Bektemirova Gaukhar

Name: Bektemirova Gaukhar Magauinovna
Date of Birth: January 1, 1976
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 years 3 months, with restriction of liberty for a term of 6 months; The main punishment in the form of imprisonment is considered conditional with a probationary period of 2 years 6 months

Biography

In 2019, a criminal case was opened against Gaukhar Bektemirova, a resident of Omsk, for reading and discussing the Bible with others. In November 2020, the court found her guilty of extremist activities and sentenced her to 2 years and 3 months of suspended imprisonment.

Gaukhar was born in 1976 in the village of Uryl (Kazakhstan). She is the youngest of 6 children. Since childhood he is fond of volleyball, loves nature. She especially likes the mountains among which she grew up. After school, Gaukhar received the profession of a hairdresser. In 1994, she moved to Omsk, Russia, where her brother and sister were already living. Gaukhar is married.

Gaukhar was always interested in a question to which she could not find an answer anywhere: what is the meaning of life? One of her friends said that the meaning of life is in children, but this did not convince her. One day, her sister asked her to find out what the Bible said about this. The long-awaited and logical answer was found. At the same time, Gaukhar found values and principles that help her in family life and everyday difficulties. She also draws the comfort she needs from this book because of the unfair persecution by the authorities.

Gaukhar recalls that the first days after the search passed "like in a fog": the Bible and electronic devices were taken from her. There was a strong desire to go away from their homes. Only after a while did she manage to recover.

Relatives of Gaukhar are outraged by the guilty verdict. They are surprised that in modern Russia it is possible to persecute people for their religion.

Case History

In 2018, the Polyakovs were arrested in Omsk. During the arrest, Sergei was beaten and forced to wipe his blood off the floor. The couple spent five months in solitary confinement and three months under house arrest. In 2019, the Investigative Committee again searched the houses of believers, and Gaukhar Bektemirova and Dinara Dyusekeyeva became defendants in the case. The court considered the case for almost a year. Evidence of guilt was even sought in cartoons seized during the search. In November 2020, Sergey Polyakov was sentenced to three years in a penal colony, and three women were given suspended sentences: Anastasiya Polyakova—two and a half years; Gaukhar Bektemirova—two years and three months; Dinara Dyusekeyeva—two years. In May 2021, the appeal court upheld the verdict, and in June 2022, this verdict was upheld by the cassation court. In November 2022, Sergei Polyakov was released after serving his full term in a penal colony, and in January 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation partially granted Polyakov’s appeal regarding the term of his sentence.
Timeline
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