Additional Name(s): Igor Yakovlevich Schmidt, Igor Shmidt, Шмидт Игорь Яковлевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: Penal Colony No. 10, Rostov
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: October/1/2020
Date of Sentencing: October/22/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Igor Schmidt is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On October 1, 2020, Russian authorities in Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, detained Schmidt alongside other Jehovah's Witnesses in relation to their religious activities.
On March 23, 2021, Schmidt was released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest.
On October 22, 2021, the Gagarinsky District Court of Sevastopol sentenced Schmidt to six years 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). Schmidt was taken into custody following the verdict.
On January 13, 2022, the Sevastopol City Court upheld Schmidt's sentence.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Igor Shmidt" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Shmidt in Sevastopol" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Sevastopol Appeals Court Upheld Sentence for 49-Year Old Igor Shmidt, One of Jehovah's Witnesses: Six Years in a Penal Colony" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"In Sevastopol, Businessman Igor Shmidt Was Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Reading the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"After the searches in Sevastopol, four peaceful believers were sent to a detention center for at least two months" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Additional Name(s): Dmitriy Sergeyevich Terebilov, Теребилов Дмитрий Сергеевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: Penal Colony No. 1, Kostroma
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 3 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: September/6/2021
Date of Sentencing: September/6/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Dmitriy Terebilov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On September 6, 2021, the Sverdlovsk District Court of Kostroma sentenced Terebilov to three years in prison for “participating in the activities of a public or religious association, or any other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-2 RCC). Investigators said that he “distributed...literature included in the federal list of extremist materials, containing information that incites religious hatred, propagandizing the exclusivity, superiority of the dogma of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the inferiority of other citizens who do not profess this doctrine...took part in ongoing meetings.” Terebilov was taken into custody following the verdict.
On January 12, 2022, the Kostroma Regional Court upheld Terebilov's sentence.
In April 2023, a new criminal case was opened against Terebilov for having conversations about his religious beliefs with a cellmate.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Dmitriy Terebilov" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Против свидетеля Иеговы возбудили новое дело за разговоры о боге в колонии" Memorial
"Kostroma Appeals Court Upholds Dmitriy Terebilov's Sentence — Three Years in a Maximum Security Penal Colony for his Faith in Jehovah God" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The Court in Kostroma Sentenced Dmitriy Terebilov to 3 Years of a Strict-Regime Colony for Bible Discussions" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Additional Name(s): Vladimir Yuriyevich Skachidub, Скачидуб Владимир Юрьевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: Penal Colony No. 6, Ryazan
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Health Concerns: Disability
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 4 Years, 2 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: October/11/2021
Date of Sentencing: October/11/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Giving, Sharing, & Listening to a Religious Speech Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Vladimir Skachidub is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On October 11, 2021, the Pavlovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory sentenced Skachidub to four years and two months in prison reportedly 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) and “participating in the activities of a public or religious association, or any other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-2 RCC). Investigators said that Skachidub "... participated in religious sermons, during which... conducted and listened to lectures based on religious literature, entered into conversations and religious discussions, and participated in collective discussions of the content of religious books." Skachidub was taken into custody following the verdict.
On April 20, 2022, the Krasnodar Regional Court upheld Skachidub's sentence.
Skachidub is disabled.
Skachidub is married.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Vladimir Skachidub" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Skachidub in Pavlovskaya" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Vladimir Skachidub's Verdict of Four-Years-and-Two Months in Prison for Believing in Jehovah God Was Upheld Despite an Appeal Filed in Krasnodar" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Krasnodar Court Sentenced Vladimir Skachidub, a Believer with a Disability, to Four Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"In Krasnodar Region Two More Local Residents Prosecuted for Their Faith. They Are Accused of Preaching" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia