Name: Svoboda Tatyana Valentinovna
Date of Birth: December 2, 1959
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2), 282.2 (1.1)
Sentence: punishment in the form of 5 years of imprisonment, the punishment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 2 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year 8 months

Biography

In October 2021, Tatyana Svoboda, a widow who had lost both her husband and son, was rushed in with a search by the security forces. A criminal case was opened against the pensioner under an extremist article only because of her faith in Jehovah God.

Tatyana was born in December 1959 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. She has lived in this city all her life. His father was a locksmith, and his mother worked as a storekeeper in a kindergarten. Tatyana has an elder brother.

As a child, Tatyana loved to read: she could not pass by the library. After school, she graduated from a technical school and received the profession of a merchandiser.

Tatyana worked as a storekeeper in trade for 10 years and as a warehouse manager in a construction company for 30 years. Now she is retired. She likes to travel and visit picturesque places in Russia.

In 2001, Tatiana decided to embark on the Christian path. After reading the Bible, she was impressed by the clarity and consistency of its teachings.

The criminal prosecution affected Tatyana's health. The believer says: “There were worries, because of this I could not eat and sleep.”

Tatyana's relatives are outraged by the criminal prosecution of a peaceful woman.

Case History

In September 2021, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on suspicion of participating in extremist activity against peaceful pensioner Tatyana Svoboda. In October 2021, her home, as well as the homes of Elena Nesterova and Tatyana Bondarenko, were searched. Ten months later, in August 2022, Nesterova and Bondarenko were charged under two parts of Article 282.2 of the RF CrC simultanously. The case mentions a woman who the believers allegedly persuaded to participate in extremist activity — they read the Bible with her and discussed spiritual topics. In November 2022, the case went to court, and in March of the following year, the women were given a 5-year suspended sentence with a 2-year probation period. The court of appeal upheld this decision, but added 1 year and 8 months of restriction of freedom.
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