Dennis Christensen

Extra Bio Info:

Dennis Christensen was imprisoned for his religious activity. 

On May 25, 2017, police, including members of the Federal Security Service (FSB), arrested Christensen following a raid on a Jehovah’s Witness worship service in Oryol, western Russia. Christensen reportedly gave a sermon during the service and unlocked the building where the service took place. He was charged with “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” (Article 282.2 (1) RCC).  

On February 6, 2019, the Zheleznodorozhny District Court found Christensen guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison at a penal colony. Prosecutors produced wire-tapped phone call transcripts and secret witnesses that implicated Dennis on having discussions about a religious publication, helping organize worshipers to maintain the upkeep of their place of worship, and persuading people to worship with him.

On May 23, 2019, the Oryol Regional Court rejected Christensen's appeal and upheld his sentence. 

In June 2020, a judge from the Lgovsky District Court of the Kursk Region replaced the remaining time of Christensen's sentence with a fine of 400,000 rubles. Instead of being released following the court decision, however, state prosecution challenged the ruling.

In September 2020, the Kursk Regional Court reversed the prior court’s decision to release Christensen and instead sent his case back to the court for a new trial.  

In October 2020, the Lgovsky District Court upheld Christensen's original 2019 sentence, citing his refusal to work in the colony.

In February 2021, the Kursk Regional Court upheld the Lgovsky District Court’s October 2020 ruling.

While imprisoned, Christensen has been forced to live in a “punishment cell” on three separate occasions for allegedly violating prison rules. In June 2020, Dennis was placed in a small, poorly ventilated cell reserved for violent offenders for 15 days after being accused of entering the dinning hall at the wrong time, not wearing his jacket to dinner, getting up late, and talking to other prisoners. In mid-July 2020, Dennis was placed in a punishment cell again for five days, citing his refusal to work for health reasons. In September 2020, Dennis was put in a punishment cell again after being accused of refusing to work. These arbitrary remands into punishment cells served as the court’s basis to uphold his original sentence.

Christensen has been denied adequate health care while in prison. In September 2019, Christensen contracted pneumonia, reportedly as the result of inhumane living conditions. In May 2020, Christensen's health continued to deteriorate after prison authorities “lost” his medical records and refused to provide him with necessary medical care. Christensen also suffers from an unspecified neurological issue that causes pain when performing specific types of labor.

On May 24, 2022, Christensen was released from prison after completing his sentence. The following day, May 25, 2022, he was deported to Denmark.