat with friends.\nAll her life, Valentina was interested in life questions that could not be answered anywhere: neither in the public library, nor in philosophical teachings, nor in various churches and temples. The thirst for knowledge was quenched only thanks to an ancient book - the Bible. It was then that she firmly decided to embark on the Christian path, in which her husband supported her.\nA few years ago, this friendly family suffered a series of tragedies: the beloved and only son Igor died of blood cancer, Valentina's mother died 2 years later, and then her sister died. The younger sister lost her husband, and she herself was paralyzed after a stroke. Before the Suvorov family had time to recover from these terrible shocks, another thing happened: they came to the house of an elderly married couple with a search.\nThe criminal prosecution had a bad effect on Valentina's health. She said the search caused her \"incurable emotional trauma, additional stress and deteriorating health.\" Sleep was disturbed, there was a constant feeling of anxiety and tachycardia. I had to register with a neurologist and a nephrologist. Valentina's relatives also suffered - the already poor health of her younger sister worsened, and the widow of her deceased son and her daughter also faced a humiliating search procedure in their own home.\nRelatives and friends of Valentina and Vladimir are outraged by what is happening. No one can believe that in modern Russia such peace-loving people can be judged only because of their religious beliefs, without taking into account their venerable age and merits to society.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/suvorova/photo_hu_8df9d9e0b529d66c.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/suvorova/photo_hu_87124225b1fb4b93.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/suvorova/photo_hu_80ff8b0b06ffe5c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/suvorova/photo_hu_f33556884a007fab.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/suvorova.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Valentina Suvorova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Searches at homes of believers in Sochi in August 2021 changed Danil Suvorov\u0026#39;s life overnight. A peaceful young man was thrown behind bars—he was accused of extremism because of talking about the Bible.\nDanil was born in 1995 in the city of Almetyevsk (Tatarstan). He has an older brother. After a while, the family decided to move to Sochi (Krasnodar Territory).\nSince childhood, Danil has been fond of active sports: football, hockey, and tennis. He retained these hobbies to this day. After school, Danil graduated from the technical school, where he received the specialty of a mechanic. Before the criminal prosecution, he worked as a salesman in a tool shop.\nIn the early 2000s, Danil\u0026#39;s mother became acquainted with Bible teachings. The knowledge she acquired helped in the upbringing of two sons. The example of the mother and the unity among her fellow believers touched Danil\u0026#39;s heart and prompted him to embark on the Christian path.\nDescribing his life principles to the court, Danil denied the accusation of extremism brought against him: \u0026quot;I do not take up arms and oppose all kinds of violence, therefore, at one time I used the right provided for by the law on alternative civil service.\u0026quot; Despite peaceful views, the young man ended up behind bars. He was released in April 2026.\n","date":"2021-08-31","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/suvorovd/photo_hu_4d0e56dea81181dd.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/suvorovd/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/suvorovd/photo_hu_d51fd92615033265.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/suvorovd/photo_hu_3e970aca1641df92.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/suvorovd.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Danil Suvorov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In the summer of 2021, Denis Suvorov's younger brother, Danil, was detained because of his belief in Jehovah God. Six months later, Denis also became a suspect in a criminal case on extremism because of his peaceful religious beliefs.\nDenis was born in November 1991 in the city of Almetyevsk (Tatarstan). From childhood to this day, he loves hockey, football and tennis. After school he graduated from the Almetyevsk Polytechnic College and received the profession of a mechanic. He worked in his specialty, repairing oil equipment.\nDenis's mother instilled high moral standards in her sons from childhood. At the age of 18, Denis embarked on the Christian path. He was impressed by the biblical promises that there would be no more injustice.\nAfter studying, Denis asked for the replacement of military service with an alternative civilian one. He served as a postman in his hometown.\nIn 2017, Denis moved to Sochi, where he repaired refrigeration equipment. At a new place, he met Anastasiya, and in October 2021 they got married. Anastasiya worked as a confectioner. He is fond of activities related to creativity—sewing, needlework, drawing, cooking. The couple loves to go for walks and picnics together.