Another Jehovah's Witness Expelled from Russia. Before That, Andzhey Onishchuk Served a Suspended Sentence

Andrzej Onishchuk is a 57-year-old citizen of Poland who was convicted in Russia for practicing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. On June 3, 2026, he completed his sentence; however, the authorities required him to leave Russia within 10 days. For the next 8 years, the believer is prohibited from entering the country.

Andrzej spent half his life — nearly 30 years — in Russia, in Kirov. There, he married Anna, started his own business, and made friends. Now, Andrzej and his wife have been forced to leave for his homeland. For Anna, leaving was a difficult decision, since her relatives remain in Russia.

The persecution of Andrzej began in October 2018. The believer spent almost a year in a pretrial detention center. At that time, he was prohibited from any communication with his wife — even by phone, since she was a witness in the case. "Throughout that whole period, we could not communicate; we saw each other only four times in court, and twice it was via videoconferencing. For me, it was a difficult trial, because Andrzej is the closest person to me, and we have never been apart for so long," Anna recalls that period.

For singing spiritual songs and discussing the Bible, the Kirov courtsentencedAndrzej to six and a half years' suspended sentence with a 4-year probation period, during which he was required to report to the authorities weekly and not leave the city. On June 9 of this year, the Migration Issues Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Kirov Region issued a decision prohibiting entry into the Russian Federation.

In October 2025, the European Court of Human Rightsrecognizedthe persecution of Onishchuk and 27 of his fellow believers as a violation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, emphasizing that it "had no lawful aim or 'social necessity.'"

If Andrzej and his wife had stayed in Russia, they would have remained at risk of new reprisals for their beliefs. Many believers areprosecuted repeatedly; and members of their families are oftensubjected to persecution. At least190 Jehovah's Witnesses under persecutionhave at least one relative who has become the subject of a criminal case on similar charges.