Lokhvitskaya Anna

Name: Lokhvitskaya Anna Aleksandrovna
Date of Birth: April 16, 1993
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 years 6 months with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 2 years

Biography

In 2019, the FSB opened a criminal case against a civilian resident of Birobidzhan, Artur Lokhvitsky, and about a year later, his mother Irina and wife Anna were accused of extremism. In July 2021, the court found Anna guilty and sentenced her to 2.5 years of probation for her faith.

Anna was born in 1993 in the city of Obluchye (Jewish Autonomous Region). Mother alone raised two daughters and instilled in them biblical values, set an example of an honest and kind person. Vera helped Anna to be a thoughtful, reasonable, and successful student. Together with her sister, she attended various arts and crafts clubs, spent time in nature and playing with friends.

Anna was educated as a sewing technician. She worked in an atelier. The girl was surrounded by cheerful, happy friends and family who appreciate biblical principles.

In 2018, Anna and Arthur got married. The moral standards laid down since childhood help the couple keep their marriage strong and happy. They love to fish, travel, play volleyball together, meet new people.

The criminal prosecution radically changed the life of the family: a written undertaking not to leave the place was taken from the spouses, access to bank cards was blocked, and access to public services was limited. A lot of effort was spent on researching legal and financial issues. Relatives and friends worry about Anna and consider such an attitude towards her unfair and unreasonable.

Case History

The life of Anna Lokhvitskaya, a garment production technologist, changed dramatically in the summer of 2019 when her husband, Artur, was criminally prosecuted for discussing the Bible among friends. On February 6, 2020, FSB Investigator Dmitry Yankin initiated criminal cases against Anna and five other residents of Birobidzhan on suspicion of participating in extremist activities. The believer was charged with “studying the Bible with others on Skype.” The hearings in the Birobidzhan District Court were held behind closed doors. During the arguments, the prosecutor requested that Anna be sentenced to four years in a general regime penal colony with subsequent restrictions for another two years. On July 20, 2021, Judge Vasilina Bezotecheskih, who also heard cases against three other believers (among them Anna’s mother-in-law), gave Lokhvitskaya a two-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentence. On December 16, 2021, the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region upheld this verdict.
Timeline
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