\nThe father of Denis and Danil, who has different religious beliefs, wonders why peaceful people who do no harm to anyone are subjected to criminal prosecution.\n","date":"2022-04-21","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/suvorovden/photo_hu_982ca027e2a7f727.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/suvorovden/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/suvorovden/photo_hu_ac612589e31148d8.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/suvorovden/photo_hu_6a712cbfa4ab1809.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/suvorovden.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Denis Suvorov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On January 16, 2020, in Chelyabinsk, a criminal case was opened against a 74-year-old peaceful believer, former artist Vladimir Suvorov. He was accused of organizing worship services consisting of singing songs, praying and discussing the Bible.\nVladimir was born in January 1946 in Chelyabinsk. His mother raised him alone. Since childhood, he has been professionally fond of skiing. At the age of 17 he got a job at a factory as a turner. But his heart gravitated towards the theater. Overcoming constraint and enslavement, Vladimir became the leading soloist of the folk theater of the pantomime \"Masks\". Has performed in Russia and abroad.\nLater, after graduating from the University of Marxism-Leninism, Vladimir worked as deputy director at the Palace of Culture of Railway Workers. In his spare time, Vladimir likes to compose songs and perform them with a guitar.\nIn 1973, Vladimir married Valentina. The couple had a son, Igor. In 2014, a close-knit family suffered a tragedy: Igor died of a serious illness, he left a wife and a daughter. The couple did not have time to move away from one misfortune, as they suffered another. On December 5, 2019, 71-year-old Valentina was charged in a criminal case for her faith. Vladimir's health deteriorated sharply. At the request of the cardiologist, he was hospitalized.\nVladimir chose the Christian path for himself back in 1993, wanting to follow the example of Jesus described in the Bible. He was joined by his wife and son. 27 years later, he had to defend his peaceful convictions in court. On July 1, 2021, Oksana Mitina, judge of the Metallurgichesky District Court of Chelyabinsk, found the elderly believer guilty of organizing the activities of a banned organization. She sentenced Vladimir Suvorov to 6 years of suspended imprisonment.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/suvorovv/photo_hu_bb7c5be850f85edc.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/suvorovv/photo_hu_eeddded43832a23d.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/suvorovv/photo_hu_7744108eb399a5f1.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/suvorovv/photo_hu_4b7a0c20a51f855e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/suvorovv.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["elderly","families"],"title":"Vladimir Suvorov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"A native Muscovite Sergey Tolokonnikov worked for many years as a security guard. After becoming a Christian, he refused to carry weapons and use violence against others. Despite this, in October 2021, the authorities considered him a dangerous criminal, charging him under two extremist articles at once for his faith.\nSergey was born in Moscow in 1972. His parents divorced when he was 4. Since childhood, Sergey was fond of reading, music and football, and studied well. He entered a technical university but did not graduate from it.\nIn 1995, Sergey met Mariya, who was raising a two-year-old son from her first marriage. Young people decided to live together. In 2003, Mariya began studying the Bible because she wanted to learn more about Christian teachings. Later, Sergey joined her. He was amazed that the Scriptures provide an answer to any vital question, and the advice in this book is still relevant today.\nThe Bible prompted the couple to change. When they read that living together without being in a legal marriage from the point of view of the state is a sin in the eyes of God, they decided to register their relationship. Also, thanks to the knowledge gained, Mariya was able to overcome the bad habit—for 16 years she was an avid smoker. The changes also affected the professional sphere. Sergey, for example, refused to carry weapons at work, and Mariya made the difficult decision to leave the highly paid position of an accountant, where her activities were fraught with lies and violation of the law. She is now a cleaning professional. In 2005, the couple became Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\nSergey and Mariya love to travel. This hobby gave them not only a lot of interesting memories and impressions, but also many friends around the world.\nThe search and arrest of Sergey had a serious impact on the life of the family. Once in jail for his faith, Sergey lost his job, where he received encouragement from his superiors for responsible work. On the shoulders of Mary lay material obligations. The security forces took not only the money of the spouses, but also the bank card of Sergey\u0026#39;s mother-in-law, where the pension was accrued, as well as her Muscovite card for moving around the city.