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 RUSSIA In Kovrov, A Court Found Aleksey Kupriyanov Guilty of Extremism for Believing in God. He Was Sentenced to a Penal Colony, But the Term Is Considered to Have Already Been Served September 21, 2023 Vladimir Region On September 15, 2023, the Kovrov City Court sentenced local resident Aleksey Kupriyanov to 1 year in prison and 6 months of restriction of liberty. Judge Vyacheslav Kuznetsov considered the quotation of the Bible as proof of the believer's guilt in extremism. The term shall be deemed to have been served during the investigation. Kupriyanov insists on his innocence. Back in February 2021, during mass searches and interrogations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kovrov, Aleksey faced persecution on religious grounds. The case was opened against him in June 2021. D. A. Tyumenev, an investigator of the FSB Directorate for the Vladimir Region, concluded that Kupriyanov continued the activities of the liquidated legal entity (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of t...

 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 Previously, on the initiative of the FSB, his citizenship was revoked due to criminal prosecution for his faith.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 ...

 RUSSIA Prisoners of conscience The case of Sveshnikov and Popov in Kovrov Aleksandr Popov Updated: September 21, 2023 Name: Popov, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Date of Birth: August 19, 1987 Current status: accused Article of the Russian Criminal Code: 282.2 (2) Time spent in prison: 2 days in temporary holding facility, 27 days under house arrest Current restrictions: house arrest Biography Alexander Popov faced criminal prosecution for his beliefs in August 2023. A search was carried out in his home, the believer was sent to a temporary detention facility, and later under house arrest. Alexander was born in August 1987 in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir region. He was the only child in the family. Parents worked as engineers. As a child, Alexander worked in the karting section. After school, he went to work at an enterprise, where he mastered the specialty of a plumber, and then worked at it until his arrest. In his free time, the man is interested in tourism and loves to travel by kaya...

 RUSSIA A court in Adygea sent 68-year-old Nikolai Voishchev to a colony for 3 years September 21, 2023 Republic of Adygeya On September 14, 2023, the judge of the Maikop City Court, Zaurbiy Birzhev, found Nikolai Voishchev guilty of extremism only because of his faith. Considering that the elderly believer has already served 329 days in a pre-trial detention center, he will have to spend another 1.5 years behind bars, despite his serious illness. During the debate, the prosecutor requested for Voishchev 7 years of imprisonment in a general regime correctional colony with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for 5 years and with restriction of freedom for 1 year. The judge decided to sentence Nikolai to imprisonment for 3 years in a general regime colony with deprivation of the right to engage in educational activities, as well as activities related to leadership and participation in religious, ...

 RUSSIA   The last word of the defendant Agnes Postnikova in Birobidzhan July 10, 2023 Jewish JSC The believer told about the repressions to which her ancestors were subjected, and why extremism is alien to her: "My whole gut resists what is a manifestation of extremism because of how much irreparable grief it has brought to my family and millions of other people." Transcript of the court session in the Birobidzhan District Court of the EAO dated 10.07.2023 in the case 1-39/2023 (1-718/2022) on charges of Agnes Davydovna Postnikova and Oleg Vladimirovich Postnikov of committing a crime under Parts 1.1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Postnikova Agnes Davydovna: Dear Court! Thank you for this opportunity — the last time in this process to appeal to the court. Usually in this part, the defendant is expected to hear words of remorse and a request for clemency. And if I had done something illegal, then I would, of course, regret it, I would a...

 RUSSIA Aleksandr Nikolayev, Father of Five, Convicted for His Faith, Was Released from the Colony September 20, 2023 Krasnodar Territory On September 19, 2023, Aleksandr Nikolayev, a father of five, was released from a penal colony in Khadyzhensk, where he spent almost a year for his faith in Jehovah God. The believer was greeted by his wife and children and mother-in-law. At the exit from the colony, FSB and police officers were on duty, and there were several police vans. The verdict - 2.5 years in prison - was handed down to Nikolayev in December 2021. Aleksandr was the first believer to be given a real sentence after the decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, explaining that participation in worship services is not a reason for conviction under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Despite this, the man was found guilty of extremism for reading a biblical passage via video conferencing. Aleksandr was detained in September...

 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....