Ilia Ershov
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Fine
- Date of verdict
- 2026-01-26
- Region
- Kurgan Oblast
- City
- Shadrinsk
Recognition by human rights organisations
- Recognised as persecuted for exercising freedom of religionby Memorial Human Rights Centre, 11 August 2021
This is the assessment of the organisation named above, not ours. FACTUM reports it with attribution and does not make its own.
Case summary
A resident of the Kurgan region. On 14 July 2021, Ershov's home was searched and he was detained as part of a case of extremist organisation activity in connection with his membership in a community of Jehovah's Witnesses banned in Russia. Representatives of this community are prosecuted under extremist articles solely for religious activities: meetings, joint worship services, attracting new supporters.
On 16 July Ershov was released in the status of a suspect. On 26 January 2026, the court sentenced him to a fine of 400 thousand rubles.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
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Source: this person’s record in the OVD-Info political persecution database
Published under CC BY 3.0. The criteria for treating a person as politically persecuted belong to OVD-Info; FACTUM relays their assessment and makes none of its own.
OVD-Info has been designated an «extremist» organisation in Russia — by decision of the Russian authorities, like other independent human rights and media projects.