Yershov Aleksey

Name: Yershov Aleksey Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: February 12, 1953
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 78 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 3 years; with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to the placement of appeals and other materials in information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, for a term of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year, the sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

The quiet, measured life of the family of Aleksey Yershov, a retired engineer and teacher, completely changed when in the summer of 2020 security forces raided the believers' apartment with a search. A criminal case was initiated against a peaceful pensioner and later the court sentenced him to imprisonment.

Alexey was born in February 1953 in the city of Seversk (Tomsk Region) into a family of workers. In the same year, his father died tragically. Then Alexey’s elder sister was only five years old. Mother had to raise five weather children alone. Alexey's mom and elder sister are no longer alive.

From early childhood, Alexey collected postage stamps, matchsticks, coins, bonds (paper banknotes), postcards and envelopes. He attended various sports sections.

After graduating from 8 classes, Alexey studied at a technical school, and then at the University of Marxism-Leninism. He worked as a technician, senior engineer and mechanic, taught at a vocational school. He is now retired.

In 1973, Alexey met his future wife Lyudmila, and after 3 years they got married. Lyudmila worked as a preschool teacher. She loves to paint, read and plant houseplants. The couple raised two children — a son and a daughter.

The practical benefits of biblical truths, as well as the hope for the resurrection of his beloved relatives, prompted Alexey to devote his life to serving God. Together with his wife, in 1994, they embarked on the Christian path. Their adult daughter Olga shares the spiritual and moral values of her parents. She is an amateur photographer.

In his free time, Alexey continues to do collecting, tries to keep himself in good physical shape — he goes skiing, is engaged in Scandinavian walking. Likes to grow vegetables and berries in a garden plot.

The criminal prosecution and searches had a negative impact on the health of Lyudmila and Olga. The family lives in constant stress, waiting for new searches and interrogations, but despite this they try to encourage each other. Alexei shares: "This challenge brought us together as a family. Friends are surprised that in Russia they can be persecuted for their faith, and they support us in every possible way, for which we are very grateful to them."

Case History

Since March 2020, Kira Klisheva, who portrayed an interest in the Bible, recorded the worship services of Jehovah’s Witnesses from her computer and handed them over to the FSB. Soon, employees of the Investigative Committee raided the house of Alexei Ershov, a former deputy of the city Council of People’s Deputies. In March 2021, the case against the pensioner was separated into a separate proceeding from the case of Yevgeny Korotun. Ershov was accused of participating in worship services, saying prayers and singing religious songs. In July 2021, the case was submitted to the Seversky City Court of the Tomsk Region, it was considered by Judge Yalchin Badalov. The prosecutor suggested that the court consider Yershov as an organizer, not a member of an extremist community, and sentence him to 5 years in prison. In January 2022, the court sentenced Yershov to 3 years in a penal colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. In April 2022, the court of appeal replaced the sentence with 3 years of probation.
Timeline
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