Nikolay Kovadnev
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Ban on activity, Suspended prison sentence
- Sentence
- 6 years
- Date of verdict
- 2025-09-30
- Region
- Khabarovsk Krai
- City
- Komsomolsk-on-Amur
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
A resident of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. On 25 May 2023, his home was searched as part of a case concerning alleged involvement in the activities of an extremist organisation, linked to his participation in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community.
Members of this community are prosecuted under extremist legislation solely for engaging in religious practices, such as holding meetings, conducting worship services, and attracting new adherents.
On 1 October 2025, the court handed Kovadnev a six-year suspended sentence.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 1, 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.