Kuzyanin Denis

Name: Kuzyanin Denis Yuriyevich
Date of Birth: September 25, 1984
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, 478 day in a pre-trial detention, 185 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 7 years of imprisonment with serving a sentence in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of a public religious organization for a period of 4 years, with restriction of liberty for 1 year 6 months
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 12 of the Republic of Mordovia
Address for correspondence: Kuzyanin Denis Yuriyevich, born 1984, Correctional Colony No. 12 of the Republic of Mordovia, Ul. Novaya, d. 2, pos. Molochnitsa, Zubovo-Polyanskiy rayon, Republic of Mordovia, 431101

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

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

Since Denis Kuzyanin was placed behind bars, his wife has been forced to take care of her little daughter alone. The believer was named an extremist and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment only because of his beliefs.

Denis was born in September 1984 in the northern city of Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory). He has an elder sister.

As a child, Denis was fond of sports and cars. After graduating from a vocational technical school, he worked as a signalman, and before his arrest he was an individual entrepreneur.

Denis's elder sister was the first in the family to become interested in the Bible, followed by his mother and Denis himself. He was particularly impressed by the accuracy of the fulfillment of the prophecies recorded in this book. In 2001, Denis embarked on the Christian path.

Driven by his peaceful convictions, Denis exercised his right to substitute alternative civilian service for military service. He served in Khabarovsk for three years.

At the invitation of a friend, Denis moved to Samara, where he met his future wife, Yelena. They got married in 2012. Yelena shares her husband's religious views. She works as a salesperson and loves to sew in her free time. Denis likes to travel and play sports. The couple are raising a daughter.

Forced separation is not easy for the Kuzyanins. Relatives and friends of the family do not understand why this believer, who did not commit any crime, was sent to a penal colony for 7 years.

Case History

In December 2021, at least 10 homes of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched in Samara. In one of the apartments, the security forces tortured and beat believers. Three men were arrested and taken into custody. An investigator of the FSB of Russia initiated a criminal case against Sergey Polosenko, Denis Kuzyanin, Nikolay Vasiliyev and Aram Danielyan, who was detained and sent to a pretrial detention center three weeks later, on charges of continuing the activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia in the Samara Region. After about 300 days in detention, the believers were released from custody under a ban on certain actions. In April 2023, the case went to court. In January 2024, the prosecutor requested that the believers each be sentenced to 9 years in a penal colony. At the same hearing, the court sentenced them to 7 years imprisonment. In May, the court of appeal upheld the ruling.
Timeline
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