Name: Tsikunov Aleksandr Gennadiyevich
Date of Birth: November 25, 1967
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 51 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: recognizance agreement
Currently held in: Kaltan

Biography

Aleksandr Tsikunov, a civil engineer and former head of the Kaltan State Construction Supervision Inspectorate, was searched and detained only because he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Aleksandr was born in November 1967 in the city of Kaltan in a family of doctors. As a child, the boy was fond of collecting stamps. He has an elder sister. She followed in her parents' footsteps and became a medical professional. The sister shares Aleksandr's religious beliefs.

Aleksandr graduated with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as the head of the inspectorate of state architectural and construction supervision of the Kaltan administration, and then at South Kuzbass GRES as an engineer of the capital construction department until his arrest in May 2021. In his free time, Aleksandr likes to walk in the forest, pick mushrooms, and visit a Russian bathhouse.

Aleksandr enjoyed reading and studying the Bible, and the truths of this ancient book seemed surprisingly simple and clear to him. Therefore, in 1997, he made a conscious decision to become a Christian and dedicated his life to God.

In 1989, Aleksandr married Yelena, whom he had known since childhood. The wife noticed that the study of the Bible had a positive effect on Aleksandr's character, so she became interested in this book herself. After some time, she supported her husband in his religious choice and became a Christian.

Faced with criminal prosecution, Aleksandr experienced a nervous shock. During the court hearings, the believer underwent heart surgery.

His relatives, even those who do not share his religious beliefs, are completely on Aleksandr's side. They try to support him in every possible way.

Case History

In May 2021, searches were carried out in the small town of Kaltan with the participation of the Investigative Committee for the Kemerovo Region, the CPE and the FSB. One of the detainees, civil engineer Aleksandr Tsikunov, spent 2 days in a temporary detention facility. The court then placed him under house arrest, and 51 days later he was ordered not to leave the place. The believer was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. This is how the investigation interpreted Tsikunov’s communication with friends via video conferencing on biblical topics. In August 2022, the prosecutor’s office returned the case for further investigation due to violations of the rights of the believer during the production of examinations. In June 2023, the case went to court. In September of the same year, Aleksandr suffered a heart attack, which is why the hearings were suspended for several months.
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