Sergey Klimov and his wife Yulia on the day of his release

Sergey Klimov and his wife Yulia on the day of his release

Sergey Klimov and his wife Yulia on the day of his release

Served Sentences

Sergey Klimov Released From Penal Colony in Astrakhan; He Has Served His Sentence

Tomsk Region,   Astrakhan Region,   Volgograd Region

On July 26, 2023, Sergey Klimov was released from the penal colony where he served a sentence for his faith in Jehovah God. Sergey's relatives and many friends met him with flowers and posters. During the prosecution the believer spent a total of 5 years behind bars.

Sergey was detained and placed in a pretrial detention center back in June 2018 after searches in the city of Tomsk. In April 2020, when the court of appeal upheld the verdict — 6 years in a penal colony — Klimov was transferred to Astrakhan Penal Colony No. 8. Since 1 day in pretrial detention counts as 1.5 days in a penal colony, Sergey spent 3.5 years in the penal colony after the verdict was announced.

During his imprisonment, Sergey's eyesight deteriorated. In October 2020, doctors discovered that he had a serious lung condition, and the believer spent 1.5 months in a medical correctional facility.

Friends and relatives meet Sergey Klimov outside the penal colony
Friends and relatives meet Sergey Klimov outside the penal colony
Yulia Klimova meets Sergey at the checkpoint
Yulia Klimova meets Sergey at the checkpoint
Sergey Klimov with his wife Yulia, daughter and son-in-law
Sergey Klimov with his wife Yulia, daughter and son-in-law
Sergey Klimov's friends celebrate his release
Sergey Klimov's friends celebrate his release
Gifts for Sergey Klimov
Gifts for Sergey Klimov
Sergey Klimov with his friends after his release
Sergey Klimov with his friends after his release
Friends and relatives meet Sergey Klimov outside the penal colony
Friends and relatives meet Sergey Klimov outside the penal colony
Yulia Klimova meets Sergey at the checkpoint
Yulia Klimova meets Sergey at the checkpoint

Sergey was not allowed to see his wife during his first 9 months behind bars. Until then, they could only talk over the phone. Sergey received hundreds of letters from fellow believers from different cities and countries.

At present, 127 of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (including 7 women) are imprisoned for their faith. The ECHR and human rights activists from different countries call on the Russian Federation to stop mass repressions against believers.

The Case of Klimov in Tomsk

Case History
Sergey Klimov, from the Volgograd Region, ended up in a pretrial detention center after a series of raids on the homes of believers in Tomsk. Before detaining Sergey, the special services followed him and his acquaintances for about 1 year and sent informants to him with recording equipment. Such diligence was justified by law enforcement officers as means to combat a “serious crime,” which turned out to be Sergey’s Christian way of life and his conversations about the Bible with other people. In November 2019, the court sentenced Sergey to 6 years in a penal colony. The verdict was upheld by the regional court in February 2020 and by the court of cassation in January 2022. The believer served his sentence in Astrakhan Penal Colony No. 8. In July 2023, Sergey was released from the penal colony. He is prohibited from engaging in educational activity and from publishing on the Internet for 5 years; his freedom is also restricted for 1 year.
Timeline

Persons in case

Klimov
Sergey

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Tomsk
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, together with others he conducted religious meetings for worship, which is interpreted as “organising the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the decision of the RF Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11802690013000085
Initiated:
June 3, 2018
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-417/2019
Court of First Instance:
Oktyabrskiy District Court of the City of Tomsk
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Dmitriy Borisov
Court of Appeal:
Tomsk Regional Court
Case History
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