Pegasheva Yekaterina

Name: Pegasheva Yekaterina Gennadiyevna
Date of Birth: September 4, 1989
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, 105 day in a pre-trial detention, 500 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 6 years 6 months with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to participation in the work of religious organizations for a period of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

Yekaterina Pegasheva was arrested in October 2019 for talking about the Bible. The young woman was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. She spent several months in a pre-trial detention center, and then another 500 days under house arrest. In May 2021, the court sentenced the believer to six and a half years suspended sentence with four years of probation. The appeal upheld this decision.

Yekaterina was born in 1989 in the village of Gaintsy (Kirov region). She was the only child in the family. Yekaterina's father is no longer alive. The mother takes care of Yekaterina’s elderly grandmother, who cannot take care of herself.

Since childhood, Yekaterina had a strong desire for knowledge and a creative mind - she still loves to read, as well as write poetry and sing. After school, she graduated from the Kirov Technological College, and later learned the Mari language.

Yekaterina managed to live in different cities, including Kirov, Kozmodemyansk, Kotelnich, Sovetsk and Yoshkar-Ola. She supported herself by working in the cleaning and organizing business, and readily took on other work.

Due to criminal prosecution for religious beliefs, Yekaterina lost her job, which deprived her of the opportunity to help her loved ones. The search, detention, investigation and trials affected her health and the health of her loved ones. Yekaterina’s chronic illneseses have worsened.

Case History

30-year-old Yekaterina Pegasheva from Mari El was under investigation for “conducting conversations with unidentified persons” and “participating in events” - meetings and discussions of the Bible with fellow believers. Yekaterina helped local residents learn about God from the Bible. According to law enforcement officers, by doing this the believer committed “a grave crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state.” After the arrest, the woman immediately ended up in a pre-trial detention center. The house of her mother, who lives in the village and by herself takes care of Yekaterina’s elderly grandmother, was raided and searched. After spending about four months behind bars, Yekaterina lost her job and her health suffered. She was under house arrest for 500 days. The prosecutor requested seven years in prison for the believer. On May 31, 2021, Judge of the Gornomarisky District Court of the Republic of Mari El, Nikolai Ayplatov, sentenced Yekaterina to six and a half years of suspended sentence with a probationary period of four years. The Supreme Court of the Republic of Mari El upheld the decision of the court of first instance. The court of cassation followed the same path.
Timeline
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