Melnik Sergey

Name: Melnik Sergey Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: June 29, 1972
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 398 day in a pre-trial detention, 1012 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a correctional colony of general regime; with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a period of 4 years; with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 5 of the Kirov Region
Address for correspondence: Melnik Sergey Nikolayevich, born 1972, Correctional Colony No. 5 of the Kirov Region, Ul. Ovrazhnaya, 16, Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov Region, 613040

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

In September 2021, a court in Volgograd sentenced four civilians to real prison terms for believing in Jehovah God. One of them is Sergey Melnik.

Sergey was born in 1972 in Volgograd, where he grew up. He was the oldest child in a family with three sons and a daughter. He graduated from a vocational technical school with a degree in car mechanics. Later he mastered the professions of a slinger and roofer. For some time he worked in the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Penitentiary Service.

In 1993, Sergey married Anna, they had three sons. The whole family loved to go hiking, going out into nature, as well as going to football matches. Anna was the first in the family to become interested in the Bible. Sergey, seeing the beneficial effect of the holy book on her, also immersed himself in its study. Today he is convinced that the Bible is a source of divine wisdom and valuable advice for life.

After the arrest of her husband, Anna was left alone with many worries. In recent years, she did not work, taking care of children and caring for her disabled mother and sister. Sergey was the sole breadwinner and support of this large family. Now, in addition to these duties, Anna needs to look for a job again. Not a single relative of Sergey shares his religious views, but they are all extremely outraged by his criminal prosecution and try to support the family in every possible way in difficult times.

Case History

In the spring of 2019, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against believers from Volgograd. Sergey Melnik, Igor Egozaryan, Valeriy Rogozin and Denis Peresunko were accused of organizing an extremist organization, and the latter two were also accused of financing it. They spent 5 to 7 months in the detention center. Lawyers drew the attention of Judge Irina Struk to numerous violations by the investigation. Some witnesses stated that their testimonies were falsified. Secret witnesses were interrogated incognito — according to them, they feared for their lives and health. In September 2021, the court sentenced four believers to prison terms ranging from 6 years to 6 years and 5 months. In March 2022, a court of appeal upheld the verdict. In August of the same year, Igor Egozaryan, Denis Peresunko and Valeriy Rogozin were taken 1,200 km from their home to correctional colony No. 6 in the Republic of Udmurtia, and Sergey Melnik was later transferred to correctional colony No. 5 in the Kirov Region.
Timeline
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