Valerii Minsafin
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Fine
- Date of verdict
- 2026-01-23
- 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
In July 2021, it became known that Minsafin was a suspect in a case of participation in the activities of an extremist organisation due to his involvement with the Jehovah's Witnesses community. He was detained but released two days later. In March 2023, the prosecution against him was discontinued. But in July 2025, the investigation was resumed, and Minsafin was taken recognisance not to abscond. On 23 January he was sentenced to a fine of 400 thousand rubles.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
What we write about political persecution
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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.