One of Convicted Jehovah's Witness, Artyom Bagratyan, Was Released After Serving His Entire Sentence for Faith

On June 15, 2021, Artyom Bagratyan left the pre-trial detention center and was released. About two weeks earlier, the Industrial District Court of Kursk sentenced the the believer to 2.5 years in prison, but Artyom had already served this term while in custody.

The years spent in the pre-trial detention center were a test for Artem: he suffers from serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Every day his blood pressure rose, and his blood sugar level reached 26 units, and he had severe headaches. Being kept in a cold cell with non-closing windows led to a severe cold. In this state, Artem had to repeatedly go to court hearings.

In addition, the courts of the Kursk region do not provide food for the defendants. During lengthy court hearings, Artyom's health deteriorated sharply due to irregular nutrition, so that he had to seek emergency medical help. Nevertheless, judge Oksana Ivanova unreasonably extended the term of the believer's detention in the conditions of the pre-trial detention center that were contraindicated for him. Due to his illness, Artyom needed a special diet, but the only thing that was available to him was buckwheat and kefir in the store of the detention center.

Artem and his lawyer filed at least 15 petitions and appeals to various authorities: human rights organizations, Rospotrebnadzor, the Investigative Committee, the prosecutor's office - with a request to provide qualified medical care. Only after that the believer was placed for treatment in a medical unit.

One day he discovered that the funds from his account were gone, and the parcels from his relatives came opened. The administration deliberately did not give Artyom the Bibles that his friends sent. The believer repeatedly asked the head of the pre-trial detention center to provide him with the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Holy Scriptures, but the requests remained unanswered. Letters from all over the world, of which more than 1000 came, became a great support for Artem.

All the time he was in custody, Artyom could not communicate with his wife, Alevtina, who was prosecuted in the same criminal case as her husband, but received 2 years in prison. She is still under house arrest. Artyom saw Alevtina only during the trials, when they were placed in the same cage. After the release, the Bagratyan family was reunited.

The unfounded accusations of extremism by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses separate loved ones, ruining their fates. Whole families go to jail. Russian human rights activists and the international community demand an end to religious repression in Russia. The unfounded accusations of extremism by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses separate loved ones, ruining their fates. Whole families go to jail. Russian human rights activists and the international community demand an end to to religious repression in Russia.