Name: Manzyrykchi Vitaliy Alevtinovich
Date of Birth: November 19, 1981
Current status: charges withdrawn
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 56 day Under house arrest

Biography

In January 2021, security forces searched the home of 39-year-old Tuvan resident Vitaliy Manzyrykchi, after which they took him for interrogation and sent him to a detention center. After 2 days, the believer was released under house arrest.

Vitaliy was born in November 1981 in the village of Khovu-Aksy, Republic of Tuva. Vitaliy's family, when he was a child, moved to the city of Kyzyl. Parents soon died, the boy was raised by his grandmother.

As a child, Vitaliy loved to read and was fond of computers. After school, he received the profession of a cook. For many years he worked as a seller in the car market. He is fond of photography, likes to relax in nature with friends.

In the late 1990s, Vitaliy began to study the Bible. He was inspired by the way the prophecies in this book are fulfilled. Love among Jehovah's Witnesses touched his heart, and in 2000 he was baptized as a Christian.

Due to criminal prosecution, Vitaliy lost the opportunity to earn a living. During the search, a camera and a computer were seized from him. Vitaly's aunt, his only relative, was worried that her nephew faced criminal prosecution only for his belief in Jehovah God. In January 2022, all charges against the believer were dropped.

Case History

In January 2021, the FSB conducted searches at the homes of believers in the city of Kyzyl. Anatoliy Senin and Vitaliy Manzyrykchi were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. After 2 days, the court placed them under house arrest, and after 2 months under a recognizance agreement. In January 2022, the criminal case against Vitaliy Manzyrykchi was dropped without the right to rehabilitation, and Anatoliy Senin was charged. The Investigative Committee considered the holding of religious services as organizing the activity of an extremist organization. In February of the same year, the materials of the criminal case against Senin were submitted to the court. The prosecutor requested that the believer be sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. In January 2023, the court gave Anatoliy Senin a 6-year suspended sentence. There were two appeals against this decision. The lawyer asked for the sentence to be cancelled due to violations, and the prosecutor - to toughen it due to “excessive leniency”. The court of appeal upheld the verdict of the court of first instance.
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