Memorial recognises a further 130 Jehovah’s Witnesses as victims of politically motivated prosecutions
More than 330 Jehovah’s Witnesses have now been subject to prosecution
The Memorial Human Rights Centre has recognised 24 Jehovah’s Witnesses as political prisoners, of whom 15 have been remanded in custody and nine are under house arrest.
We have found a further 106 Jehovah’s Witnesses to be victims of politically-motivated criminal prosecutions on whom pre-trial restrictive measures have been imposed that fall short of derivation of liberty (for a list of names, see below).
The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been charged with organising the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code), participation in the same (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code) or recruitment into the organisation (Part 1.1. of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). A number have also been charged with financing extremist activities (Part One of Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code).
Total figures
Altogether our list contains the names of 49 Jehovah’s Witnesses who are political prisoners and have been deprived of their liberty on charges related to their religious belief. Thirty-two of them have been remanded in custody, 17 are under house arrest. A further two hundred and eighty believers are being prosecuted without having been deprived of their liberty.
Nine Jehovah’s Witnesses have already been sentenced to terms in prison of up to six years. Six have been given suspended sentences. Ten have been given non-custodial sentences or penalties that were quashed because of the decriminalisation of certain articles of the Criminal Code.
A total of 339 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been prosecuted since the full-scale campaign against this group of believers began in August 2017. The number continues to grow.
A list of those prosecuted on charges of belonging to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ faith is available on our website and is regularly updated.
We consider that the designation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organisations as extremist is unjustifiable and violates the rights to freedom of conscience and association, while the criminal prosecution of members of this peaceful faith is unlawful and discriminatory.
We demand that those Jehovah’s Witnesses held in custody and under house arrest be immediately released, and that charges be dropped against all Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner, or of a prosecution as politically motivated, does not imply that Memorial Human Rights Centre shares or approves the individual’s views, statements or actions.
You can support all political prisoners by donating to the Fund to Support Political Prisoners of the Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners via PayPal, using the e-wallet at [email protected].
15 new defendants remanded in custody:
1. Andreyev, Andrei Leonidovich
2. Bachurin, Viktor Nikolayevich
3. Bagratyan, Alevtina Mikhailovna
4. Bagratyan, Artyom Babkenovich
5. Bochkaryov, Andrei Nikolayevich
6. Khokhlov, Vladimir Aleksandrovich
7. Kostrov, Aleksandr Veniaminovich
8. Krutyakov, Yury Alekseyevich
9. Kuzichkin, Nikolai Nikolayevich
10. Netreba, Artur Vyacheslavovich
11. Polyakevich, Gennady Iosifovich
12. Popov, Vyacheslav Alekseyevich
13. Ryshkov, Andrei Vladimirovich
14. Stepanov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich
15. Zhinzhikov, Eduard Vladimirovich
Nine new instances of believers placed under house arrest:
1. Batchayev, Albert Salikhovich
2. Bochkaryova, Leisan Raushanovna
3. Krutyakova, Zinaida Valentinovna
4. Nikiforov, Vitaly Sergeyevich
5. Obizhestvit, Tatyana Vitalievna
6. Pegasheva, Yekaterina Gennadievna
7. Skutelets, Gennady Viktorovich
