Viktor Spirichev
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Suspended prison sentence, Restriction of liberty
- Sentence
- 2 years
- Date of verdict
- 2025-12-09
- Region
- Krasnodar Krai
- 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 Vyselki (Krasnodar Territory). He worked as a railway fitter, a sales consultant, and then became a self-employed entrepreneur, also working in the construction and repair sector. In May 2023, a criminal case was opened against him for participating in the activities of an extremist organization due to his involvement with the Jehovah's Witnesses community. Representatives of this community are persecuted under extremist articles solely for their religious activities – holding meetings and worship services, and attracting new followers. In July 2023, Spirichev was placed under a travel ban.
On December 9, 2025, the court sentenced him to two years of suspended imprisonment.
Others charged under Article 282.2 part 2, 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.