Konstantin Bazhenov

Name: Bazhenov Konstantin Viktorovich

Date of Birth: May 10, 1975

Current status: who has served the main sentence

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)

Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 432 day in a pre-trial detention, 502 day in prison

Sentence: punishment in the form of 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment to be served in a penal colony of general regime; with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a period of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year

Biography

Konstantin Bazhenov was born in 1975 in Veliky Novgorod in a family far from religion. As a child, he moved to Ukraine with his parents and brother. As a child, Konstantin was engaged in gymnastics, was fond of music, graduated from a music school and became the head of a brass band. At the same time, from a young age, Konstantin was a principled and thinking person. Driven by personal pacifist convictions, he did not serve in the armed forces. During his student years, he researched the spiritual literature of different religions. He found answers to his questions when he began a Bible study.

To earn a living, Konstantin mastered the art of a bricklayer-stovemaker. Over time, while living in Ukraine, he met Irina, and in 2001 they decided to start a family. In 2009, Konstantin and Irina moved to Russia. The couple love to travel around the country. They have creative hobbies: Irina is fond of drawing, and Konstantin loves to play percussion instruments.

Konstantin's relatives endure his unfair arrest very painfully. They do not understand how a kind, sensitive and peace-loving person could be accused of extremism and inciting hatred. They are very worried about him and hope that the authorities will realize that they made a mistake.

In 2019, the Leninsky District Court of Saratov sentenced Konstantin Bazhenov to 3.5 years in a colony because he believes in God. The Court of Appeal upheld this decision. On May 5, 2021, 45-year-old Konstantin Bazhenov was released on parole from the colony in Dimitrovgrad and sent to a temporary detention center for foreign citizens for deportation to the territory of Ukraine, since his Russian citizenship was revoked due to criminal prosecution.

Case History

In September 2019, Judge Dmitry Larin immediately sent 6 Saratov residents to prison for a term of 2 to 3.5 years just for reading the Bible, singing songs and praying. Since 2017, security forces have been conducting covert surveillance of believers. In the summer of 2018, their homes were searched with banned literature planted. While the investigation was underway, they had to go to a pre-trial detention center, under house arrest and under recognizance not to leave. A year later, despite the absence of victims in the case, the believers were found guilty. Upon arrival at the Orenburg colony, 5 out of 6 convicted believers were beaten by the staff of the institution. Mahammadiev was hospitalized, and the rest were placed in a punishment cell for a while. Saratov prisoners of conscience have mastered various professions in prison. In May 2020, Mahammadiev and Bazhenov were stripped of their Russian citizenship and, after their release, deported from Russia. All 6 believers have already served their sentences. In September 2022, the cassation court dismissed the complaint, and the verdict and the appellate ruling were unchanged.

Timeline