Danil Suvorov from Sochi Received 6 Years in a Penal Colony for Talking about God

On June 20, 2023, Yekaterina Ostapenko, judge of the Tsentralnyy District Court of Sochi, found 27-year-old Danil Suvorov guilty for discussing Bible topics and sentenced him to 6 years imprisonment. The believer insists on his complete innocence and can appeal the court's decision.

In August 2021, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Suvorov for extremism. This is how law enforcement officers categorized ordinary conversations of believers about the Bible. After searches in Sochi, Danil was thrown into jail. By the time the verdict was passed, he had already spent 1 year and 9 months in a detention center. Because of this, the believer could not be at his mother's side when his grandmother died.

The case was based on the testimony of undercover informant Filatov under the pseudonym Udav, who in 2020 himself called Danil and asked for a “Bible study”. The believer told the court that it was free friendly communication: “You could see for yourself by watching the videos that I never invited him to become a member of any organization — the Administrative Center or other legal entities. I still don’t understand what is extremist in this and at what point our conversations [with Filatov] turned into an organization that was liquidated by a court decision.”

image_caption: Danil Suvorov taken to detention center after verdict announced, June 20, 2023, Sochi

Describing his life principles, Danil refuted the charge of extremism brought against him: “I do not take up arms and oppose any kind of violence, therefore, in the past I made use of the right provided for by the law to opt for alternative civilian service... And for nearly two years I have been trying to find out why I’m facing up to 8 years imprisonment.”

Danil and his family are grateful for the help of their fellow believers, who "supported them with words and materially" and attended court hearings. “Our fellow believers even sent me a package from Finland,” Danil’s mother said. “It was so nice that they showed me attention.”

To date, 26 of Jehovah's Witnesses have suffered in the Krasnodar Territory because of their faith. Of the 14 believers who were sentenced to various terms in a penal colony, 4 are from Sochi.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calls the sentences for Jehovah's Witnesses harsh and says it "criminalises the right to freedom of religion or belief, for Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia."