Aleksey Goreliy

Name: Goreliy Aleksey Vladimirovich

Date of Birth: August 27, 1980

Current status: convicted person

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)

Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 894 day in a pre-trial detention, 673 day in prison

Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 6 months of imprisonment with serving in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in organizational activities in public and religious associations and organizations, for a period of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year

Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Ulyanovsk Region

Address for correspondence: Goreliy Aleksey Vladimirovich, born 1980, Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Ulyanovsk Region, ul. Ostapenko, 22, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region, 433510

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «FSIN-letter system». To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

In August 2020, a series of searches took place in the homes of peaceful believers in the Rostov region. One of the victims of law enforcement was Aleksey Goreliy. The day after the raid, he was placed in a pre-trial detention center, and in September 2022, the court sentenced him to 6.5 years in prison just because of his faith.

Alexey was born in 1980 in Ryazan. A year later he moved to Gukovo (Rostov region) with his mother and grandmother. Since childhood, the boy was curious, was fond of architecture, built models of sailing ships, and also studied history.

After school Alexey graduated with honors from the construction technical school, where he obtained the profession of accountant-lawyer. Later, he graduated by correspondence from the University of Economics, specialty "Finance and Credit". Worked as a tax inspector, deputy head of the department of desk audits, and recently, before criminal prosecution – as a chief accountant in the production of dish soap.

Alexey got acquainted with the Bible when he was 9 years old. His mother and grandmother from a young age tried to teach the boy love for this ancient book. Knowledge of biblical truths helps Alexey to lead a meaningful life and have reasonable hope for the future.

In 2011, Alexey married Inna. A son was born in the marriage, who in 2020 went to first grade. Criminal prosecution had a serious impact on his family's usual way of life. Alexey was the sole breadwinner, so his mother, a disabled person of group II, had to move to Rostov-on-Don to help around the house and take care of his grandson while Inna looks for a suitable job.

Wife and son miss Alexei very much, because before they never had to part for a long time. The employer, feeling sorry for his loved ones, provided them with practical help. He is outraged by the criminal prosecution of a law-abiding man. Alexei's neighbors also know him as a peaceful and decent man and do not understand what he is being prosecuted for.

Case History

In August 2020 the security forces conducted searches in the homes of residents of Gukovo. The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Aleksey Dyadkin, Vladimir Popov, Yevgeniy Razumov, Aleksey Goreliy, Nikita Moiseyev and Oleg Shidlovskiy. These peaceful believers were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. The men’s crime, according to the investigators, is that they “prayed and sang songs to Jehovah God.” Since August 2020 all six have been in pre-trial. As it later became known, an infiltrated FSB agent had been watching the believers for a long time. In November of 2021 the case went to trial. The testimonies of interviewed religious scholars confirmed that these men were tried only for their peaceful religious activities. In September 2022 the court sentenced Goreliy and Shidlovskiy to six-and-a-half years in a general penal colony, while the rest of the believers were sentenced to seven years. In January of 2023 the appeal court approved the verdict, and then six months later the cassational court upheld it.

Timeline