Name: Shchetinin Aleksandr Viktorovich
Date of Birth: August 13, 1989
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 15 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: imprisonment for a period of 6 years with serving in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to the placement of appeals and other materials in public information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, for a period of 3 years, with restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year
Currently held in: Detention Center No.1 for Tver Region
Address for correspondence: Shchetinin Aleksandr Viktorovich, born 1989, Detention Center No.1 for Tver Region, Ul. Vagzhanova, 141, Tver, Tver Region, 170010

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «FSIN-letter system». To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

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

Biography

Aleksandr Shchetinin, an engineer by education, has been interested in natural sciences since childhood. Over time, he came to believe that all living things were created and decided to live by Christian standards. In June 2021, a criminal case was opened against the man, accusing him of extremism because of his religious views.

Aleksandr was born in August 1989 in Podolsk, Moscow Region. He has an elder sister. Their father is an economist, his mother is an electronic engineer. As a child, Aleksandr was fond of drawing, studied English, and was interested in exploring the world around him.

Aleksandr's mother had been studying the Bible since the early 1990s. Later, studying it on his own, the young man was impressed by how positive the impact of high moral standards is on people's lives. He liked that those who study the Scriptures become better—kinder, more sympathetic. This prompted Aleksandr in 2007 to embark on the Christian path.

After studying at the Moscow Agricultural Academy with a degree in garden and park construction, Aleksandr was drafted into the army. Guided by peaceful views, he completed alternative civilian service. The believer worked as an orderly in a psychiatric hospital in the city of Dubna (Moscow region). Later, he worked as a driver, then as a freight forwarder and dispatcher in a small private company.

Aleksandr has many friends, he often spends time with them, loves active games, sports, as well as hiking in nature.

Relatives who do not share Aleksandr's religious views are outraged by the persecution of this peace-loving man.

Case History

In July 2021, searches were carried out at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the cities of Konakovo and Ivanovo. Aleksandr Shchetinin, Sergey Naumenko, Oleg Katamov, Aleksey Kuznetsov and Aleksandr Starikov, who had a seriously ill elderly father in his care, were subjected to criminal prosecution. The case against the believers was initiated by the local FSB department. They were charged with “organizing the activity of an extremist organization” for discussing Christian teachings with residents of Konakovo district. The believers were included in the Rosfinmonitoring list. In October 2023, the case went to court. In February 2025, the sentence was announced: 6 years in a general regime colony for Starikov, Katamov, Kuznetsov and Shchetinin. The case against Naumenko was separated into a separate proceeding and suspended. Soon, Katamov’s wife, who was fighting cancer, died in the hospital.
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