Dmitriy Golik, One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Blagoveshchensk, Is Released

On April 15, 2025, a resident of Blagoveshchensk, Dmitriy Golik, left the Penal Colony № 2 in the Amur Region ahead of schedule. Of the six years and two months assigned to him, the believer served about four years in prison, including the time spent in a pre-trial detention center. Upon release, Dmitriy was met by his wife, family and friends.

A criminal case against Dmitry Golik was opened back in July 2018. After three years, the court found Dmitriy and his fellow believer Aleksey Berchuk guilty of extremism and sentenced them to long terms of imprisonment. Soon the believer was sent to a penal colony, and in the spring of 2023, he was transferred to a settlement colony, which is located about 150 kilometers from Blagoveshchensk.

"For several years, my wife Kristina7 came to me every week, covering such a distance," the believer said after his release, expressing gratitude to his wife and everyone who supported him, including through letters. Kristina Golik herself was prosecuted for her faith: about a month before Dmitriy's release, the appellate instance approved the 2.5 years of forced labor assigned to her.

As a prisoner, Dmitriy worked six days a week at a foundry in Belogorsk, a 30-minute drive from the penal colony. His duties included the manufacture of molds for pouring metal. Golik has a law degree, but before the verdict he worked in other fields, including as a translator from Chinese. During his imprisonment, his skills found unexpected use: he was an interpreter for a delegation of business partners of the foundry from China.

Dmitriy has earned a reputation not only as a reliable worker, but also as a good person. For some time, the administration was prejudiced against him, but later some employees said: "Dima is someone who is loved."