Elena Gadrshina
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Suspended prison sentence
- Sentence
- 2 years
- Date of verdict
- 2025-11-19
- Region
- Krasnodar Krai
- City
- NULL
Recognition by human rights organisations
- Recognised as persecuted for exercising freedom of religionby Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
This is the assessment of the organisation named above, not ours. FACTUM reports it with attribution and does not make its own.
Case summary
Elena is a resident of Krasnodar Krai. She worked as an accountant until her retirement. In February 2022, her home was searched. In June 2023, Gadrshina was charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organisation due to her involvement in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Representatives of this community are prosecuted under extremist legislation solely for their religious activities — organising meetings and worship services, and recruiting new followers.
In August 2023, Gadrshina was placed under a travel restriction. On 19 November 2025, she received a two-year suspended sentence.
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.