\nFellow believers did not leave Mariya without support during this difficult period. Relatives who did not share the religious beliefs of the couple were outraged by the sentence imposed on Sergey.\nIn the spring of 2025, a criminal case was also opened against Mariya under an extremist article. In the summer of the same year, Sergey was released, having served his term in full, and 5 months later the court sentenced Mariya to a large fine. The day before, Sergey\u0026#39;s mother passed away.\n","date":"2021-11-11","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/tolokonnikov/photo_hu_8cd9e2a6708ace96.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/tolokonnikov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/tolokonnikov/photo_hu_29e947d720413f4.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/tolokonnikov/photo_hu_3ee3a966d144f86e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/tolokonnikov.html","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Tolokonnikov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On November 10, 2018, in Khabarovsk, 30 riot policemen broke into a café where a friendly party was taking place. After breaking down the doors, they staged hours of mass interrogation of those present, including minors, with the seizure of personal property and fingerprinting. Criminal cases were opened against several party participants in connection with their religion. Among them were the spouses Vitaly and Tatyana Zhuk. What do we know about Tatiana? Tatyana was born in 1973 in Khabarovsk. She has an elder brother. As a child, she played basketball and music - she played the accordion and balalaika. After graduating from high school and pedagogical college, she worked as a kindergarten teacher. Later she mastered the profession of a housekeeper. At the age of 19, Tatiana became keenly interested in the Bible. Her mother was initially concerned about this, but when she saw that Bible education had a beneficial effect on her daughter, she softened the attitude towards her choice. \"This is what helped me fill the void,\" says Tatiana. \"The Bible helped me find answers to all my questions.\" Tatyana has lived all her life in her native Khabarovsk. Here she also met her future husband Vitaly, a gas electric welder by profession. The couple raised daughters Dina and Polina. Both of them work in the catering industry, and Polina graduated with honors from the College of Technology. The whole family loves to spend time in nature. Tatiana still can't imagine herself without music and masters the guitar on her own. Relatives and friends of the Zhuk spouses cannot understand why they are being persecuted, and consider what is happening to be complete absurdity. ","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/tzhuk/photo_hu_5bf4ec4505e985f8.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/tzhuk/photo_hu_9f74fd0c91171a9e.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/tzhuk/photo_hu_95786dd17182f8ba.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/tzhuk/photo_hu_db094b0ecc6acd9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/tzhuk.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Zhuk","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Vitaliy Ushakov grew up without a father. Faith in Jehovah God helped him fill this void in his life. But in 2022, the man was prosecuted for beliefs dear to his heart. Two years later, his wife, Irina, was also accused of extremism.\nVitaliy was born in July 1980 in the village of Khatukai (Adygea). He has a brother and sister. As a child, Vitaliy was fond of playing the button accordion.\nThe hardworking young man went to work right after school - at first he was engaged in interior decoration, roofing work, and more recently - car repair.\nVitaly\u0026#39;s mother was the first in the family to study the Bible. Her son liked the biblical promise that people would live happily in the future.\nAlready being one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, Vitaly defended a peace-loving Christian position and unwillingness to take up arms. Since there was no law on alternative civilian service at that time, he was threatened with criminal prosecution. As a result, he was released from the draft for health reasons.\nIn 2006, Vitaliy married Irina, who raised her son alone. A year later, they had another boy. Irina shares her husband\u0026#39;s views on life. She enjoys confectionery and gardening, and her youngest son plays the guitar.\nThe criminal prosecution of Vitaliy poses a threat to Irina\u0026#39;s poor health: she is registered at the cancer center. Despite the difficult circumstances, she maintains a positive attitude and feels good. Relatives and friends support the Ushakovs in every possible way. They do not understand why they are persecuting Vitaliy.\n","date":"2022-03-08","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/ushakov/photo_hu_90268dfc59c2ae1.