Natalia Sharapova
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal CodeArticle 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Imprisonment (general regime), Restriction of liberty
- Sentence
- 2 years 11 months
- Date of verdict
- 2024-07-10
- Region
- Primorsky Krai
- City
- NULL
Case summary
Born in Novy Uzen (Kazakhstan). Mother of two daughters lived in the town of Yaroslavsky (Primorsky Krai). Worked as a storekeeper at a garment factory, and then as a nail service master.
On 6 October 2022, Sharapova was taken into custody after a search. Initially, it was reported that she was charged with involvement in the activities of an extremist organisation, but later it was reported that Sharapova was accused of organising and 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 articles solely for religious activities: meetings, joint worship services, and attracting new supporters. On 10 July 2024, she was sentenced to three years in a general regime colony. On 3 October 2024, the court of appeals reduced the sentence by a month. The next day she was released.
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.
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