Aleksandr Protasov on the day of the verdict

Aleksandr Protasov on the day of the verdict

Aleksandr Protasov on the day of the verdict

Unjust Verdicts

Another Elderly Prisoner of Conscience Convicted in Novocheboksarsk. Aleksandr Protasov, 68, Received Suspended Sentence for His Faith in Jehovah God

Chuvashia

On May 30, 2025, the court announced its verdict against Aleksandr Protasov — a 6-year suspended sentence for reading the Bible, discussing it with other people and praying to God. "My life is based on love, not hatred," he said at one of the hearings, and denied being guilty of extremism.

Protasov is a pensioner from Novocheboksarsk, and was awarded the Order of Honor. In May 2023, his family's home was searched. "I remember after everyone had left, we sat on the sofa, and didn't know what to do next," Aleksandr recalls. In the fall of the next year, a criminal case was initiated against him.

The prosecution brought new difficulties to the life of the Protasovs. "Recognizance agreement, bank accounts being blocked... And I have relatives who live outside the Republic, and now I could not visit them," Aleksandr said. "It was difficult to come to terms with such a situation." But, according to Protasov, his biggest worries were for his wife and son (both have disabilities): "They suffer from clinical depression, and this situation only aggravates their condition. I tried to be with them when it was very hard for them. We talked about our wonderful future and prayed a lot."

The trial of Protasov lasted 2 months, and the court hearings were closed. Although Jehovah's Witnesses did not have a registered legal entity in Novocheboksarsk, judge Dmitriy Yefimov found Protasov guilty of resuming the activity of the liquidated organization.

The criminal prosecution of Aleksandr Protasov in Novocheboksarsk was preceded by the case of 86-year-old Yuriy Yuskov. Up until now, nine of Jehovah's Witnesses have been convicted in Chuvash Republic.

The Case of Protasov in Novocheboksarsk

Case History
In May 2023, law enforcement officers searched the home of Aleksandr Protasov, a witness in the case of Yuriy Yuskov. A year and a half later, an FSB investigator initiated a criminal case against Aleksandr on suspicion of participating in the activity of an extremist organization and placed him under a recognizance agreement. Soon the elderly believer was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list. Later, the charge was recategorized to organizing extremist activity. In March 2025, the Protasov case went to court, and at the end of May he was given a 6-year suspended sentence.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Chuvashia
Locality:
Novocheboksarsk
Suspected of:
"took actions, by conducting... meetings with the participation of at least 20 persons from among the followers of the religious group of Jehovah's Witnesses" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12407970001000058
Initiated:
September 26, 2024
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate of Russia for the Chuvash Republic
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-118/2025
Court of First Instance:
Novocheboksarsk City Court of the Chuvash Republic
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Dmitriy Yefimov
Case History
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