Jehovah's Witness Rustam Seidkuliev was deported to Turkmenistan, although the court allowed him to stay in Russia for another 6 months

 RUSSIA


Jehovah's Witness Rustam Seidkuliev was deported to Turkmenistan, although the court allowed him to stay in Russia for another 6 months

September 21, 2023 Saratov Region


On September 17, 2023, employees of the Federal Migration Service, contrary to the court decision, deported Rustam Seyidkuliev to Turkmenistan. Previously, on the initiative of the FSB, his citizenship was revoked due to criminal prosecution for his faith.


Seidkuliev was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison for participating in religious services and talking about biblical topics. In total, Rustam spent a little over a year and 10 months behind bars. After Seidkuliev left the colony, additional punishment came into force. It was not associated with imprisonment and allowed him to live with his wife, move freely around Saratov, communicate with friends and work.


Two months later, a deportation decision was made and on June 19, the believer was detained and placed in the Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Citizens. The believer's defense appealed this decision. The Kirov District Court of Saratov allowed the deportation of Rustam Seidkuliev only after serving an additional sentence. This gave him the opportunity to remain in Russia with his family for more than 6 months after his release from the colony. Contrary to the court's decision, the believer was deported ahead of schedule.


As Seidkuliev himself said, FMS officers tried to expel him from the country twice. The first time was on September 15, but the flight was delayed and the believer was returned to the detention center. “The next day, the employees came and said: ‘You have 15 minutes to get ready,’” the believer recalls. “After that, they took us to Moscow by car, explaining the rush as an order from their superiors.”


Seyidkuliev arrived in Ashgabat at 3 am. There he was held at border control for about 12 hours and was released after completing the paperwork.


More than 20 years ago, Rustam’s stepfather was deported from Turkmenistan because he was a Jehovah’s Witness. This is how the Seidkuliev family ended up in Saratov.


Rustam Seidkuliev became the fourth Jehovah's Witness to be deported from the country by Russian authorities because of his religion since 2017. This previously happened to Dennis Christensen , Felix Makhammadiev and Konstantin Bazhenov.


The Seidkuliev case in Saratov


Brief history of the case


In January 2020, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Rustam Seidkuliev. He was accused of extremism for reading and discussing the Bible. Two weeks later, the police detained a believer in a shopping center in Adler. He was transported to Saratov and placed under house arrest for 7 months. In March 2021, Seidkuliev’s case came to court. Two months later he was found guilty and sentenced to 2.5 years in a general regime colony. The regional court reduced this period by 2 months. The Court of Cassation approved this decision. Seidkuliev served his sentence in IK-33 in Saratov. During this time, the FSB achieved the revocation of his Russian citizenship. In April 2023, the believer was released from the colony, and in September he was deported to Turkmenistan.


Criminal case


Region:

Saratov Region

Locality:

Saratov

Criminal case number:

12002630006000014

Initiated:

January 29, 2020

Current stage of the case:

verdict took effect

Investigates:

Investigative Department for the Leninsky District of Saratov Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Saratov Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-229/2021

Court:

Leninsky District Court of Saratov

Judge:

Andrey Efimov


After his release from the colony, Seidkuliev was imprisoned in a deportation center and expelled from the country

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