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/ushakov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/ushakov/photo_hu_2d840bd5e22c4bd3.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/ushakov/photo_hu_f9212fc9dc452043.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/ushakov.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vitaliy Ushakov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Sergey Verhoturov is one of the believers who became accused under an \"extremist\" article after mass searches in several settlements of the Nizhny Novgorod region. On March 5, 2021, the court found him guilty of organizing the activities of a banned community and sentenced the believer to 6 years of probation with a probationary period of 4 years only because of his faith in Jehovah God.\nSergey was born in 1974 in Baikalsk (Irkutsk region) and became the second child in a family where a 2-year-old daughter was already growing. The children were brought up in an atmosphere of love, their parents tried to give them a good education. Sergey loved sports, was engaged in the boxing section.\nImmediately after school, the young man got a job and entered the correspondence department at the Bratsk State Technical University, where he graduated with a degree of an electrical engineer. He worked in the profession for 10 years. Then, having received a second higher education, Sergey got a job as a legal advisor at one of the industrial enterprises of the Irkutsk region. After moving to Nizhny Novgorod, he mastered several more professions, recently he worked as a master finisher in the construction industry.\nThe truths from the Bible touched Sergey as a child, when he heard them from a peer. However, in his youth, he saw the meaning of life in making money and spending it on entertainment. In the 90s, Sergey, like many people around him, became Orthodox. “At that moment I was ready to beat all sectarians, that is, all believers, but not Orthodox,” he says. Years later, a fundamental change in the lifestyle of a colleague and friend who began studying the Bible prompted him to reflect on what it means to be a Christian. Sergey thought: \"Who is more like a true Christian - he or me?\" He began to study the Bible and was amazed at the logic, simplicity, and beauty of the Bible's teachings.\nIn 2001, Sergey married Viktoria. After a while, the couple decided to move from Eastern Siberia to Nizhny Novgorod.\nSergey’s relatives do not share his beliefs, but all members of this large family are very worried about him. They are shocked that this \"very good person\", as they say, faced persecution just because of his faith.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/verhoturov/photo_hu_57b3784725fc8d45.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/verhoturov/photo_hu_662162d1545189c4.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/verhoturov/photo_hu_73eeab0d4f50b97.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/verhoturov/photo_hu_75172ac92030ff2a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/verhoturov.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Verhoturov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"Sergey Verhoturov is one of the believers who became accused under an \"extremist\" article after mass searches in several settlements of the Nizhny Novgorod region. On March 5, 2021, the court found him guilty of organizing the activities of a banned community and sentenced the believer to 6 years of probation with a probationary period of 4 years only because of his faith in Jehovah God.\nSergey was born in 1974 in Baikalsk (Irkutsk region) and became the second child in a family where a 2-year-old daughter was already growing. The children were brought up in an atmosphere of love, their parents tried to give them a good education. Sergey loved sports, was engaged in the boxing section.\nImmediately after school, the young man got a job and entered the correspondence department at the Bratsk State Technical University, where he graduated with a degree of an electrical engineer. He worked in the profession for 10 years. Then, having received a second higher education, Sergey got a job as a legal advisor at one of the industrial enterprises of the Irkutsk region. After moving to Nizhny Novgorod, he mastered several more professions, recently he worked as a master finisher in the construction industry.\nThe truths from the Bible touched Sergey as a child, when he heard them from a peer. However, in his youth, he saw the meaning of life in making money and spending it on entertainment. In the 90s, Sergey, like many people around him, became Orthodox. “At that moment I was ready to beat all sectarians, that is, all believers, but not Orthodox,” he says. Years later, a fundamental change in the lifestyle of a colleague and friend who began studying the Bible prompted him to reflect on what it means to be a Christian. Sergey thought: \"Who is more like a true Christian - he or me?\" He began to study the Bible and was amazed at the logic, simplicity, and beauty of the Bible's teachings.\nIn 2001, Sergey married Viktoria. After a while, the couple decided to move from Eastern Siberia to Nizhny Novgorod.