Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Lyamo Anatoliy Ivanovich
Date of Birth: May 27, 1963
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Sentence: penalty in the form of a fine in the amount of 1,100,000 rubles

Biography

Early in the morning of April 11, 2020, despite the self-isolation regime introduced in Russia in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, the security forces searched the apartment of Anatoly Lyamo. A peaceful believer became one of four accused under the "extremist" article.

Anatoliy was born in the urban-type settlement of Pogar (Bryansk region) in 1963. At the age of 3.5, he was adopted by a family from neighboring Klimov. Anatoly's parents were disabled from childhood. His mother worked as a seamstress, his father as a shoemaker. My father died early.

Since childhood, Anatoliy loved to draw. After school, he entered an art school in Bobruisk (Belarus), where he received a specialty as a facing in artistic mosaic and tile works.

Anatoliy did his military service in Pereslavl Zalessky, worked for some time in the metro construction of the city of Kiev (Ukraine), and later participated in various construction projects.

In Teikovo, Anatoly continued his extra-urgent military service. Here he met his future wife Galina. In 1993 they got married. Galina is a mathematics teacher by profession, but she has worked in a pharmacy for most of her life.

The couple have two adult children and two grandchildren. They love to spend time in the country with the whole family.

Anatoliy has always been interested in what is written in the Bible and in 1994 he seriously took up its study. He was impressed by the consistency of the Bible's teachings. His family noticed significant changes in Anatoly's character - he became calm and law-abiding. The positive changes that Galina saw in her husband prompted her to give the Bible a chance too.

For Anatoly's relatives, the searches and criminal prosecution came as a complete surprise. They wonder how reading a book that motivated their father, husband and son to become better people could be accused of extremism.

Case History

In April 2020, security forces raided the apartments of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the town of Teikov. A day earlier, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for organizing the activities of an extremist organization against Vladimir Spivak, Aleksandr Vasichkin, Sergey Galyamin and Anatoliy Lyamo. All believers were given a written undertaking not to leave the place. A year later, the investigator charged Lyamo with another article, this time of financing the activities of an extremist organization. In August 2021, charges were added to Aleksandr Vasichkin of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. The prosecution was based on the testimony of two secret witnesses. In January 2023, the case of the believers went to court. In February 2024, the judge sentenced the believers to big fines: Spivak — 600,000, Sergey Galyamin — 650,000, Aleksandr Vasichkin and Anatoliy Lyamo — 1,100,000 rubles each.