Name: Danielyan Andrey Emikovich
Date of Birth: March 13, 1969
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 80 day in a pre-trial detention, 698 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment with serving in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in organizational activities in religious associations and religious organizations for a period of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 8 of the Omsk Region
Address for correspondence: Danielyan Andrey Emikovich, born 1969, Correctional Colony No. 8 of the Omsk Region, ul. Dokovskaya, 3, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Region, 644089

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

A resident of the small town of Rubtsovsk, Andrey Danielyan, to the surprise of his relatives and employer, was suspected of extremism. In May 2021, a criminal case was initiated against him, and in November 2022, the court sentenced him to 6 years in a penal colony.

Andrey was born in March 1969 in the city of Aleysk, Altai Territory, in the family of a builder and a seamstress. He is the oldest child in the family; he has a brother and sister.

As a child, Andrey was fond of music and sports: he learned the accordion at a music school, played football, volleyball and went swimming and fishing. After school, he qualified as an electrician, specializing in white appliances. In 1995, Andrey moved to the town of Rubtsovsk, where he lives to this day. He worked as a builder, plumber and janitor in a secondary school.

In 1997 Andrey married Nina, a music teacher by profession. Now she works as a hairdresser. In his free time, Andrey likes to play volleyball, checkers and listen to music. The Danielyans often spend time with friends and enthusiastically work in the garden and in the allotment: Nina grows vegetables and flowers and Andrey makes improvements to the property.

Andrey was worried about environmental issues. He followed the situation in the world, studied materials about the destructive influence of man on the planet and came to the conclusion that people cannot solve these problems on their own. Andrey learned that, according to the Bible, only God can do this. As a result, in 1992 he decided to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Andrey's wife and younger brother share his religious beliefs.

Stress caused by the criminal prosecution has had a negative effect on Andrey's health. For a long time, he and his wife experienced emotional strain. Relatives and colleagues consider the criminal prosecution and conviction unjust.

Case History

In May 2021, in the Altai Territory, security forces conducted a special operation codenamed “Armageddon”. Among the believers facing criminal prosecution was Andrey Danielyan from Rubtsovsk. The apartment of the Danielyan couple was searched, and they were interrogated. He was accused of participating in extremist activity and added to the Rosfinmonitoring list, blocking all his bank accounts and seizing cash collected for repairs. The believer was placed under a recognizance agreement. Later, the investigator reclassified the charge from participating in to organizing the activity of an extremist organization. The case went to court in August 2022. Within 5 sessions, the court reached the stage of closing arguments. The prosecutor requested 7 years imprisonment for Danielyan. In November 2022, the court sentenced him to 6 years in a penal colony. The courts of appeal and cassation both upheld the verdict.
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