Name: Kuznetsova Mariya Sergeyevna
Date of Birth: April 1, 1988
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 90 day in a pre-trial detention
Sentence: punishment in the form of 2 years 6 months of imprisonment, with restriction of liberty for 6 months, the punishment is considered conditional with a probationary period of 1 year

Biography

Spouses Mariya and Alexandr were among the first victims of criminal prosecution for their faith in the Yaroslavl region. After the searches, they were placed in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent 3 months. Believers are accused of participating in extremist activities.

Mariya was born in April 1988 in the city of Chernenko (now Sharypovo), Krasnoyarsk Territory. Over time, the family moved to Voronezh. Mariya grew up with two older sisters and a younger brother. Their mother is now retired, and their father works at a diesel locomotive repair plant. As a child, Mariya loved to deal with plants, knit. The family always had pets, which the girl helped to look after.

After school, Mariya learned to be a computer operator. She worked in cleaning services, and later as a depilation master.

Mariya lived in different cities: Kansk, Voronezh, Salekhard. In 2016, she moved to Yaroslavl, where her future husband Alexandr lived. They got married in 2017. In their free time, Mariya and Alexandr love to be outdoors, travel, play chess, chat with friends.

From childhood, Mariya's parents instilled in her high moral standards, taught her to love God and people. She loved learning about God and reflecting on what she read in the Bible. In 2002, she consciously decided to embark on the Christian path of life.

The unfair accusations that fell on the young family affected Mariya's emotional health. She says: “Because of the criminal prosecution, my husband and I really missed each other. The arrest made it impossible to earn a living. " Relatives and friends are very worried about Mariya and support her in every possible way.

Case History

In April 2021, the investigation initiated a criminal case under an article for extremism against Andrey Vyushin, Petr Filiznov, as well as the couple Aleksandr and Mariya Kuznetsov. They were suspected of holding meetings for worship “including through the Internet, in which [they] promoted forbidden teachings”. The law enforcement officers conducted searches in Yaroslavl and neighboring Rybinsk, after which 4 believers were placed in a detention center. After 3 months, the court released them under a ban on certain actions. Vyushin was fitted with a tracking bracelet on his leg, and a control device was installed in his apartment, although his preventive measure did not prohibit him from leaving his home or being in certain places. In August 2022, the case went to court. After 11 months, the believers were sentenced: Andrey Vyushin and Petr Filiznov were given 6.5 years suspended and Aleksandr and Mariya Kuznetsov – 2.5 years.