“Administration Confirmed I’m Just Ordinary Person and Pose No Threat to Society” — оne of Jehovah’s Witness from Oryol completes his term of compulsory labor early

Dmitriy Ignatov, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, 28, was released on December 30, 2025. By court decision, he was freed 11 months ahead of schedule.

Dmitriy was convicted in July 2024 for participating in peaceful Jehovah's Witness worship services and sentenced to two years of compulsory labor followed by six months of restricted freedom. He arrived at the correctional center in November 2024 and worked as a welder at a plant producing commercial and refrigeration equipment.

"For the year I spent in compulsory labor, the center's administration realized that I'm just an ordinary person and pose no threat to society," Dmitriy noted in his petition for early release. In granting his request, the Glazunovskiy District Court of the Oryol Region took into account his contribution to improving the correctional center's grounds and his conscientious attitude toward work, which earned him commendation from the plant.

In court, Dmitriy reiterated that he still does not consider himself guilty and emphasized: "I have a negative attitude toward extremism and believe it has no place in human society."

"The room is like a hospital ward—almost no difference," Dmitriy said, describing conditions at the center. "It had everything necessary: a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, but we bought our own food and drinking water." The daily routine was strict: wake-up at 5:30 a.m., exercise, inspections, cleaning. The walk to the plant took about 25 minutes, and along the way, it was permitted to stop at stores, a pharmacy, or the post office.

Over 8.5 years of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 12 people have been sentenced to compulsory labor; 8 are still serving this type of punishment.