Name: Semenova Nadezhda Vladimirovna
Date of Birth: June 5, 1985
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 4 years with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year, a sentence of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

The criminal prosecution disrupted the quiet life of Nadezhda Semenova and her husband Dmitriy. The religion of the spouses was the reason for the search and charges of extremism.

Nadezhda was born in June 1985 in Yekaterinburg. She has two elder sisters, one of whom was born in her father's first marriage. He was a jack of all trades, his mother mainly took care of the house and daughters, from time to time worked as a cleaner and nanny. Now she is retired, and her father is no longer alive.

Nadezhda was a versatile child: she sang in the school choir, danced, read a lot. She especially enjoyed reading the Bible with her mother and sister. They were inspired by the biblical promise to bring their dead loved ones back to life on earth. Even at a young age, Nadezhda embarked on the Christian path.

After school, the girl immediately went to work. She was a nanny for many years, worked in a private kindergarten, prepared children for school. For a while, Nadezhda worked at a medical services center.

In 2010, Nadezhda married Dmitriy, who shares her views on life. For some time they lived in the city of Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region, then they moved to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Dmitriy's hometown. Nadezhda works as a merchandiser in a chain of stores, and her husband works as a programmer. Spouses love to spend time together: ride bicycles, play the guitar.

The criminal prosecution affected the life of the family. Nadezhda says: “It has become more difficult to plan any cases due to the fact that they can be called to the investigation department or suddenly come to work.” Relatives worry about the spouses, considering the accusation of extremism to be groundless.

Case History

In September 2021, the apartment of Dmitriy and Nadezhda Semenov was searched. A criminal case had been initiated against them because of their faith. According to the Investigative Committee, the couple encouraged a resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy “to participate in the activity of an extremist organization.” In June 2022, the couple’s case went to court. The charges were based on the testimony of a woman who expressed a desire to study the Bible with the Semenovs and later began to cooperate with the FSB. In November 2022, the court gave Dmitriy and Nadezhda a 4-year suspended sentence for talking about the Bible. The court of appeal upheld the verdict.
Back to top