Vavilov Aleksandr

Updated: April 15, 2024
Name: Vavilov Aleksandr Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: October 5, 1967
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 240 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: Suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 3 years with restriction of liberty for a term of 10 months; The main punishment in the form of imprisonment is considered conditional, setting him a probationary period of 3 years
Currently held in: Detention Centre No. 2 for the Nizhniy Novgorod Region
Address for correspondence: Aleksandr Vladimirovich Vavilov, born 1967, FKU SIZO-2 UFSIN of Russia for the Nizhniy Novgorod Region, 607683 Nizhniy Novgorod Region, Kstovo district, Druzhniy

Biography

On July 16 and 17, 2019, mass searches and detentions of civilians on the basis of religion took place in the Nizhny Novgorod region. At least 11 people were detained. Two believers were thrown into jail for talking about religious topics, which law enforcement agencies interpret as extremism. What do we know about one of them, Alexander Vavilov?

Alexander was born in 1967 in the city of Kropotkin (Krasnodar Territory). When he was two years old, his family moved to live in Kamchatka. His father worked as a carpenter. Alexander grew up as a versatile child: he painted portraits, was actively involved in sports - running, swimming, skiing. He also liked hairdressing.

After serving in the army, he entered the Khabarovsk State Institute of Physical Culture in the direction of "boxing". In the last year, I realized that I did not want to connect my life with such a dangerous sport, and began to attend hairdressing courses. Then he worked in this profession. Customers appreciated him very much for his responsible attitude towards them and practical advice.

In 1994, Alexander married Elena and adopted her two children. Even before the wedding, the couple began to be interested in Christian teachings and jointly search the Bible for answers to questions. For many years, they have been putting into practice what they have learned from this book. They are convinced that this has made their family stronger and more united.

In 2015, the family moved to Pavlovo. Alexander and Elena like to spend their free time together, go to the forest, pick mushrooms and berries. They have many friends in different cities.

Although the mother and relatives do not share Alexander's religious choice, they have peace and harmony in their relationship. All relatives are perplexed because of the unfair persecution of an honest person.

Case History

In July 2019, mass searches and detentions of Jehovah’s Witnesses took place in Nizhny Novgorod and the city of Pavlovo. The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region initiated a criminal case on the suspicion that unidentified persons were participating in extremist activity — this is how the investigation classified the worship of believers. The security forces detained Aleksey Oreshkov and Aleksandr Vavilov and placed them in pretrial detention for 211 and 241 days, respectively. Later, the FSB added Aleksandr Rakovskiy to the same case as a defendant. In January 2021, the case went to court. Despite fabricated testimonies in the case and the fact that there were no victims, in October 2021 the court imposed a 3-year suspended sentence on the peaceful believers. In January 2022, the regional court, and in December the cassation court, left this sentence unchanged.
Timeline