Chernykh Yuriy

Name: Chernykh Yuriy Alekseyevich
Date of Birth: April 3, 1975
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 331 day forced labor
Current restrictions: forced labor
Sentence: Punishment in the form of 3 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to take part in public or religious associations, public or religious organizations for a period of 2 years 6 months, with restriction of liberty for a period of 10 months, imprisonment shall be replaced with punishment in the form of forced labor for a term of 3 years with the deduction of 15% of the salary to the state
Currently held in: Correctional Center No. 1 at Medical Correctional Institution No. 16 in the Kemerovo Region
Address for correspondence: Chernykh Yuriy Alekseyevich, born 1975, Correctional Center No. 1 at Medical Correctional Institution No. 16 in the Kemerovo Region, Ul. Levashova, 42 A, pos. Abagur Lesnoy, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, 654101

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Biography

Yuriy Chernykh, a miner with 20 years of experience, faced criminal prosecution for his faith because of his love for the Bible.

Yuriy was born in April 1975 in the city of Kimovsk, Tula Region. He has a younger sister. For ten years the family lived in the urban-type settlement Sugar Factory (Voronezh region). After the parents divorced, the children, together with their mother, were forced to move to their relatives in Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo region).

As a child, Yuriy loved to draw. After school, he graduated from a technical school with a degree in underground electrician. From 2000 to 2021, he worked at the mines of Prokopyevsk. Over the years, Yuriy has mastered several professions: an underground mining worker, an electric locomotive driver and a diesel-hydraulic locomotive driver. Currently works as a track fitter in the transport department.

While still at school, Yuriy liked the history of the ancient world. One day, among the papers for kindling the stove, he saw a book about biblical prophecy. Yuriy read it without stopping from beginning to end, however, he understood little of it. But reading this book aroused in him an interest in the Bible, and Yuriy began to study the Holy Scriptures. In 2007, he embarked on the Christian path.

Yuriy married in 2006. Yelena shares his outlook on life. The couple raised three sons, the youngest of whom is still in school. Yuriy and Yelena love spending time with their grandchildren.

Repeated searches with the seizure of personal belongings affected the state of the Chernykh spouses, depriving them of the feeling of comfort and tranquility in their own home. The youngest son is afraid to stay at home alone after the searches.

Case History

In November 2021, the Investigative Committee made Yuriy Chernykh a defendant in a case for participating in the activity of an extremist organization. Previously, the believer was interrogated as a witness in the case against Andrey Vlasov, another Jehovah’s Witness from Prokopyevsk. The home of the Chernykhs was searched twice; the father of a minor, he was obliged to appear, and later was made to sign a recognizance agreement. In June 2022, the case went to court. And in September 2023, the court found Yuriy Chernykh guilty and sentenced him to 3 years of forced labor with 15% of his salary going to the government and a 2.5-year ban on public activity. In November 2023, the court of appeal upheld the verdict against the believer.
Timeline
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