Anton Virich
- Criminal Code
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Extremism casesCases against Jehovah's Witnesses
- Verdict
- Imprisonment (general regime)
- Sentence
- 6 years
- Date of verdict
- 2024-04-25
- Region
- Primorsky Krai
- City
- Luchegorsk settlement
- Facility
- ФКУ «ИК № 1 УФСИН России по Республике Бурятия»
- Address for letters
- 671160, Селенгинский р-н, Бурятия, г. Гусиноозерск, ФКУ «ИК № 1 УФСИН России по Республике Бурятия», Вирич Антон Александрович, 1980 г.р.
Case summary
Virich was detained on 11 July 2023 in Krasnoyarsk krai, it later appeared that he had become the subject of a criminal case.
After the detention, the believer was informed that since 11 February 2022, he had been under a travel restriction, though Virich said that he was not aware of this and had not received the relevant notifications. After arrest, Virich was taken to Primorsky krai and then placed in custody on charges of organising the activities of an extremist organisation in connection due to his involvement with the Jehovah's Witnesses community. Representatives of this community are prosecuted under extremist articles solely for religious activities: meetings, joint worship services, and attraction of new supporters.
On 25 April 2024, Virich was sentenced to six years and two months in a general regime colony. On 1 August 2024, the court slightly mitigated the sentence: the term was reduced by two months, six years in a colony in total.
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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