Updated: April 25, 2024
Name: Mamalimov Pavel Rafitovich
Date of Birth: August 12, 1987
Current status: charges withdrawn
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 5 day in a temporary detention facility

Biography

On February 10, 2020, a wave of raids swept across Transbaikalia. Representatives of the authorities searched 50 houses of believers, as a result of which Pavel Mamalimov was sent to a temporary detention center for 5 days and later released.

Pavel was born in 1987 in the village of Mankovo (Chita region). Later, the family moved to Buryatia, then to Chita. There is an elder brother Igor, the elder sister is no longer alive. As a child, Pavel was fond of sports, studied diligently, helped his parents in housekeeping.

Pavel graduated from the Irkutsk University of Railways, and later from the school of machinists. Since 2010 he has been working as an assistant locomotive driver.

After learning how faithfully Bible prophecies were fulfilled, Paul became convinced of the existence of God. He liked the fact that applying Bible principles in his life was of practical benefit to him. In the study of the Scriptures, he was later joined by his elder brother Igor.

In 2012, Pavel met his future wife Lyubov, whose parents instilled in her a craving for biblical truths from childhood. After 2 years, they got married, and in 2017 they had a daughter, whom the couple are raising with the help of principles from God's Word.

Pavel's parents do not share his religious views, but are perplexed by the persecution of their son. A short stay in the temporary detention center undermined Pavel's health, and he became seriously ill. Relatives and friends of the believer hope that the authorities will sort everything out and stop the criminal case against him.

Case History

Vladimir Ermolaev, Aleksandr Putintsev, Sergey Kirilyuk and Igor Mamalimov faced prosecution for their faith in 2020, when security forces carried out 50 searches in Chita and other cities in Transbaikalia. During the raid, several believers were detained and two were tortured. Mamalimov, Kirilyuk and Ermolaev were placed in a temporary detention facility, where they spent several days. At some point, four more believers were suspects in the case, but their criminal prosecution was discontinued. For holding peaceful religious services, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation accused Ermolaev, Putintsev, Mamalimov and Kirilyuk of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Despite the fact that there were no victims in the case and there was no evidence of crimes against the state and the individual, in 2022 the court sentenced Vladimir Ermolaev, Aleksandr Putintsev and Igor Mamalimov to imprisonment in a penal colony for 6 to 6.5 years, and Sergey Kirilyuk - to 6 years suspended. The court of appeal upheld this verdict. The courts of appeal and cassation did not change this verdict.