\nSergey’s relatives do not share his beliefs, but all members of this large family are very worried about him. They are shocked that this \"very good person\", as they say, faced persecution just because of his faith.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/verhoturov2/photo_hu_57b3784725fc8d45.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/verhoturov2/photo_hu_662162d1545189c4.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/verhoturov2/photo_hu_73eeab0d4f50b97.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/verhoturov2/photo_hu_75172ac92030ff2a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/verhoturov2.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Verhoturov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"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.\nVictoria 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.\nFrom 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.\nIn 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.\nViktoriya 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.\n","date":"2021-02-19","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/verhoturova/photo_hu_9c2d69712c3ada85.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/verhoturova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/verhoturova/photo_hu_6a9a1a20a674a233.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/verhoturova/photo_hu_62355786dc74212.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/verhoturova.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Viktoriya Verhoturova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On July 9, 2020, a wave of searches took place in Vladivostok. One of the victims of law enforcement became Roman Verigin.\nHe was born in 1991 in Kamenka village (Primorye Region). He grew up in a large family with three younger sisters. In 1996, the family moved to Vladivostok. Since childhood Roman is fond of reading and playing volleyball. He graduated with honours from college with a specialization in construction and operation of buildings and structures. Now Roman works as a locksmith.\nAt a young age, he was interested in the issues of origin and meaning of life. The young man found convincing answers in the Bible. \"Studying the laws of nature, I became convinced of the existence of a reasonable Creator,\" shares Roman. Christian conviction prompted him in 2010 to seek through the court to replace military service with alternative civilian service.\nIn 2016, Roman met his future wife, Violetta, an English teacher. In her spare time, she likes to do sports and travel around Russia.\nReligious persecution has resulted in financial difficulties for the family: their bank accounts are blocked, their freedom of movement is restricted due to a recognizance agreement, and the believer has to often leave work due to investigative actions. Parents support haen couple and worry about their criminal prosecution.\n","date":"2020-08-07","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/verigin/photo_hu_fe8a7af848f138df.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/verigin/photo_hu_f44c5ff0c3e7a513.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/verigin/photo_hu_c1421a3e9623014d.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/verigin/photo_hu_118012b1b8b1fb64.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/verigin.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Roman Verigin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2020, a series of searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers in Vladivostok. Among the victims was Violetta Verigina.\nVioletta was born in Syktyvkar in 1985. Her father was a military man, her mother worked in a diagnostic center. As a child, she was fond of gymnastics, aerobics, dancing and studied English. After school, she graduated from the Komi State Pedagogical Institute as a teacher of English and French. She also received an additional specialty \"translator in the field of professional communication\".\nFor some time she worked as an administrator in a hotel, and then - and until now - as an English teacher. Violetta still enjoys playing sports. She also loves to travel around Russia, visit theaters, watch movies and listen to pop music.\nAs a child, Violetta began to realize her need for spiritual development, and with the help of her grandmother, she was able to satisfy it, finding answers to her questions in the Bible. In 2016, Violetta met Roman, a man who shares her life values and spiritual interests. They got married and settled in Vladivostok.\nUnjustified criminal prosecution and the associated stress caused Violetta's health to deteriorate. The Verigins also suffered financially: their bank accounts are blocked, the spouses constantly have to leave work in connection with the trial.\nVioletta's parents, who do not share her religious beliefs, are outraged by the persecution of their daughter and deny her involvement in extremist activities.\n","date":"2020-08-07","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/verigina/photo_hu_bffc4a1d31cbc1f5.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/verigina/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/verigina/photo_hu_18684bb0638c88d2.