Larisa Serdtseva
- 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 6 months
- Date of verdict
- 2026-01-30
- Region
- Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
- 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
A resident of the Nizhny Novgorod region, she was employed by a cleaning company. On 16 April 2024, she was summoned for questioning. She was subsequently charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organisation in connection with her involvement in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Members of this community are prosecuted under extremism legislation solely for practising their religion — holding meetings and worship services, and seeking to attract new adherents. On 30 January 2026, Serdtseva received a suspended sentence of two and a half years.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
What we write about political persecution
Recent material from this section. This is section navigation — the articles below are not about this person.
- 2026-09-04Georgia court clears extradition of Fugal ally to Russia
- 2026-09-04Russia labels Novaya Gazeta a 'foreign agent,' adds over 100 affiliated names
- 2026-09-04Russian court sentences hostage-takers from Rostov detention center to up to 29 years
- 2026-09-04Two Yabloko Duma candidates detained in Moscow two days before vote
- 2026-09-03British man says Russian police beat him, jumped on his head at station in Yessentuki
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.