Updated: May 17, 2024
Name: Polyakevich Gennadiy Iosifovich
Date of Birth: April 4, 1959
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 300 day in a pre-trial detention, 63 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: recognizance agreement

Biography

On January 28, 2020, Gennady Polyakevich was imprisoned in Pechora (Komi Republic) as a result of mass searches in the homes of civilians.

Gennadiy was born in 1959 in the village of Irayol, Komi Republic, in a family of ordinary villagers. His father, Joseph, worked as a driver, and his mother, Augustine, worked as a cleaner at school. Gennady was the eldest of two brothers in the family. Childhood was not easy, the family was not rich, often toys for children were replaced by planks, bricks and a rich imagination.

After graduating from school and serving in the army, Gennady worked for a short time as a bricklayer at a construction site, and then graduated from the technical school of communications and got a job in his specialty in Pechora. Later he studied in absentia at the Leningrad Institute named after Bonch-Bruevich. Gennadiy worked at the communications enterprise for more than 30 years, received the title of veteran of labor and master of communications.

According to the stories of Gennady, at an early age, looking at the stars, he thought about their creator. His parents were the first to get acquainted with the Bible, and later Gennady also decided to learn more about what was written in this book. New knowledge prompted him to embark on the path of a Christian, which he did in 1994.

Around this time, Gennady met Elvira, who shared his newfound values. He married her in 1996 and adopted her young child. In 2003, the couple had a daughter, Elina. Elvira has been working in one of the pharmacies in Pechora for many years and, like her husband, has a good reputation among her colleagues.

According to Gennadiy's relatives, he always devoted a lot of time to helping friends and acquaintances. Criminal prosecution in one day destroyed the calm happy life of the family. Sleepless nights and fear followed at every knock on the door. At the same time, family members are determined to respond to events in a Christian way and continue to rely on God.

Case History

In January 2020, security forces searched 12 houses in Pechora. Several people were detained. Among them are Gennadiy Polyakevich and Gennadiy Skutelets. On the same day, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case on extremism against Polyakevich and Skutelets. The court sent Polyakevich to a pre-trial detention center, where he spent 301 days, and placed Skutelets under house arrest for 364 days. In November 2020, another investigator of the Investigative Committee opened a new criminal case against Nikolay Anufriyev, Eduard Merinkov, Viktor Shchannikov, Aleksandr Vorontsov, and Aleksandr Prilepskiy. They were put on recognizance not to leave. The case went to court in May 2021, and eight months later it was returned to the prosecutor. In December 2022, at the age of 58, Aleksandr Prilepskiy died from the effects of COVID-19. In April 2023, the case went to court again.