Additional Name(s): Серебряков Александр Георгиевич

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Date of Detainment: September/19/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism Illicit Financing

Aleksandr Serebryakov

Extra Bio Info:

Aleksandr Serebryakov is detained for his religious activity and belief.

On September 19, 2023, authorities detained Serebryakov following searches on Jehovah's Witness homes in Moscow and the broader Moscow region. He was charged with “collecting funds…intended to finance the organization, preparation and commission of at least one of the crimes of an extremist orientation, or to ensure the activities of an extremist community or an extremist organization” (Art. 282.3-1 RCC).

Serebryakov has been previously prosecuted for his religious activities. In August 2022, the Golovinsky District Court of Moscow sentenced Serebryakov to six years' suspended sentence for his Jehovah's Witness activities. 

Additional Name(s): Герасимов Алексей Анатольевич

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: December/7/2023

Date of Sentencing: December/7/2023

Current Status: Not Released

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

Aleksey Gerasimov

Extra Bio Info:

Aleksey Gerasimov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On December 7, 2023, the Kirovsky District Court of Kazan sentenced Gerasimov 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). Authorities had accused Gerasimov of giving lectures about and promoting the ideas of Jehovah's Witnesses. Gerasimov was taken into custody following the verdict. 

On March 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan upheld Gerasimov's sentence.

Dec 11, 2023

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Tajikistan

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Tajikistan Country Update – This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions and developments in Tajikistan. It details the legal framework regulating religion, the situation of Sunni and Ismaili Shi’a Muslims, issues impacting Christian communities, and cases of transnational repression. As part of an effort to maintain complete, authoritarian control over all segments of society, the government of Tajikistan commits systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. The Tajik government has placed undue restrictions on all facets of religious practice, including prayer, celebrations, education, and rituals. Those who fail to comply with Tajikistan’s regulations can face severe penalties. While Tajikistan’s religious freedom violations negatively impact all religious groups, they especially target the Hanafi Sunni Muslim majority.

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Tajikistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. In November 2022, the U.S. Department of State redesignated Tajikistan as a CPC. 

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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 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].