Additional Name(s): Sergey Vasiliyevich Korolev, Королёв Сергей Васильевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: SIZO No. 1, Astrakhan
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/9/2021
Date of Sentencing: April/17/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Belief Singing, Playing, & Producing Religious Songs & Music
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism Illicit Financing
Sergey Korolev is imprisoned for his religious activity and belief.
On November 9, 2021, authorities detained several individuals, including Korolev, following raids on the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses in Akhtubinsk and Znamensk. They were accused of “organiz[ing] meetings... including using videoconferencing...namely, in the form of a collective religious service, consisting of public playback of audio recordings and video recordings... successively performing songs from a special collection of the religious teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and prayers to the god Jehovah.”
On April 17, 2023, the Akhtubinskiy District Court sentenced Korolev to seven 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) and “collecting funds…intended to finance the organization, preparation and commission of at least one of the crimes of an extremist orientation, or to ensure the activities of an extremist community or an extremist organization” (Art. 282.3-1 RCC).
On August 31, 2023, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld Korolev's sentence.
On March 19, 2024, the Fourth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Krasnodar upheld Korolev's sentence.
Korolev is married.
Related Cases: Rinat Kiramov, Sergey Kosyanenko
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Sergey Korolev" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The Regional Court in Astrakhan Upheld the Harsh Sentence of Three Believers from Akhtubinsk" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in the Russian Federation July 2023
"В Ахтубинске трое Свидетелей Иеговы получили по семь лет лишения свободы" SOVA Center
"A Court in Akhtubinsk Sentenced Three of Jehovah's Witnesses to 7 Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Three Believers Detained After Searches in the Astrakhan Region" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Additional Name(s): Rinat Ildusovish Kiramov, Кирамов Ринат Ильдусович
Gender: Male
Current Location: SIZO No. 1, Astrakhan
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: Yes
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/9/2021
Date of Sentencing: April/17/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Belief Singing, Playing, & Producing Religious Songs & Music
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism Illicit Financing
Rinat Kiramov is imprisoned for his religious activity and belief.
On November 9, 2021, authorities detained several individuals, including Kiramov, following raids on the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses in Akhtubinsk and Znamensk. They were accused of “organiz[ing] meetings... including using videoconferencing...namely, in the form of a collective religious service, consisting of public playback of audio recordings and video recordings... successively performing songs from a special collection of the religious teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and prayers to the god Jehovah.”
On April 17, 2023, the Akhtubinskiy District Court sentenced Kiramov to seven 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) and “collecting funds…intended to finance the organization, preparation and commission of at least one of the crimes of an extremist orientation, or to ensure the activities of an extremist community or an extremist organization” (Art. 282.3-1 RCC).
On August 31, 2023, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld Kiramov's sentence.
On March 19, 2024, the Fourth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Krasnodar upheld Kiramov's sentence.
In June 2024, it was reported that Kiramov had been tortured while at the medical correctional institution No. 3 of the Tula region. According to Kiramov, several prisoners confronted him, demanding that he provide the names of Jehovah’s Witnesses living in Akhtubinsk. When Kiramov refused, he was beaten for several days, waterboarded, and electrocuted with a stun gun. Kiramov also alleged that he had been deprived of sleep and meals and prohibited from ordinary activities including sitting and daily hygiene habits.
Kiramov is married.
Related Cases: Sergey Korolev, Sergey Kosyanenko
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Rinat Kiramov" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
“One of Convicted Jehovah's Witnesses from Akhtubinsk Was Tortured” Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The Regional Court in Astrakhan Upheld the Harsh Sentence of Three Believers from Akhtubinsk" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in the Russian Federation July 2023
"В Ахтубинске трое Свидетелей Иеговы получили по семь лет лишения свободы" SOVA Center
"A Court in Akhtubinsk Sentenced Three of Jehovah's Witnesses to 7 Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Three Believers Detained After Searches in the Astrakhan Region" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Additional Name(s): Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Zinich, Зинич Евгений Николаевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: Detention Center No.1, Krasnoyarsk
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: June/27/2022
Date of Sentencing: June/27/2022
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
Yevgeniy Zinich is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On June 27, 2022, the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Krasnoyarsk sentenced Zinich 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). Zinich was taken into custody following the verdict.
On January 19, 2022, the Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court upheld Zinich's sentence.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Yevgeniy Zinich" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Zinich in Krasnoyarsk" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"An Appeal in Krasnoyarsk Upheld the Verdict for Yevgeniy Zinich, 56. He Is Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for His Beliefs" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"In Krasnoyarsk, Yevgeniy Zinich, a Descendant of Jehovah's Witnesses Who Were Repressed in Soviet Times, Was Sentenced to Six Years in Penal Colony" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia