Vasiliyev Vladimir

Name: Vasiliyev Vladimir Petrovich
Date of Birth: November 22, 1956
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 years 6 months, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations for 2 years, with restriction of liberty for 1 year, the main punishment is considered suspended with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

Vladimir Vasiliyev was accused in a criminal case on extremism in 2018, along with 6 other Jehovah's Witnesses from Kirov.

Vladimir was born in 1956 in Perm. As a child, he was fond of football, played for a local club. After school, he graduated from college as a plumber, and later - driver courses in several categories. In subsequent years, Vladimir worked in both specialties, and now he is retired.

In 1978, Vladimir married Nadezhda, who at that time worked as a seamstress-minder in an atelier. Soon the couple had a son, Yuri, and a few years later the family moved to Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). Due to the unrest that began in 2000, the family had to return to Russia. This time they settled in Nadezhda's hometown of Kirov.

The couple became interested in the Bible in the early 1990s. Vladimir was impressed to discover the world of biblical archeology. He was struck by the accuracy with which archaeological finds and history corroborated the biblical accounts.

Vladimir and Nadezhda have preserved their love for this ancient book to this day. In it, they draw strength and consolation when faced with unfair criminal prosecution. Because of the criminal case, Vladimir lost his job, as he was forced to quit - the stress experienced affected his health. The spouses, however, try not to lose optimism.

Case History

In October 2018, searches of believers were carried out in Kirov. A criminal case under extremist articles was initiated against seven local residents, five of them were taken into custody, including Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk, who had been in captivity for almost a year. His fellow believers spent 3 to 11 months in jail and another 6 to 9 months under house arrest. The men were included in the Rosfinmonitoring list. One of the accused, Yuriy Geraskov, died of a long illness a week before the trial. In January 2021, court hearings began. In June 2022, the believers were given suspended sentences ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 years. Yuriy Geraskov was also found guilty of extremism, but the criminal case was dismissed due to his death. The appellate court upheld the verdict against the believers.
Timeline
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