Plekhov Aleksey

Name: Plekhov Aleksey Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: July 28, 1977
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 3 months of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year, punishment in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 3 years 6 months

Biography

On February 15, 2019, mass searches were carried out in the homes of believers in Surgut. This was followed by beatings and torture of at least 7 believers. Among others, Aleksey Plekhov reported torture. What is known about him?

Alexey was born in 1977 in Surgut. He has a younger brother. From a young age he was interested in spiritual questions about the Creator, the Bible, etc. Subsequently, he found convincing answers to them in the Bible. At first, parents were against their son's spiritual search, but then they saw that the Bible was making him better, while the children of many acquaintances died from drug use or went to prison for drug trafficking - then Surgut was covered by a wave of drug addiction. This changed the attitude of his parents to Alexei's religious choice, and they realized that living according to high moral standards is beneficial.

Alexey has mastered the profession of a welder and successfully works in it. In 2013, he married Anna, who worked as an accountant. Soon after the wedding, the newlyweds moved to Megion (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), but two years later they returned to Surgut. There they had two daughters.

Alexei's relatives and colleagues do not understand the reasons for his persecution, because they know his family as decent and honest people. Alexei's mother, who does not share his religious views, is outraged by what is happening and wonders: "Why was it allowed for so many years, and now suddenly it is impossible?"

Case History

In February 2019, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against 18 men and 1 woman from Surgut (among them was a person mistaken for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses). Their homes were searched. During the interrogations, 7 believers were subjected to violence. Artur Severinchik was sent to a pretrial detention center for 29 days, while Yevgeniy Fedin and Sergey Loginov — for 56 days. Timofey Zhukov was unlawfully placed in a psychiatric hospital for 14 days. The believers filed complaints about the use of torture with the Investigative Committee, the ECHR and the Human Rights Ombudsman; a press conference was held with the participation of human rights activists, but none of the law enforcement officers was brought to justice. In October 2021, the case materials went to court. Two years later, the court gave all of the believers suspended sentences ranging from 4 to 7 years. In February 2025, the court of appeal upheld this decision.
Timeline
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