Petrov Konstantin

Name: Petrov Konstantin Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: August 9, 1986
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 63 day in a pre-trial detention, 236 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 7 years of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to the organization, management and participation in the work of public religious organizations and associations for a term of 7 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year, a sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 5 years

Biography

A year after the wedding, Konstantin Petrov was unexpectedly arrested, spent 64 days in a pre-trial detention center, after which he was transferred to house arrest. For several years, he was forced to prove his right to freedom of religion in court.

Konstantin was born in 1986 in Nizhnevartovsk (Tyumen region). As a child, he was fond of playing the guitar and attended a theater club, with which he went on tour to other cities. For several years he was engaged in judo. When he was 8, his father died, and mother raised the children alone. Konstantin has an elder brother.

In high school, Konstantin mastered the profession of an electrician. He was also engaged in the repair of household appliances, electronics and the repair and decoration of apartments. He worked as a specialist in the repair of washing machines and other electrical equipment.

As a child, Konstantin wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ. At the age of 13, he read a book about him that impressed him. Later, he and his brother met Jehovah's Witnesses, who helped them better understand the Bible. For 3.5 years, Konstantin did alternative civilian service at a chemical plant in Kazan, since his peace-loving Christian convictions did not allow him to take up arms.

Konstantin lived in Kazan for some time, then moved to Bryansk, and since 2015 he has been living in Magadan. In 2017, he married Tatyana, a girl close to him in spirit. She worked as a seamstress and cleaned the premises. Tatyana was among the wives who sent a collective letter to the Council under the President of the Russian Federation.

The couple loves to spend time together—cooking and baking cakes, playing musical instruments and singing, being in nature and hiking with friends.

All relatives, including the mothers of Konstantin and Tatyana, are worried about criminal prosecution and do not understand how peaceful good people can be accused of a serious crime. For several years now, they have not had the opportunity to see each other in person due to restrictions related to the criminal case.

Case History

After a series of searches in Magadan in May 2018, Konstantin Petrov, Yevgeniy Zyablov and Sergey Yerkin were placed in a pretrial detention center. On the same day in Khabarovsk, the home of Ivan Puyda was searched. He was arrested and taken 1,600 km to a pretrial detention center in Magadan. The believers spent 2 to 4 months behind bars, and then ended up under house arrest. In March 2019, the FSB conducted another series of searches. The number of defendants in the case has reached 13, including 6 women and elderly. The investigator deemed holding peaceful meetings for worship as organizing, participating in and financing the activity of an extremist organization. In almost 4 years of investigation, the case materials against the 13 believers has grown to 66 volumes. The case went to court in March 2022. At the hearings, it became clear that the case was based on the testimony of a secret witness – an FSB informant who made covert recordings of peaceful meetings for worship. In March 2024, the believers were given suspended sentences ranging from 3 to 7 years, and the court of appeal later upheld this verdict.
Timeline
Back to top