Six Years in Penal Colony for His Faith. Court Sentences 57-Year old Engineer From Kaltan

On March 6, 2025, Aleksey Semerikov, judge of the Kaltanskiy District Court of the Kemerovo Region sentenced Aleksandr Tsikunov to 6 years in a penal colony. The believer was taken into custody in the courtroom.

According to the investigation, "using videoconferencing, Tsikunov held weekly meetings," which the court equated to organizing the activity of an extremist organization. He pleaded not guilty and began his final statement in court with these words: "I was born in the city of Kaltan, I studied in the city of Kaltan, I worked in the city of Kaltan, and my whole life for almost 60 years has been in the sight of our entire small cozy town... during all this time, I have never been seen in strikes, riots, pickets, insulting or humiliating anyone or someone's opinions and views, nor have I ever been brought before the police." During the 4 years of the proceedings, the believer had a heart attack and heart surgery. Immediately after his arrest, Tsikunov, a highly qualified engineer, lost his job and his family lost their livelihood.

Aleksandr learned of the criminal case when his house was searched in May 2021. He was detained, then placed under house arrest for almost 2 months. For the rest of the investigation and court proceedings he was placed under a recognizance agreement. During the preliminary investigation, the prosecutor's office returned the case for further investigation regarding violation of the believer's rights while an expert study was being conducted. A second expert study found no signs of extremism. In June 2023, the case went to court.

The charge was based on audio recordings of conversations between believers on everyday and spiritual topics. In court, Aleksandr said: "The investigation has done a great job in collecting material: audio, video, and testimonies of third parties. Such a lot of work, so much effort, time and money spent. I could and can say now: "Yes, I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not denying it, I'm proud of it. But I'm not an extremist!'"

Aleksandr Tsikunov became the 17th Jehovah's Witness in the Kemerovo Region to be convicted for his faith. Among them is Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person, sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony.