Biography
In August 2023, Roman Gumenyuk faced persecution for his faith. In Soviet times, his father, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, spent three years in prison for his peace-loving views, and was later rehabilitated as a victim of political repression.
Roman was born in January 1982 in the village of Zalari, Irkutsk region. He grew up in a large family—he has a sister and three brothers. When the boy was 6, the family moved to Kyrgyzstan, the village of Belovodskoye, four years later—to the village of Verkhchulymka (Krasnoyarsk Territory), and then—to Nazarovo. The parents are no longer alive.
As a child, Roman loved to play football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis and billiards. He also learned to play the guitar. After school, he graduated from the Power Engineering College, where he received the specialty of mechanical technician. For a year he worked as a fitter for the repair of industrial machines at a factory, later as a watchman, then as a truck and bus driver. Recently, he has been engaged in the repair of household appliances.
Roman was familiar with biblical teachings since childhood. As he grew older, he began to study the Bible more deeply and became convinced of the consistency of this book. He loved to associate with Jehovah's Witnesses, he liked their openness, ability to enjoy small things, and love of life. At the age of 21, he also decided to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Roman and his wife Olesya have known each other since childhood. They got married in 2005. Olesya is a fourth-generation Jehovah's Witness: her great-grandparents were exiled to Siberia in 1951 for their religious views. In Soviet times, Olesya's father as well as Roman’s fatrher served 3 years in prison for refusing to join the army. Roman's wife is an economist and accountant by profession, worked as an operator at a gas station and in a café, loves to grow vegetables and make preparations.
Roman and Olesya like to spend time in nature and travel on a motorcycle to picturesque places. They also enjoy chatting with friends and playing sports.
In 2007, the couple moved to the Republic of Khakassia. There Roman served alternative civilian service. Since the believer adheres to peace-loving views, he defended his right to this service, which is not related to military structures, in court for several years. The couple lived in Khakassia for 9 years, and in 2016 they left for Sakhalin, where they still live.
"Life was divided into before and after," says Roman, "as we had to completely rebuild to new realities." Relatives experienced stress. They cannot understand how, in the twenty-first century, a person can be persecuted for good deeds.