One of Elderly Jehovah's Witnesses Dies in Prison After Being Denied Medical Care for Almost a Year

On March 20, 2025, a 67-year-old pensioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one of Jehovah's Witnesses Valeriy Baylo died in the hospital of Novorossiysk shortly after being rushed there from the pre-trial detention center. In custody, Valeriy waited almost a year for the sentence to come into force, and all this time he tried to get medical help.

In July 2024, the court sentenced Valeriy to 2.5 years in prison, recognizing peaceful talk about the Bible via video link as extremism.

The believer suffered from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd and 3rd stages. He also needed urgent dental care: in the pre-trial detention center, his only tooth with which he could chew food became inflamed. Prison food caused digestive problems, so the man ate very little, mostly drinking water. Valeriy also could walk with difficulty and needed surgery: in 2018, he was badly bitten by dogs, he had completely torn knee ligaments sewn together, but over time, he needed to replace the kneecap.

Valeriy appealed to the prosecutor's office of the Krasnodar Territory, the regional Commissioner for Human Rights, the head of the medical unit No. 23 of the city of Krasnodar and the head of the pre-trial detention center. As a result, the employee of the prosecutor's office supervising correctional institutions, together with the employee of the pre-trial detention center, expressed dissatisfaction with the complaints of the believer and threatened him with physical violence and worsening of the conditions of serving the sentence.

On March 21, lawyer Valery Baylo filed a statement about the crime committed to the head of the investigative department of Novorossiysk. "The death of my client occurred as a result of criminal negligence and inaction on the part of the administration of SIZO-3 in Novorossiysk in terms of failure to provide him with medical care," the lawyer said. The statement lists numerous facts of ignoring Valery Baylo's complaints about his health. On March 7, the lawyer appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation with a complaint about the failure to provide medical care to his client and the misuse of funds when trying to provide it. There is still no response to this complaint.

The death of Valeriy Baylo is the 13th case of death in the context of the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses since the beginning of modern persecution. Three women and ten men aged 51 to 90 died before their good name was restored. Some believers are in danger due to poor health in prisons. For example, Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person of group II, urgently needs surgical intervention by a neurosurgeon, otherwise he is at risk of ischemic stroke of the spinal cord and complete paralysis of the limbs. Adam Svarichevskiy, a disabled person of group III, has difficulties in obtaining medical care and medicines, while his conditions of detention in the colony periodically worsen. Boris Andreyev, 72, and Anatoliy Marunov, 71, who were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, remain behind bars. The first needs to be examined due to suspected cancer, the second is scheduled for surgery at the end of March 2025.