Popov Igor

Name: Popov Igor Anatoliyevich
Date of Birth: July 23, 1966
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 64 day in a pre-trial detention, 78 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions

Biography

On July 13, 2020 law enforcement agencies of the Voronezh region conducted the most large-scale special operation against Jehovah's Witnesses. 54-year-old Igor Popov became one of the operatives actions victims. After the search he was sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Igor was born in July 1966 in Blagoveshchensk (Amur Region). The elder brother died. As a child, Igor was fond of skiing, orienteering and rafting on mountain rivers.

After graduating from a vocational school, he worked as a plaster painter and plumber-sanitary technician. Served in the army.

In 1988 he married Lucien, a couple has a daughter, Elizabeth.

In the early 2000s, Igor decided to bring his life in line with Christian values, thanks to the study of the Holy Scriptures.

Spouses like to relax in nature. Before his arrest, due to Lucien's health condition, Igor spent a lot of time caring for his wife. Her health was particularly affected by her husband's criminal prosecution.

Case History

In one day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in 7 settlements of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported torture by the security forces. Ten men aged 24 to 56 years were charged by the Investigative Committee with organizing extremist activities and sent them to prison, where most of them were held for almost 5 months. The events in Voronezh caused a wide public outcry: the EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and bewilderment in connection with the incident. The believers themselves do not admit guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their religion in accordance with constitutional law. Consideration of the case in court began in December 2021. Believers face up to 10 years in prison.
Timeline
Back to top