In the photo: Rustam Seidkuliev in the courtroom

In the photo: Rustam Seidkuliev in the courtroom

In the photo: Rustam Seidkuliev in the courtroom

Unjust Verdicts

The Court Sent One More of Jehovah's Witnesses Behind Bars. Rustam Seidkuliev Was Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible

Saratov Region

On May 20, 2021 judge of Leninskiy District Court of Saratov Andrey Efimov found Rustam Seidkuliev guilty under part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in activity of extremist organization). The believer was taken into custody in the courtroom.

Seidkuliev was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony and 1 year of restricted freedom after his release. The court took into account the 7 months that Rustam spent under house arrest: 217 days corresponding to 108 and a half days of imprisonment. Thus, the believer has to spend over two years in prison.

The verdict did not come into force, and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence. The state prosecutor requested that he be sentenced to four years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

After getting acquainted with biblical doctrines, Seidkuliev decided to lead a peaceful life, not to take up arms and not to learn how to fight. For his refusal to join the army, he was convicted twice (in 1995 and 1996) and spent 1 year and 8 months in a minimum-security penal colony in Turkmenistan. Twenty-five years later, Rustam found himself in court again only because of his faith in the God Jehovah.

Rustam Seidkuliev at the entrance to the courthouse
Rustam Seidkuliev at the entrance to the courthouse
Rustam Seidkuliev with his wife Yulia
Rustam Seidkuliev with his wife Yulia
Rustam and Yulia Seidkuliev with friends near the courthouse
Rustam and Yulia Seidkuliev with friends near the courthouse
Leninsky District Court of Saratov
Leninsky District Court of Saratov

A criminal case against Rustam Seidkuliev was initiated on January 29, 2020. The believer learned about it on February 15, 2020, when police officers detained him along with his wife in a shopping center. It was announced to Rustam that he was wanted, and later he was placed in a special detention center for 5 days.

On February 20, 2020. On February 20, 2020, Seidkuliev was taken for a search, after which he was transported by car to Saratov. On the morning of February 22, 2020, the court ordered that he be placed under house arrest for two months. This preventive measure was later extended to 7 months and 8 days, and in September 2020 it was changed to a ban on certain actions. One month later, the investigator confined himself to a written pledge not to leave.

The case of Seidkuliev was investigated by the bodies of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Saratov region for a year and two months. On 30 March 2021, the case went to court. The case was considered for more than a year.

As stated in the indictment, Seidkuliev, "acting from extremist motives, realizing that by his actions he undermines the foundations of the constitutional order and state security", continued to participate in worship services and talk to others about God. This accusation was made against Rustam in court, despite the fact that Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees every citizen "the right to practice...any religion or not to practice any religion. Neither the Supreme Court nor any other court has ever restricted this right as applied to Jehovah's Witnesses.

The OSCE, the European Union, Russian human rights activists and many others condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

Case of Seidkuliev in Saratov

Case History
In January 2020, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Rustam Seidkuliev. He was accused of extremism for reading and discussing the Bible. Two weeks later, the police detained a believer in a shopping center in Adler. He was transported to the city of Saratov and placed under house arrest for seven months. In March 2021, Seidkuliev’s case came to court. Two months later he was found guilty and sentenced to two and a half years in a general regime colony. The regional court reduced this period by two months. The Court of Cassation approved this decision. Seidkuliev served his sentence in Penal Colony-33 in Saratov. During this time, the FSB accomplished the revocation of his Russian citizenship. In April 2023, the believer was released from the colony, and in September he was deported to Turkmenistan.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Saratov Region
Locality:
Saratov
Court case number:
12002630006000014
Initiated:
January 29, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate for the Leninsky District, Saratov, Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Saratov Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-229/2021
Court:
Ленинский районный суд г. Саратова
Judge:
Андрей Ефимов
Case History
Back to top