Additional Name(s): Aleksander Shcherbina, Aleksandr Anatoliyevich Shcherbina, Щербина Александр Анатольевич

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: Reduced to 2 Years' Imprisonment

Sentence: Originally 3 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: April/6/2021

Date of Sentencing: April/6/2021

Date of Release: February/22/2023

Current Status: 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

Aleksandr Shcherbina

Extra Bio Info:

Aleksandr Shcherbina was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On April 6, 2021, the Abinsky District Court of the Krasnodar sentenced Shcherbina 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). Shcherbina was accused of meeting with fellow Jehovah's Witnesses and discussing the Bible. He was taken into custody following the verdict. 

On June 24, 2021, the Krasnodar Regional Court reduced Shcherbina's sentence to two years in prison.

On February 22, 2023, Shcherbina was released from prison

Publicly Available Information:

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

Extra Bio Info:

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.

Publicly Available Information:

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

Extra Bio Info:

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.

Publicly Available Information:
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