Igor Popov
Igor Popov, born 1987, Irkutsk Oblast. Charges: Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of the activities of an extremist organization); “The case of nine Jehovah’s Witnesses in Irkutsk”. Sentence (March 5, 2024): 6 years 4 months of deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony, prohibition to engage in organisational… Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since October 30, 2021; place of detention: Penal colony No. 5, Altai Krai. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, December 3, 2021.
In brief
Irkutsk Oblast · Irkutsk · Manual workers · Extremism cases, Cases against Jehovah's Witnesses
Sentence
6 years 4 months
of deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony, prohibition to engage in organisational activities in public or religious associations for 5 years, and 1 year 2 months of restriction of liberty
Upheld December 12, 2024
Charges
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Organization of the activities of an extremist organization
Full wording of the charges
being "an adherent of the religious association "Management Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia", organised collective religious services consisting of successive performances of songs and prayers to Jehovah God, study of articles"
Latest event
December 12, 2024 — appeal
The court upheld the verdict.
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Memorial Human Rights Centre, December 3, 2021
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 6 years 4 months
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for Irkutsk Oblast
· Persecution begins
The case of nine Jehovah’s Witnesses in Irkutsk
· Preventive measure: placement in a temporary detention facility
Criminal case
The case of nine Jehovah’s Witnesses in Irkutsk
Other defendants in the case
- Sergey Vasilyev — Location unknown, 3 years
- Yaroslav Kalin — Imprisoned, 7 years
- Sergey Kosteev — Imprisoned, 7 years
- Nikolay Martynov — Imprisoned, 7 years
- Michael Moish — Imprisoned, 7 years
- Denis Sarazhakov — Imprisoned, 6 years 4 months
- Alexei Solnechny — Imprisoned, 7 years
- Andrey Tolmachev — Imprisoned, 7 years
Thematic group: The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Irkutsk
Write a letter
Facility: Penal colony No. 5, Altai Krai
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
658209, Алтайский край, г.Рубцовск, ул.Тракторная, 23, ФКУ «ИК № 5 УФСИН России по Алтайскому краю», Попов Игорь Иванович, 1987 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
On 30 November 2021, Popov's home in Mezhdurechensk (Kemerovo Region) was searched. He was taken to Irkutsk region, where on 2 December the court sent him to custody on the case of organising activities of an extremist organisation in connection with his involvement in the Jehovah's Witnesses community. Representatives of this community are prosecuted under extremist articles solely for religious activities: meetings, joint worship services, attracting new supporters. On 5 March 2024, he was sentenced to six years and four months in a general regime colony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.