Popov Igor

Name: Popov Igor Anatoliyevich
Date of Birth: July 23, 1966
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 64 day in a pre-trial detention, 78 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 6 years, the sentence in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probation period of 4 years, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a term of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a term of 1 year

Biography

On July 13, 2020 law enforcement agencies of the Voronezh region conducted the most large-scale special operation against Jehovah's Witnesses. 54-year-old Igor Popov became one of the operatives actions victims. After the search he was sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Igor was born in July 1966 in Blagoveshchensk (Amur Region). The elder brother died. As a child, Igor was fond of skiing, orienteering and rafting on mountain rivers.

After graduating from a vocational school, he worked as a plaster painter and plumber-sanitary technician. Served in the army.

In 1988 he married Lucien, a couple has a daughter, Elizabeth.

In the early 2000s, Igor decided to bring his life in line with Christian values, thanks to the study of the Holy Scriptures.

Spouses like to relax in nature. Before his arrest, due to Lucien's health condition, Igor spent a lot of time caring for his wife. Her health was particularly affected by her husband's criminal prosecution.

Believers with a disability

Case History

On a single day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in seven localities of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported being tortured by law enforcement officers. The Investigative Committee charged 10 men (then aged 24 to 56) with organizing extremist activity and sent them to pretrial detention, where most remained for nearly 5 months. The events in Voronezh sparked widespread public outcry: EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and dismay over what had happened. The believers deny any guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their faith in accordance with their constitutional rights. The trial began in December 2021. Nearly 4 years later, the believers were given various punishments — ranging from a 6-year suspended sentence to 7 years in a penal colony.
Timeline
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