Case of Voronchikhin and others in Simferopol

 CRIMEA

Case of Voronchikhin and others in Simferopol

Salekh Mamedov

Updated: November 9, 2023

Name: Mamedov, Salekh Yaser Ogly

Date of Birth: June 19, 1994

Current status: suspect

Article of the Russian Criminal Code: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)

Biography

Criminal prosecution for faith changed the usual way of life of Salekh Mamedov and his wife. Because of his faith, in June 2023, a criminal case was initiated against the man under an extremist article.

Salekh was born in June 1994 in Simferopol. He has two brothers and a sister. His father works as a civil engineer, and his mother teaches English and French.

As a child, Salekh was fond of cars—he drew them and read magazines about them. He was also involved in athletics, loved to ride a bicycle with friends, listen to music. After school he learned to be a car mechanic.

Salekh worked mainly in the field of trade, for the last 4 years he was engaged in repairing watches, making keys and laser engraving.

Salekh's mother instilled in him a love of God from childhood. When he grew up, he became convinced that everything written in the Bible is relevant for a modern person, and the advice from this book is practical. "They helped me avoid a lot of mistakes," Salekh recalls. In 2010, he made the decision to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Salekh had known his future wife since his youth. They got married in 2020. Diana works as a hairdresser. She shares her husband's views on life. As a teenager, she was impressed by the fact that the Bible could answer any question.

The couple enjoys learning new recipes, spending time with friends and cooking over a campfire. They love to take walks, listen to music, go to the sea with an overnight stay.

Salekh's relatives, including those who do not share his religious views, as well as neighbors, his employer and acquaintances, wonder why a peaceful and decent person is persecuted for believing in God.

Brief history of the case

In November 2022, mass searches of believers took place in the Simferopol region of Crimea. Alexander Voronchikhin was interrogated and a written undertaking not to leave the place was taken from him. The Investigative Committee accused him of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, calling peaceful religious services a crime. In August 2023, new searches took place in Armyansk, Simferopol and Saki, including at Voronchikhin’s son-in-law. New defendants have appeared in the case: Dmitry Zakharevich, Victor Manya, Alexander Kopylets and others. Later, Mani’s case was separated into a separate proceeding and several more defendants appeared in it.

Criminal case

Region:

Crimea

Locality:

Simferopol

What is suspected:

“committed active actions of an organizational nature, expressed in the organization of propaganda meetings at which discussions of the texts and religious provisions of Jehovah’s Witnesses were held” (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)

Criminal case number:

12202350020000180

Initiated:

November 17, 2022

Current stage of the case:

review of case materials by the accused

Investigates:

the first investigative department for the investigation of particularly important cases of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)