Name: Slashchev Valeriy Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: June 9, 1981
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 137 day in a pre-trial detention, 403 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years and 4 months of imprisonment in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a term of 4 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: penal colony No. 14 in Khabarovsk Territory
Address for correspondence: Slashchev, Valeriy Vladimirovich, born 1981, IK No. 14 in Khabarovsk Territory, sh. Mashinostroiteley, 10, g. Amursk, Khabarovsk Territory, Russia, 682643

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Biography

Law enforcement officers of the Amur region involved two task forces from Blagoveshchensk to search the homes of civilians from Tynda. In November 2019, Valeriy Slashchev was under investigation on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

About the early years of his life, Valeriy said: “I always thought that I was born in Tynda, but they say that I was born in Blagoveshchensk. At the age of 16, I found out that I was adopted. When I was 7 years old, my mother died, by that time my father was living with another woman. I was raised by my aunt, my mother's sister, and her husband." As a child, Valeriy was fond of collecting stamps.

After school, Valeriy graduated from the railway technical school with a degree in track and track construction. He worked as a track fitter in the villages of Mogot, Berkakit, Zolotinka, and later as a driver and adjuster of the KIP, head of the base of the KAMAZ auto center.

Valeriy knew his future wife Tatyana from school. Tatyana was waiting for him from the army, endured an explosive temper and frequent attacks of aggression, forgave him a lot. He realized that this was due to the knowledge that the girl drew from the Bible. Valeriy was also interested in spiritual searches. “For three days I compared different translations of the Bible,” he recalls, “and realized that they were the same! This is how I became interested in this wise book, which can give an answer to any question . . . Since childhood, I was afraid of the dead, but the Bible freed me from this fear. I practiced magic, I was terribly superstitious. But the Bible delivered me from all prejudices, fears and restrictions”.

Valeriy and Tatyana got married in 2003. Spouses are happy to learn foreign languages, love to draw, swim, give gifts and travel.

The criminal prosecution of Valeriy affected the health of his mother-in-law: due to worries and worries, her chronic illness worsened. His brother is confused too. Before his eyes, from a rude and quick-tempered man, Valeriy turned into a peaceful Christian, and he does not understand why he is being persecuted.

Case History

In 2018, in the city of Tynda, FSB agent Nurakov, feigning an interest in the Bible, began attending meetings for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses and collecting information about them. In November 2019, a criminal case was initiated against Sergey Yuferov, Valery Slashchev, Mikhail Burkov and Vladimir Bukin. A wave of searches took place in the city. The men were accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization and involving others in it. In June 2021, the case went to court. A year and a half later, the believers were sentenced from 6 years and 2 months to 6 years and 6 months in a penal colony. In December 2022, the court of appeal overturned the verdict and sent the case for a new trial, and the believers were released from the pretrial detention center, where they had each spent 2 months. In June 2023, they were again sentenced to a penal colony: Bukin, Slashchev and Yuferov were given 6 years and 4 months each, and Burkov was given 6 years and 2 months. Another court of appeal ruled in August 2023 to uphold this decision. In May 2024, the court of cassation confirmed the verdict for all four Jehovah's Witnesses from Tynda.