Case History
In December 2022, searches were carried out in Izhevsk at the homes of local believers. Two men were detained. Aleksandr Votyakov was placed under house arrest, which lasted about 6 months, and Yevgeniy Stefanidin, father of a minor daughter, was placed under a recognizance agreement. The stress he experienced back in April 2021 due to the first search adversely affected his health and he was diagnosed with a disability. The Investigative Committee interpreted reading and discussing the Bible with friends as continuing the activity of a liquidated extremist organization. In August 2023, the believers’ case went to court. In October 2024, the court gave Aleksandr Votyakov a 6.5-year suspended sentence and Yevgeniy Stefanidin a 6-year suspended sentence.