Name: Veselov Mikhail Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: December 18, 1968
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 141 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions

Biography

On July 13, 2020 more than 110 searches of Jehovah's Witnesses' homes were conducted in the Voronezh region. Ten men aged 24 to 56 years were sent to the pre-trial detention center. One of them is Mikhail Veselov.

Mikhail was born in 1968 in Komsomolsk (Ivanovo region). He has a younger brother. As a child he was fond of radio electronics, basketball and fishing. He graduated from the university as an engineer. Worked by profession, and recently - in the field of construction. He likes fishing and gardening.

In 1995, Mikhail married Olga. A month after the wedding, the newlyweds were interested in biblical teachings, which they were told about by their relative. The young man was impressed by the consistency of Scripture with science, and his wife had no doubts about the existence of God before. In 1996, the family began their journey to Christianity. For some time the family lived in Lugansk, and they moved to Voronezh because of the conflict in Donbass in 2014.

Olga is a housewife, taking care of her old mother. She is fond of learning French. The Veselovs have an adult daughter, Julia. Parents instilled love for the Bible in the girl from birth, and she still draws guidance from it to this day. Julia is fond of volleyball, cooking, writing poems.

Due to criminal prosecution Olga has lost her appetite, suffers from insomnia. "Now there is no sense of security that has always been when my husband was here," she shasays. All concerns about the family's material needs, including payment for rented housing, layed on Mikhail's shoulders. Now that he is in jail, the family has serious difficulties.

Case History

In one day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in 7 settlements of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported torture by the security forces. Ten men aged 24 to 56 years were charged by the Investigative Committee with organizing extremist activities and sent them to prison, where most of them were held for almost 5 months. The events in Voronezh caused a wide public outcry: the EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and bewilderment in connection with the incident. The believers themselves do not admit guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their religion in accordance with constitutional law. Consideration of the case in court began in December 2021. Believers face up to 10 years in prison.
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