Vitaliy Zhuk
Additional Name(s): Vitaliy Vyacheslavovich Zhuk, Жук Виталий Вячеславович
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Sentence: 8 Years, 4 Months’ Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: June/20/2024
Date of Sentencing: June/20/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Vitaliy Zhuk
Extra Bio Info:
Vitaliy Zhuk is imprisoned for his religious activity.
On June 20, 2024, the Industrial District Court of Khabarovsk sentenced Zhuk to eight years and four months in prison for “organizing the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-1 RCC). Authorities charged Zhuk in relation to his activities as a Jehovah’s Witness. Zhuk was taken into custody following the verdict.
Polevodov had previously received a suspended prison sentence for his religious activities.
Related Cases: Nikolai Polevodov, Stanislav Kim
Sources:
- Photo attributed to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
- “The case of Polevodov and Others in Khabarovsk” Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
- “Court in Khabarovsk Handed Down Record Harsh Sentences to a Group of Jehovah's Witnesses—Up to Eight and a Half Years in a Penal Colony” Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
- “In Khabarovsk, the disruption of a friendly meeting, searches and new arrests for faith” Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia