Name: Mareyev Roman Viktorovich
Date of Birth: June 11, 1978
Current status: main sentence served
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 1078 day in a pre-trial detention, 22 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 4 years 6 months of imprisonment with serving in a correctional colony of general regime, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year
Released: October 25, 2024

Biography

Roman Mareyev, a peaceful believer from Moscow, who takes care of elderly parents with disabilities, learned in October 2021 that a criminal case had been opened against him. The reason for the persecution was his faith in Jehovah God. His home was searched, after which he was thrown behind bars.

Roman was born in June 1978 in Moscow. He has a younger sister who lives in another city. The believer's mother has a third group of disabilities, and his father has a second, since he had two heart attacks and can only walk on crutches.

As a child, Roman was a calm, obedient child, loved to learn. Teachers praised him for his exemplary behavior and good academic performance. Roman graduated from the Russian State Open Technical University with a degree in national economics. After that, he worked as a machinist, and later as an engineer in the electric depot of the Moscow Metro. Roman enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

When Roman began reading the Bible, he was moved by the prophecies in the book of Daniel. They strengthened his confidence in God's promises of a wonderful future. Upon learning that Roman had begun to study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, his parents were vehemently opposed. However, later their attitude changed when they saw the rationality and consistency of the biblical teachings. At 24, Roman embarked on the Christian path.

Due to criminal prosecution, the believer cannot take care of the mother and father. His elderly parents are worried, complaining of panic attacks and hypertension, they say that in the morning it seems to them that someone is knocking on the door again. They say with bitterness: "We are sitting, figuratively speaking, with him in prison." Parents are looking forward to Roman's return home. Everyone who knows him is perplexed, expresses sympathy and hopes for a fair outcome of the case.

Case History

In October 2021, law enforcement officers conducted searches in Moscow and the region and detained Anatoliy Marunov, Sergey Tolokonnikov and Roman Mareyev. They were charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization. In July 2023, the Savyolovsky Court of Moscow sentenced them to terms ranging from 4.5 to 6.5 years in a penal colony. The court of appeal added another 2 months for Tolokonnikov. In June 2025, he was released, and a year later the court imposed administrative supervision on him until 2033.
Back to top