Name: Minsafin Valeriy Igorevich
Date of Birth: October 7, 1971
Current status: charges withdrawn
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility

Biography

In 2021, a series of unpleasant events took place in the life of Valeriy Minsafin from Kurgan: he was searched, the believer was interrogated and detained for two days on suspicion of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. Against the backdrop of what happened, Valeriy's elderly mother had a heart attack.

Valeriy was born in October 1971 in Kurgan. He has an elder sister. The younger brother tragically died at a construction site when he was about thirty years old.

Since childhood, Valeriy was fond of sports, including wrestling and clay shooting. After graduating from school, he immediately went to work at the factory. Valeriy worked as a driver, and recently he has been working in the construction industry and performs roofing and installation work.

In 1996, Valeriy married Galina, whom he met at work. By profession, she is a quality controller. The couple had two children. The adult son has already created his own family, and the daughter lives with her parents. She studies at the railway college. The Minfins have a grandson.

Galina became interested in Bible teachings, and later her husband joined her in her Bible study. In 1998, Valery and his wife embarked on the Christian path. According to him, this was prompted by the knowledge gained about biblical prophecy, the qualities of God and his plans.

The persecution has affected Valeriy's health: he and Galina suffer from hypertension. The believer says: “My wife's blood pressure is sometimes critical. My daughter is afraid to be at home alone.” Relatives do not understand why they are persecuting this peaceful man.

Case History

In July 2021, the investigation accused Anatoliy Isakov, a disabled person, of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and Valeriy Minsafin of participating in it. The next day, the homes of the believers were searched, and the men were placed in a temporary detention facility. The investigator released Minsafin from custody, and the court sent Isakov, who can hardly move, is fighting cancer and needs to regularly take strong prescription medication, to a pretrial detention center for 1.5 months, interrupting his vital chemotherapy. After a request from the ECHR and human rights activists to the Russian authorities, the court released Isakov under a ban on certain actions. Minsafin was cleared of charges in March 2023. In June 2023, the case of Anatoliy Isakov went to court. It is based, among other things, on the testimony of a secret witness. In July 2024, the prosecutor requested a 6.5-year suspended sentence for the believer. In August 2024, the court imposed a fine of 400,000 rubles on him.
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