Lubin Aleksandr

Name: Lubin Aleksandr Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: May 26, 1956
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 43 day in a pre-trial detention
Sentence: Penalty in the form of a fine in the amount of 500,000 rubles
Died while under investigation

Biography

In the summer of 2021, Aleksandr Lubin, a disabled person of group II, was searched, and then he was sent to a pre-trial detention center, endangering the life of an elderly man. Due to the harsh conditions of detention, the condition of the believer became critical. After 20 days, at the request of the ECHR, he was released from custody. Shortly after his conviction, on November 11, 2024, at the age of 68, he passed away.

Aleksandr was born in 1956 in the village of Ogonyok (Kurgan region). In his youth, he was fond of sports: Greco-Roman wrestling and skiing. He also loved fishing.

After school, Aleksandr graduated from the Kurgan Engineering Institute. For 25 years, he worked as an occupational safety engineer at the Siberian-Ural Energy Company of Shadrinsk.

Aleksandr married Tatyana in August 2001. For almost 25 years she worked as a stamping operator at the Shadrinsk Automobile Unit Plant. In the 1990s, she had to work three jobs to clothe and feed two children. Tatiana loves to knit, sing and dance.

Life difficulties, poor health, as well as Tatyana's physical condition prompted Aleksandr to start reading the Bible for his wife, as she could not do it on her own—the woman had suffered several strokes. Biblical truths interested him in their logic. The knowledge gained from this book helped both spouses to free themselves from despair caused by adversity and change their outlook on life. In 2003, they decided to become Jehovah's Witnesses.

Lubin had a serious vascular disease, hypertension, as well as an autoimmune disease that affected various organs. He needed humidified oxygen for 16 hours daily. It was difficult for the believer to walk, and in the event of a fall, he could not get up without assistance. Due to criminal prosecution, Aleksandr lost the opportunity to receive planned medical treatment, which he underwent several times a year: in 2020 alone, he was hospitalized 8 times.

Aleksandr's arrest also affected the poor health of his wife Tatyana: during the search, she suffered a fourth stroke. A woman's blood pressure often rises, heart and speech problems begin, and her legs begin to fail.

Relatives, neighbors and former colleagues believe they were outraged by the abuse of the elderly man. Many people knew Aleksandr as a peace-loving, kind person, always ready to help others.

Believers with a disability Elderly Health risk Died during investigation ECHR

Case History

In July 2021, in Shadrinsk, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for faith against Aleksandr Lubin, an elderly man with a group II disability. His house was searched. The believer was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 1.5 months, despite the fact that he needed regular inpatient treatment and could hardly move. According to the doctors’ orders, Aleksandr had to use an oxygen cylinder for 16 hours a day, which was impossible in prison. In August 2021, after a request from the ECHR and human rights activists, the court released Aleksandr from the pre-trial detention center. Ilia Yershov was also a defendant in this case, but the materials against him were separated into separate proceedings. In June 2023, Lubin’s case went to court. During the trial, the prosecution interrogated witnesses who were over 80 years old. In October 2024, the court fined the believer 500 thousand rubles (the prosecutor asked for a 7-year suspended sentence). A month later, Aleksandr ended up in intensive care due to the deterioration of his condition and died.
Timeline
Back to top