Nerush Vitaliy

Name: Nerush Vitaliy Alekseyevich
Date of Birth: May 31, 1979
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 140 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions

Biography

In July 2020 in the Voronezh region there were mass searches of Jehovah's Witnesses houses. Ten men aged 24 to 56 were thrown in jail. One of them was Vitaliy Nerush. What is known about him?

Vitaliy was born in 1979 in Pavlodar (Kazakhstan). As a child he liked to assemble models of airplanes, to draw, to sculpt with plasticine. In 2007 he graduated from Voronezh State Technical University as an electrical engineer. Before his arrest he worked in the sphere of repair and finishing of premises.

Parents from a young age encouraged Vitaliy to respect the Bible. The love and unity he felt among Christians helped Vitaly to become a convinced Christian.

In 2016 Vitaly married Aleksandra, a girl who shared his beliefs. She works as a seamstress, is fond of needlework and household management. In his spare time Vitaliy takes up photography. Together spouses love to travel, especially in the mountains.

Despite the severe stress of criminal prosecution, Vitaliy and Aleksandra try to stay calm and believe in a fair outcome of the case.

Case History

In one day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in 7 settlements of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported torture by the security forces. Ten men aged 24 to 56 years were charged by the Investigative Committee with organizing extremist activities and sent them to prison, where most of them were held for almost 5 months. The events in Voronezh caused a wide public outcry: the EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and bewilderment in connection with the incident. The believers themselves do not admit guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their religion in accordance with constitutional law. Consideration of the case in court began in December 2021. Believers face up to 10 years in prison.
Timeline
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