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/verigina/photo_hu_70d558e6204718a7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/verigina.html","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Violetta Verigina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In July 2018, security forces, accompanied by riot police, using crowbars, broke into the apartment of Valeriya and her husband Sergey with television cameras. The young couple learned that a criminal case was opened against them for their faith. Both were detained, Sergey was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 2 months, and Valeriya, after 2 days in an isolation ward, was placed under house arrest. After the investigation, the return of the case to the prosecutor and court proceedings in October 2020, Sergey and Valeriya were sentenced to 8 and 7 years of probation, respectively, but on February 26, 2021, the Kostroma Regional Court reduced the terms to 3 and 2 years probation.\nValeriya was born in May 1993. When she was only 10 years old, her father died. Since childhood, she studied music, played the violin and studied vocals. As a teenager, she graduated from the courses of a stylist-make-up artist, and after school she studied at the college as a hairdresser. He loves stove, is fond of making interior items from concrete.\nMom raised her daughter on stories from the Bible, and Valeriya loved this wise book. “It helped me grow up to be a decent, responsible and honest person,” she says.\nIn 2015, Valeriya married Sergey and they settled in Kostroma. The criminal prosecution had a profound effect on the spouses' emotional and physical well-being. Valeriya notes: “For more than two years now we have been living under constant stress and anxiety. And all this is due to the unfair accusation of extremism. \"\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/vraiman/photo_hu_c8c319b300eaebc5.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/vraiman/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/vraiman/photo_hu_c704e83eaf395273.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/vraiman/photo_hu_bd70d6e6f3166822.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/vraiman.html","regions":["kostroma"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Valeriya Rayman","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On May 17, 2018, mass searches were carried out in the apartments of believers, including Yevgeny Yegorov, in Birobidzhan. A criminal case was opened against him on the basis of religion. Despite the absence of victims in the case, in June 2021, the court found Yevgeniy guilty and sentenced him to 2.5 years probation for believing in God.\nYevgeniy was born in Birobidzhan in 1991. After his parents divorced, he and his mother lived with his grandparents, but always maintained good, friendly relations with his father. After graduating from 9 classes, he acquired the specialty of an electrical technician in absentia. He got a job to pay for tuition and has been working as a repairman for many years. He likes to repair computer equipment, he often helps friends and acquaintances with this.\nSince childhood, Eugene loved to read, and over time he was fascinated by poetry and writing. He even published a novel and a collection of poems. \"Becoming a professional writer is my dream,\" admits Evgeny. During the search, FSB officers seized all of his unpublished electronic manuscripts.\nIn 2018, Yevgeniy met his future wife Ksenia, and in September 2019 they got married. The young family had to cancel their honeymoon because of the recognizance not to leave, under which Eugene was a month before the wedding.\nIn February 2021, Yevgeny's mother, Larisa Artamonova, was sentenced to 2.5 years suspended under the same article as her son - for participating in the activities of a banned organization.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/yegorov/photo_hu_3832d8ac4bb22898.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/yegorov/photo_hu_9bb4335571c726c3.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/yegorov/photo_hu_41a3e282bf302abe.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/yegorov/photo_hu_3081157e208036b5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/yegorov.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Yevgeniy Yegorov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In October 2019, a criminal case was opened in Blagoveshchensk for faith against Sergey Yermilov, and in July 2021, his wife, Valentina, was also accused of extremism.\nSergey was born in 1967 in the Kurgan region. He has a brother and an elderly mother, his father has already died. Since childhood, Sergey loves sports, so he entered a physical education college. After graduation, he worked for some time as a school teacher.\nFrom 1985 to 2012, Sergey served as a senior warrant officer of the border troops of the FSB of the Russian Federation. He lived in the city of Shimanovsk, Amur Region, then moved to Blagoveshchensk, where he received an apartment. Since 2012, he has been a military pensioner by seniority.