Biography
Konstantin Viktorovich Matrashov was born in 1988 in Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo region). When he was about 8 years old, his mother chose the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the future, she tried to instill biblical values in her sons who were left without a father: he died in the mid-1990s. Having already matured, having gone through life's difficulties, Konstantin began to take a serious interest in the Bible.
Before his sudden arrest, Konstantin studied by correspondence at the University of Management "TISBI" and worked as a mechanic at a factory to support his mother. Since childhood he is fond of sports and fishing. He has a younger brother who does not share the views of Jehovah's Witnesses, but worries about Konstantin and understands well the injustice of criminal prosecution for believing in God.
Case History
In May 2018, in Naberezhnye Chelny, security forces invaded 10 apartments of local residents with searches. Ilham Karimov, Vladimir Myakushin, Konstantin Matrashov and Aidar Yulmetyev were detained and sent to a pre-trial detention center for six months, after which they spent 2 to 3 months under house arrest. The reason for the criminal prosecution is faith in Jehovah God and communication with fellow believers. In November 2019, the Naberezhnye Chelny City Court returned the case to the prosecutor for revision due to falsifications on the part of the investigation. The case was not closed, the believers remained under recognizance not to leave. In December 2021, Judge Rustam Khakimov found the men guilty and sentenced them to suspended sentences: Myakushin to 3 years and 1 month, Yulmetyev to 2 years and 9 months, and Matrashov and Karimov to 2.5 years. All were also assigned a probationary period of 2 years. The Court of Appeal upheld this judgment of first instance on September 2, 2022.
