The Case of Shurygin in Chelyabinsk

Case History

In June 2023, the Investigative Committee charged Andrey Shurygin, a peaceful resident of Chelyabinsk, father of two minor children, with organizing extremist activity. The believer’s home was searched, and after interrogation he was placed under a recognizance agreement. In December of the same year, his name was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list. The charge was based on hidden video and audio recordings of meetings for worship, during which, according to the investigation, Shurygin read and discussed the Bible with others. In June 2024, the case went to court. The prosecutor requested 7 years in a penal colony for the believer. In May 2025, the court sentenced Andrey to 5.5 years imprisonment. The appeal reduced the sentence to 5 years in prison, and the additional restriction of freedom to 10 months.
Timeline

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    Case initiated Art. 282.2 (1)

    Investigator of the Investigative Committee Alexander Chepenko initiates a criminal case against Andrey Shurygin under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, Shurygin "organized propaganda of the activities of this banned organization by giving instructions that supporters of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses conduct preaching activities with residents of Chelyabinsk in order to involve citizens in the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, convincing them of the correctness and indisputability of this religious teaching." The believer is also charged with holding four services at his home in 2020 and 2022, which are interpreted by the investigation as a continuation of the activities of the liquidated legal entity.

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    Recognizance agreement Interrogation

    After the interrogation, investigator Chepenko chooses a preventive measure for Andrey Shurygin in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place.

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    Tapping and hidden surveillance

    Investigator for especially important cases, Colonel of Justice Aleksandr Chepenko attracts Andrey Shurygin as an accused.

    The accusation was based on hidden video and audio recordings of worship services, during which, according to the investigation, Shurygin, together with others, read and discussed the Bible. According to the investigator, it is unlawfully to participate in such events, because "the persons conducting the conversation belong to the denomination of Jehovah's Witnesses."

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    Case went to court

    Acting Prosecutor of the Chelyabinsk Region E. V. Fedorov sends the criminal case to the Sovetsky District Court of Chelyabinsk.

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    Hearing in a court of the first instance

    10 listeners are allowed into the meeting room. The defense files a motion to return the criminal case to the prosecutor. The court dismisses it. The prosecutor reads out the indictment.

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    Prosecutor requested punishment Closing arguments for the defense Art. 282.2 (1)

    During the debate, the prosecutor requested a sentence of 7 years in a general regime colony.

    The defense asks to close the criminal case due to the absence of corpus delicti. The lawyer emphasizes that neither the witnesses nor the expert confirmed the presence of extremism in the actions of the believer. The prosecutor agrees and says that the goal of the prosecution was not to prove involvement in extremism, but an organized continuation of the activities of the LRO. The lawyer states that the case materials do not contain such facts either, and the defendant has never been a member of the LRO.

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    Final statement In the courtroom

    Referee: Yulia Zhivodinskaya. Sovetsky District Court of Chelyabinsk (76 Elkina Street). Time: 14:30.

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    First Instance Sentence Art. 282.2 (1) Deprivation of liberty
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    Detention center

    Andrey Shurygin is in a recently renovated cell along with a 19-year-old. They have the opportunity to go for walks every other day. Andrey's health is fine; he has a Bible and receives a lot of letters. Staff at the detention center and the other prisoners treat the believer with respect.

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    Court of Appeal Deprivation of liberty Art. 282.2 (1)

    The Chelyabinsk Regional Court has reduced the sentence of Andrey Shurygin from 5.5 to 5 years in a penal colony. Additionally, the period of restriction of liberty has been shortened from 1 year to 10 months. The court cited the health conditions of Shurygin’s mother and youngest daughter, along with other mitigating circumstances, as grounds for the reduction. The prosecutor on the other hand had insisted on harshening the sentence by increasing it to 7 years imprisonment in a penal colony.

    In his final statement, Andrey emphasizes the absurdity of charging him with continuing the activity of an extremist organization. He draws an analogy: "Imagine there is an organization that advocates against smoking. If it is suddenly disbanded, does that mean one can no longer be a non-smoker? Or that those who continue not to smoke should be prosecuted simply because the majority chooses to smoke?"

    Approximately 20 people are present at the hearing, including Shurygin’s wife, his eldest daughter, and several colleagues who came to show their support. However, the believer’s 13-year-old daughter was not permitted to attend the hearing: according to the court the proceedings “could have a negative impact on her health”.

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