October 20, 2026, 3:33 PMRSSRU

Alevtina Bagratyan

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Alevtina Bagratyan, born 1977, Kursk Oblast. Charges: Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Participation in the activities of an extremist organization); “The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk”. Sentence (June 2, 2021): Two-year imprisonment in a general regime colony, three-year prohibition to carry out activities involving publishing… Status: at large. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, April 5, 2020.

In brief

Kursk Oblast · Kursk · Service workers · Extremism cases, Cases against Jehovah's Witnesses

Sentence

2 years

Two-year imprisonment in a general regime colony, three-year prohibition to carry out activities involving publishing appeals and other materials in information networks including Internet, six-months restriction of liberty

Verdict June 2, 2021

Upheld January 11, 2023

Charges

Full wording of the charges

studied Jehovah's Witnesses' materials with new followers of the doctrine, "propagandising the superiority of these ideas over other religious teachings, as well as distributing materials with extremist content"

Latest event

January 11, 2023 — cassation

The court upheld the verdict.

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Cassation ruling

    upheld

  2. · Persecution ends

  3. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 2 years

  4. · Preventive measure: house arrest

  5. · Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

  6. · Preventive measure: pre-trial detention

    Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for Kursk Oblast

Criminal case

The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk

Other defendants in the case

Thematic group: The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kursk

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

On 16 October 2019, Bagratyan and her husband were searched at home and charged with participation in the activities of an extremist organisation. On 18 October, the court decided to send her to detention. On 17 December 2020, she was transferred to house arrest.

On 3 June 2021, she was sentenced to two years in a general regime colony. She is now out of prison.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Sources (1)

Other people prosecuted under Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 929 under this article →