8. Zherebtsov, Konstantin Petrovich
9. Zimovsky, Viktor Vladimirovich
106 Jehovah’s Witnesses placed under pre-trial restrictions not related to deprivation of liberty:
1. Akhrameyeva, Yevgeniya Nikolayevna
2. Anoikina, Nadezhda Anatolievna
3. Antonov, Denis Nikolayevich
4. Arkhipov, Aleksei Albertovich
5. Artamonova, Larisa Aleksandrovna
6. Baranov, Yury Vladimirovich
7. Barmakina, Yelena Mikhailovna
8. Bektemirova, Gaukhar Magauinovna
9. Belyayev, Eduard Nikolayevich
10. Boiko, Anatoly Afanasievich
11. Boiko, Vladimir Grigorievich
12. Bukin, Vladimir Valerievich
13. Burkov, Mikhail Ivanovich
14. Chermnykh, Anton Yevgenievich
15. Dyusekeyeva, Dinara Khairollayevna
16. Ferulyova, Tatyana Georgievna
17. Galaktionova, Lyubov Aleksandrovna
18. Ganusha, Olga Aleksandrovna
19. Geraskov, Yury Mikhailovich
20. Gezik, Anatoly Petrovich
21. Gezik, Irina Nikolayevna
22. Gild, Pavel Aleksandrovich
23. Gordeyev, Mikhail Genrikhovich
24. Grigorenko, Vladislav Borisovich
25. Gubin, Andrei Petrovich
26. Guzev, Konstantin Viktorovich
27. Guzeva, Anastasiya Vladimirovna
28. Ilinykh, Vitaly Vladimirovich
29. Inozemtsev, Aleksandr Valerievich
30. Iuferov, Sergei Vitalievich
31. Ivanov, Vyacheslav Vladimirovich
32. Kabanov, Aleksandr Alekseyevich
33. Kaganovich, Yuliya Fyodorovna
34. Karimzhanov, Amirkhan Zhumatayevich
35. Khabarov, Pyotr Vladimirovich
36. Kirilyuk, Sergei Nikolayevich
37. Kogai, Nailya Sunatovna
38. Konkova, Nadezhda Nikolayevna
39. Konyukhov, Sergei Vladimirovich
40. Korolchuk, Sergei Stanislavovich
41. Korolyov, Aleksandr Yevgenievich
42. Kozlitin, Aleksandr Alekseyevich
43. Kriger, Natalya Romanovna
44. Kulakov, Dmitry Sergeyevich
45. Kutsenko, Vadim Aleksandrovich
46. Kuznetsov, Sergei Petrovich
47. Leontiev, Mikhail Olegovich
48. Lokhvitskaya, Anna Aleksandrovna
49. Lokhvitskaya, Irina Yurievna
50. Lokhvitsky, Artur Sergeyevich
51. Makhalichev, Nikolai Andreyevich
52. Makhmadagayeva, Valentina Aleksandrovna
53. Mamalimov, Igor Rafitovich
54. Mamalimov, Pavel Rafitovich
55. Medvedeva, Olga Alekseyevna
56. Monis, Svetlana Yakovlevna
57. Nikulin, Georgy Nikolayevich
58. Nikulina, Yelena Anatolievna
59. Olshevsky, Anton Yurievich
60. Omelchenko, Vitaly Nikolayevich
61. Parfentiev, Georgy Konstantinovich
62. Parfentieva, Tatyana Ivanovna
63. Parkova, Galina Vasilievna
64. Petrenko, Valery Grigorievich
65. Petrushin, Eduard Mikhailovich
66. Polozov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich
67. Ponomarenko, Liudmila Ivanovna
68. Postnikov, Oleg Vladimirovich
69. Purge, Nina Ivanovna
70. Putintsev, Aleksandr Nikolayevich
71. Ravnushkin, Dmitry Vasilievich
72. Reino-Chernyshova, Yelena Allanovna
73. Reznichenko, Vasily Pavlovich
74. Rubtsov, Valery Arkadievich
75. Ryzhkova, Svetlana Anatolievna
76. Saakyan, Karina Samvelovna
77. Sagin, Viktor Petrovich
78. Sandu, Olga Timofeyevna
79. Semeniuk, Sergei Yurievich
80. Shangareyev, Fail Samigullovich
81. Sholner, Tatyana Vladimirovna
82. Shut, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna
83. Shvalev, Sergei Stepanovich
84. Slashchev, Valery Vladimirovich
85. Slobodenyuk, Vitaly Ivanovich
86. Slobodenyuk, Yevgeniya Nikolayevna
87. Soldatova, Zinaida Viktorovna
88. Stepkina, Valentina Ivanovna
89. Suvorova, Valentina Anatolievna
90. Svetonosov, Sergei Aleksandrovich
91. Sychyova, Anastasiya Nikolayevna
92. Terebilov, Dmitry Sergeyevich
93. Tishchenko, Dmitry Vladimirovich
94. Tolstonozhenko, Sergei Anatolievich
95. Tsaryov, Igor Olegovich
96. Usanova, Raisa Mikhailovna
97. Vaag, Yury Vladimirovich
98. Vashchenko, Rimma Mikhailovna
99. Vasiliev, Vladimir Petrovich
100. Vinogradov, Dmitry Yurievich
101. Yegorov, Yevgeny Viktorovich
102. Yelin, Yevgeny Vladimirovich
103. Yermilov, Sergei Nikolayevich
104. Yermolayev, Vladimir Vladimirovich
105. Zagulina, Tatyana Yurievna
106. Zhukov, Igor Vladimirovich
