Additional Name(s): Leonid Ivanovich Druzhinin, Дружинин Леонид Иванович
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December/28/2022
Date of Sentencing: December/28/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Leonid Druzhinin is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On December 28, 2022, the Zeya District Court of the Amur Region sentenced Druzhinin to six years and six 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). Druzhinin was accused of holding religious services, which included discussing the Bible. Druzhinin was taken into custody following the verdict.
On March 31, 2023, the Amur Regional Court upheld Druzhinin's sentence.
On March 19, 2024, the judicial panel of the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok upheld Druzhinin's sentence.
Related Cases: Yevgeniy Bitusov
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Leonid Druzhinin" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Druzhinin and Bitusov in Zeya" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
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"In the city of Zeya, Amur Region, two believers received 6 and 6.5 years in prison for reading the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia