Jehovah's Witnesses from Saratov Gennadiy German and Roman Gridasov Released

On July 29, 2021, Gennadiy German and Roman Gridasov, having served their sentences in full, were released. At the entrance to the Orenburg colony No. 1, they were welcomed by their friends and loved ones who had arrived from Saratov 800 kilometers away. Thus, five out of six Saratov believers have been released from prison.

Gennadiy and Roman ended up behind bars as a result of an unfair accusation of extremism. On September 19, 2019, the Lenin District Court of Saratov sentenced them to 2 years in prison, despite the fact that the prosecutor requested 6 years. The believers spent a year and 10 months behind bars.

Upon arrival of Roman and Gennadшy at the colony, the staff of the institution kicked and beat them with truncheons which resulted in the worsening of their chronic diseases. Gridasov's wife related: "The husband has noticeably lost weight, there is a strong internal tension, but he is holding on." Nevertheless, Gennadiy and Roman managed to support their families emotionally and maintain good relations with other prisoners.

The believers were repeatedly sent to punishment cells on ridiculous false accusations, for example, “smoking in the wrong place” (Jehovah's Witnesses do not smoke for religious reasons). The prison authorities imposed unreasonable penalties on them, for example, for an unmade bed. “Violations in the colony are very easy to find. And if the administration wants, they will quickly organize them,” said the wife of Aleksey Budenchuk, who has already been released from this colony after serving his sentence. After the believers filed a petition to replace their unserved part of the sentence with a fine, Gennadiy was reprimanded for allegedly not greeting the colony staff. Later, German and Gridasov were transferred to a detachment with more difficult conditions of detention.

In the colony, the believers worked in the sewing industry. Roman also mastered the profession of a cook. Gennadiy worked for a month and a half in the packing department. Due to the lack of air and light at the workplace, his health deteriorated. Both prisoners suffered from viral diseases. Their lawyer said: "The believers are forced to work from morning to evening ... Conditions in the colony are bad ... The clothes are of poor quality... In the summer it is very difficult to get permission to take off their thick clothes ... Their state of health has deteriorated, they have lost weight." Due to faulty payphones, German and Gridasov were limited in communication with their wives, but they were supported by letters from fellow believers from different countries. Friends from Orenburg often paid for food for them.

The EU countries express their concern over the situation around Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, declaring: “All people, including Jehovah's Witnesses, should be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief ... without discrimination, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia's commitments with OSCE and international commitments."