\nSince 1995, Sergey has been married to Valentina, they have a son, Anton. Valentina was the first to become interested in the Bible, having learned from it that God loves people. Over time, Sergey was also fascinated by this book, especially the hope for a wonderful future contained in it. In 2013, he firmly decided to live in harmony with the Christian commandments.\nCriminal prosecution has a negative impact on the life of this peaceful family. Valentina is forced to take medication to cope with stress. All bank cards of the family, including the one through which Sergey received his pension, are blocked.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/yermilov/photo_hu_7ec9c1328e382f87.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/yermilov/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/yermilov/photo_hu_8b4ba4e118efd71c.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/yermilov/photo_hu_7301c5d51eed7855.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/yermilov.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Sergey Yermilov","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In 2019, law enforcement officers opened a criminal case against Sergey Yermilov, a military pensioner of the FSB. In the summer of 2021, his wife, 50-year-old Valentina, was also accused of extremism only because of her faith in Jehovah God.\nValentina was born in November 1970 in the city of Shimanovsk (Amur Region). As a child, she went in for sports — played basketball. She has a younger sister, Olga.\nAfter school, Valentina graduated from a vocational school. She worked as a laboratory assistant, court clerk, telephone operator.\nIn 2009, following her sister, Valentina and her mother embarked on the Christian path. Valentina was prompted to make this decision by studying the Bible, namely, that what is written in it gives hope for a wonderful future. She was also touched by God's promise to resurrect those who have died. Unfortunately, during the investigation against Valentina, her mother fell ill with COVID-19 and died from complications.\nIn 1995, Valentina married Sergey. They have an adult son who already has his own family. The spouses have a lot in common: Sergey not only shares Valentina's religious beliefs, but, like her, loves sports. Both spouses are fond of cooking. In their free time, the spouses like to travel and relax in nature.\nDue to the criminal prosecution, Valentina's health deteriorated and she is forced to take medications. In addition, her husband is included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, so his bank cards are blocked, which greatly complicates the life of the family. “Before the initiation of the criminal case, we could have gone somewhere together, but now it’s impossible,” says Valentina with regret.\n","date":"2021-09-09","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/yermilova/photo_hu_338055f0e588408f.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/yermilova/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/yermilova/photo_hu_5a1d4c2253af7009.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/yermilova/photo_hu_13638752e15c07c9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/yermilova.html","regions":["amur"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Valentina Yermilova","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In May 2018, a mass raid on peaceful believers took place in Birobidzhan. The operation, codenamed \u0026quot;Judgment Day\u0026quot;, involved 150 law enforcement personnel. Dmitriy Zagulin was accused of financing the activities of an extremist organization. Four and a half years later, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison merely because of his faith in Jehovah God.\nDmitriy was born in 1973 in Khabarovsk. He has a younger brother. As a child, Dmitriy wanted to join the army, so he engaged in martial arts and parachuting.\nIn 1991, Dmitriy began to study the Bible. This prompted him to reconsider his outlook on life. Soon he wrote an application to replace military service with alternative civilian service. At that time, refusal to serve in the army could lead to criminal prosecution, but the unexpected happened: the inspector of the military registration and enlistment office made a note in his personal file: \u0026quot;suspend until the ACS [alternative civilian service] law is passed.\u0026quot; Dmitriy recalls that, perhaps, then he was not yet ready for imprisonment, and considers what happened a real miracle.\nDmitriy graduated from the Railway Transport College and worked for the Russian Railways company for many years. He was considered a valuable employee of the department, which was confirmed by numerous awards and gifts. After the searches in May 2018, the boss told Dmitriy that FSB had come to him and demanded that he dismiss the believer, but the boss vouched for him. However, in November 2021, Zagulin was fired in connection with the lawsuit, explaining this by the request of the FSB.\nIn 1998, Dmitriy moved to Birobidzhan for family reasons, where he lives up to this day. In 2012, he married Tatyana.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zagulin/photo_hu_8c8702d813253293.