Additional Name(s): Valentin Pavlovich Osadchuk, Осадчук Валентин Павлович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: April/19/2018

Date of Release: April/5/2019

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: House Arrest

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism

Valentin Osadchuk

Extra Bio Info:

Valentin Osadchuk was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On April 19, 2018, authorities arrested Osadchuk.

On April 27, 2018, Osadchuk was charged with “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).  It is reported that he was arrested for participating in religious services.

On January 18, 2019, the Primorsky Regional Court released Osadchuk from pre-trial detention and placed him under house arrest.

On April 1, 2019, prosecutors dropped the charge of “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) and instead charged Osadchuk 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 April 5, 2019, investigators lifted Osadchuk's house arrest and placed him on recognizance.

Prior to his arrest, Osadchuk was responsible for taking care of his elderly mother.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Valeriy Vasilyevich Moskalenko, Москаленко Валерий Васильевич

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: August/2/2018

Date of Sentencing: September/2/2019

Date of Release: September/2/2019

Current Status: Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism

Valeriy Moskalenko

Extra Bio Info:

Valeriy Moskalenko was detained for his religious belief and activity. 

On August 2, 2018, authorities detained Moskalenko following a raid on his apartment. 

On August 29, 2019, Moskalenko was charged with “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).  During his trial, prosecutors argued that Moskalenko's reading of a passage from the Bible among colleagues constituted extremist activity. 

On September 2, 2019, the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Khabarovsk sentenced Moskalenko to two years and two months of forced labor and six months of restricted freedom.  He was subsequently released from state custody.

On November 5, 2019, the Khabarovsk Regional Court replaced Moskalenko's prison sentence with a 500,000 ruble fine.

Prior to his arrest, Moskalenko was responsible for taking care of his elderly mother.

Publicly Available Information:

Mar 11, 2019

USCIRF Commissioner Andy Khawaja Adopts Religious
Prisoner of Conscience Robert Levinson

 

12th Anniversary Passes for Missing American Who Disappeared in Iran

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Andy Khawaja, Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today announced, as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, his adoption of Robert Levinson, an American of the Jewish faith who disappeared in 2007 and is believed to be held captive by the Iranian government under suspicions of espionage.

This week marks 12 years since Levinson’s disappearance. In 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his government was willing to cooperate in gathering information about Levinson’s disappearance, but his whereabouts remain unknown. In 2015, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution calling for Levinson’s release and the same year, the FBI offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his whereabouts.

“I call on the Iranian government to provide information about Robert Levinson’s current whereabouts and to return him to his family here in the United States immediately,” said Khawaja. “Levinson’s presumed captivity has been a travesty and now is the time for Iran to honor their commitment to cooperate and to respect human rights, including religious freedom.”

Since Levinson’s disappearance, members of Congress have repeatedly introduced draft legislation, the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage Taking Accountability bill, which would authorize the imposition of sanctions on persons responsible for hostage-taking or unlawful detention abroad among other measures. This bill was most recently reintroduced in 2019 by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and has bipartisan support. 

 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 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 Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

 

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