Ioann Kurmoyarov

Extra Bio Info:

Ioann Kurmoyarov is imprisoned for his religious beliefs.

On June 7, 2022, authorities arrested Kurmoyarov, a hieromonk, after he posted several videos on his YouTube channel outlining his religious opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine. In the videos, he reportedly said that "those who have unleashed aggression will not be in heaven" and "if you are not disturbed by what is going on in Ukraine, this outrage, then…you are not Christians". Authorities also seized his cassock, two icons, a cross, and his electronic devices from his home. Kurmoyarov was charged with "public dissemination, under the guise of credible statements, of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens [and] maintain international peace and security, as well as about the exercise by state bodies of the Russian Federation of their powers outside the territory of the Russian Federation for those purposes…for reasons of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or for reasons of hatred or enmity against any social group" (Art. 207.3-2d RCC).

In March 2023, it was reported that Kurmoyarov's health had been deteriorating in prison. Kurmoyarov alleged in court that his requests for doctors' appointments had not been fulfilled. He also stated that his hearing and sight have gotten worse.

On August 31, 2023, the Kalininsky District Court of St. Petersburg sentenced Kurmoyarov to three years in prison and prohibitted him from publishing online for two years.

On February 15, 2024, the St. Petersburg City Court upheld Kurmoyarov's sentence.

Kurmoyarov reportedly has hypertension.