Kozhevnikova case in Tolyatti Yelena Kozhevnikova

 RUSSIA

Kozhevnikova case in Tolyatti

Yelena Kozhevnikova

Updated: September 20, 2023

Name: Kozhevnikova, Yelena Yuriyevna

Date of Birth: October 23, 1961

Current status: defendant

Article of the Russian Criminal Code: 282.2 (2)

Current restrictions: recognizance agreement

Biography

Yelena Kozhevnikova from Togliatti suffered serious losses—her only son died at the age of 18, her marriage broke up shortly thereafter, and she later buried her parents. The criminal prosecution for her faith, which she faced in May 2023, was another test in her life.

Yelena was born in October 1961 in the city of Ivanovo. Later, her family moved to Togliatti, where Yelena's parents worked at the Volga Automobile Plant. As a child, she loved board and outdoor games, read with pleasure. After school, Yelena entered a sewing school, after which she worked for some time in an atelier, and then got a job in a department store. While working there, she graduated from the College of Soviet Trade in absentia. 

Now Elena is retired, moonlighting as a maid and cleaner. She enjoys traveling, sewing and cooking. She takes special pleasure in communicating with friends.

In the late 1990s, Yelena got acquainted with the Bible. She recalls: "At first I didn't believe that eternal life was possible. I argued a lot. But I still wanted to read the Bible to figure it all out. I was attracted by how Jehovah was going to solve the issue of injustice. He's going to put an end to it." In 2005, Yelena became one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Later, her mother joined her in her Bible study.

The search and criminal prosecution for her faith dramatically changed Yelena's life. She said: "Now I have to adapt to the new circumstances. I can no longer plan anything freely, because I don't know what lies ahead. In addition, diseases have worsened. Yelena's relatives consider the persecution against her to be groundless.

Brief history of the case

In May 2023, searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Tolyatti. Elena Kozhevnikova became a defendant in a criminal case for her faith. She was given a written undertaking not to leave the place. A woman was accused of participating in an extremist organization simply because she was meeting with friends to discuss Bible teachings. The basis for initiating a criminal case was the hidden video recording of religious services, which was conducted for 2.5 years. In July 2023, the case went to trial.

Timeline

Criminal case

Region:

Samara Region

Locality:

Tolyatti

What is suspected:

“During an unspecified period of time... being in a place unidentified by the investigation, being a citizen of the Russian Federation, she joined the religious organization “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” and local religious organizations included in its structure […] Organized the production and distribution of paper information media, containing the ideology of the above-mentioned religious organization” (from the Resolution on bringing him as an accused).

Criminal case number:

12302360032000243

Initiated:

May 15, 2023

Current stage of the case:

trial in court of first instance

Investigates:

Investigative Directorate of the Russian Federation Investigative Committee for the Samara Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-525/2023

Court of First Instance:

Central District Court of Tolyatti

Judge of the trial court:

Irina Onuchina