Irina Ushakova with her husband and son on the day of the sentencing

Irina Ushakova with her husband and son on the day of the sentencing

Irina Ushakova with her husband and son on the day of the sentencing

Unjust Verdicts

In Village of Vyselki, Court Sentences Yet Another Woman to Suspended Term for Reading the Bible

Krasnodar Territory

On July 4, 2025, Irina Ushakova, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, 50, was given a two-year suspended sentence. Irina has already faced repression—at the age of 16, she had to leave Tajikistan due to harassment on a national basis. Now she has been convicted for her religious beliefs.

The proceedings against Irina have been ongoing since February 2024. The criminal prosecution, however, has determined the life of her family for more than three years: during this time, the Ushakovs went through searches twice, and Vitaliy, the head of the family, ended up in a pre-trial detention center, where he spent 7 months. "I missed his support," Irina recalls. "I struggled to get a meeting with my husband, and it took courage to communicate with the authorities." Shortly before those events, the believer herself underwent a serious operation and a course of radiation therapy.

Irina Ushakova in the courtroom on the day of the sentencing
Irina Ushakova in the courtroom on the day of the sentencing
Irina with her husband Vitaly. July 4, 2025
Irina with her husband Vitaly. July 4, 2025
Friends hug Irina near the courthouse
Friends hug Irina near the courthouse

The Vyselkovskiy District Court has been considering Irina's case since October 2024. The woman was accused of "entering into religious discussions." She outlined her position in court as follows: "I do this because this is the command of Jesus Christ, written in the Bible in the Gospels ... Jesus wants all his followers to preach, which I do."

Irina and her husband Vitaly are very grateful to all caring people for their help. Vitaliy said: "The support was felt even in the smallest things: someone came to the hearing, someone just came to the courthouse to say kind words. Flowers and small gifts were brought to each hearing — all this gave us strength."

In Vyselki, 15 of Jehovah's Witnesses, both men and women, are persecuted for religious reasons.

The case of Ushakova in Vyselki

Case History
Irina Ushakova from the village of Vyselki became a defendant in the criminal case two years after the arrest of her husband, Vitaliy. The spouses' house was searched twice in one week. In February 2024, the Investigative Committee accused Irina of "participating in religious sermons." They took from her a written undertaking not to leave. In October, the case went to court. Irina was sentenced to two years suspended in July 2025.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnodar Territory
Locality:
Vyselki
Suspected of:
"She was directly involved in religious sermons ... entered into conversations and religious discussions with other participants, participated in discussions of the content of the religious books of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the so-called "Holy Scripture" (Bible)... read aloud to other participants the religious books "Jehovah's Witnesses", emphasizing that these books contain correct knowledge about God" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12402030079000008
Initiated:
February 15, 2024
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
Korenovskiy Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnodar Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-44/2025 (1-174/2024)
Court of First Instance:
Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Lidiya Koba
Case History
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