Additional Name(s): Roman Aleksandrovich Gridasov, Гридасов Роман, Гридасов Роман Александрович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 2 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: September/19/2019

Date of Sentencing: September/19/2019

Date of Release: July/29/2021

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism

Roman Gridasov

Extra Bio Info:

Roman Gridasov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On June 12, 2018, authorities detained Gridasov following a raid on his home.

On June 14, 2018, Gridasov was released on recognizance.

On June 21, 2018, Gridasov was charged with “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).

On September 19, 2019, the Leninskiy District Court of Saratov sentenced Gridasov to two years in prison.  He was taken into state custody following the trial.

On December 20, 2019, Gridasov's appeal was rejected.

On February 4, 2020, Gridasov was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 1 in the Orenburg Region.

On February 6, 2020, Gridasov was reportedly attacked in prison.

On July 29, 2021, Gridasov was released from prison.

Gridasov is married.

Related Cases: Aleksey Budenchuk, Aleksey Miretskiy, Konstantin Bazhenov, Gennadiy German, Feliks Makhammadiyev

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Alexey Miretsky, Aleksey Petrovich Miretskiy, Мирецкий Алексей, Мирецкий Алексей Петрович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 2 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: September/19/2019

Date of Sentencing: September/19/2019

Date of Release: August/3/2021

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism

Aleksey Miretskiy

Extra Bio Info:

Aleksey Miretskiy was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On June 12, 2018, authorities detained Miretskiy following a raid on his home. He was subsequently released the same day and placed on recognizance.

On June 21, 2018, Miretskiy was charged with “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).

On September 19, 2019, the Leninskiy District Court of Saratov sentenced Miretskiy to two years in prison. He was taken into state custody following the trial.

On December 20, 2019, Miretskiy's appeal was rejected.

On February 4, 2020, Miretskiy was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 1 in the Orenburg Region.

On February 6, 2020, Miretskiy was reportedly attacked in prison.

On August 3, 2021, Miretskiy was released.

Miretskiy is married with one child.

Related Cases: Aleksey Budenchuk, Konstantin Bazhenov, Gennadiy German, Roman Gridasov, Feliks Makhammadiyev

Publicly Available Information:

Mar 26, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2020

USCIRF Saddened Over Presumed Death of Robert Levinson, Calls on Iran to Repatriate Him and Free Religious Prisoners of Conscience

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply saddened by the presumed death of Robert Levinson, one of USCIRF’s religious prisoners of conscience. In a March 25 public statement, Mr. Levinson’s family stated: “We recently received information from U.S. officials that has led both them and us to conclude that our wonderful husband and father died while in Iranian custody.”

“Our hearts ache for the family of Robert Levinson; may his memory be a blessing,” said USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore who advocated for Mr. Levinson as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. “We will never forget that the Iranian government is ultimately responsible for the death of Robert Levinson, the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. USCIRF calls on the government of Iran to repatriate Mr. Levinson immediately to provide for a dignified return to his family and to free every one of the many prisoners of conscience held in the country."

On March 9, 2007, Levinson, a retired FBI agent and Jewish-American U.S. citizen, disappeared on the Iranian island of Kish. It is likely that the government of Iran disappeared him, though Iran’s government denied knowledge of his whereabouts. In November 2019, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances notified Levinson’s family that Iran considered his case “open” in the Public Prosecution and Revolutionary Court of Tehran, leading to a flurry of renewed activity by the U.S. Department of State.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that Iran be re-designated as a country of particular concern due to its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

 

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