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zagulin/photo.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zagulin/photo_hu_6dd2c2db9f5cd541.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zagulin/photo_hu_6c391ba7d84c57bb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zagulin.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Dmitriy Zagulin","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"On February 6, 2020, in Birobidzhan (Jewish Autonomous Region), the leader in the number of criminal cases for faith among other cities in Russia, six more cases were initiated against six women. Among them was 35-year-old Tatyana Zagulina. On April 1, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court sentenced the believer to 2 years and 6 months of probation and 2 years of restriction of freedom.\nTatyana was born in 1984 in the village of Selection, Chita Region. He has a younger sister. When Tatyana was seven years old, the family moved to the village of Dubovoye. Parents have worked all their lives in the field of animal husbandry. My father recently worked in Yakutia on a rotational basis.\nDuring her school years, Tatiana was fond of volleyball, table tennis, ballroom and folk dancing, knitting and macrame. After school, she came to Birobidzhan, where she graduated from a technical school with a degree in fashion design. For some time, Tatyana worked in a store, moonlighting as a restorer of wedding dresses. Later she mastered the skill of manicure.\nTatyana says that since childhood she liked to look at everything that surrounded her, she admired how amazingly and wisely everything was created. She could not believe that all this had arisen by accident and, feeling that there was a God, tried to turn to him. During her teenage years, Tatiana began to have questions, the answers to which she searched for in different religions, and later found it through the study of the Bible.\nSince 2012, Tatyana has been married to Dmitry, who is also persecuted by the authorities for his faith. Together they are raising their son Tatiana, who goes to school and, like his mother, is fond of sports, plays the guitar and sings. Tatiana tries to lead an active lifestyle by playing sports. In winter, he likes to skate with friends and family, and in summer, he likes to ride bicycles. He is fond of drawing.\nRelatives and friends of Tatyana and Dmitriy do not understand why they were accused of extremism. They consider it unfair, knowing full well that they have done nothing wrong.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zagulina/photo_hu_da24dd0a5738048a.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zagulina/photo_hu_3d30bb2eecfcd893.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zagulina/photo_hu_d7c321bf56adba98.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zagulina/photo_hu_17e2726a9ce6f957.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zagulina.html","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Tatyana Zagulina","type":"prisoners"},{"body":"In June 2024, Vitaliy Zhuk received a harsh sentence for his faith in Jehovah God. A hard-working family man from Khabarovsk was sentenced to 8 years and 4 months in a penal colony.\nVitaliy Zhuk was born in 1972 in Khabarovsk, but spent his childhood in the village of Krasnorechenskoye (Khabarovsk Territory). Five children were born in the family, of which Vitaliy was the third. He loved to spend time in nature and go to the field, the river and the forest with his father.\nFrom the age of 17 until his arrest, Vitaliy worked as a welder, at work he was valued for his experience and responsibility. He is married to Tatyana, convicted on similar charges. The couple have two daughters.\nWhen Vitaliy was about 20, he became very ill and was hospitalized. This event made him think seriously about the meaning of life. His spiritual quest led him to a Bible study, where he discovered convincing answers to his questions. Since then, faith in God has played an important role in his life.\nVitaliy said: \u0026quot;I have not always been a Christian. There was a time when I was very skeptical of everything I heard, especially beautiful promises. I looked for various tricks in them so as not to be deceived. But with regard to Bible promises, I have found many reasons why they can be trusted. In addition, thanks to the Bible, I was able to change my lifethinking, speaking, behaving. I got rid of bad habits and acquired useful ones. I learned to peacefully solve problems in relationships with other people.\u0026quot;\nVitaliy\u0026#39;s relatives know him as a kind, modest and sympathetic person. They see that Bible study has a beneficial effect on his whole family, and they cannot understand why he is behind bars.\n","date":"0001-01-01T00:00:00Z","image":{"jpg":"/prisoners/zhuk/photo_hu_df8ec0c2cc4d3cb4.jpg","jpg2x":"/prisoners/zhuk/photo_hu_e092130341a9f23b.jpg","webp":"/prisoners/zhuk/photo_hu_1c8c91a2f31dbd4.webp","webp2x":"/prisoners/zhuk/photo_hu_663824e72dfff3c2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/prisoners/zhuk.html","regions":["khabarovsk"],"tags":["families"],"title":"Vitaliy Zhuk","type":"prisoners"}]