Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Criminal trial

The Tambov region becomes a 59th region in which Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted

Tambov Region

In the morning of December 24, 2020, at least two searches of believers were carried out in the city of Kirsanov, Tambov Region. Details are being specified.

Update. On 21 December 2020 investigators of the Investigative Committee opened criminal cases against 27-year-old Anton Kuzhelkov and 56-year-old Nikolay Prokhorov under Part 1 Article 282.2 (organization of activities prohibited by the court) of the RF Criminal Code. Three days later searches were conducted at 19 locations in the town of Kirsanov. Kuzhelkov was detained. On December 25, the Leninskiy District Court of Tambov sent him to the pretrial detention facility for 2 months, until February 20, 2021. Prokhorov was released after interrogation.

The Tambov Region becomes the 59th region where law enforcement agencies persecute citizens on the basis of their confession as Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Case of Kuzhelkov and Prokhorov in Kirsanov

Case History
In December 2020, the Investigative Committee opened criminal cases on account of their faith against Anton Kuzhelkov and Nikolay Prokhorov. That same day, they were consolidated into a single proceeding. Security forces conducted searches at 19 addresses of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kirsanov, as well as at Kuzhelkov’s actual place of residence in the town of Lukhovitsy (Moscow Region). Anton was placed in a pretrial detention center (SIZO), where he remained for 431 days, after which he was released under restrictions prohibiting certain actions. In September 2021, the case was submitted to court, and in December 2023 a different judge began hearing it anew. In May 2025, the court sentenced the believer to a suspended term of six and a half years, and in October the appellate court replaced the suspended sentence with actual imprisonment. Around the same time, Prokhorov’s case materials were severed into a separate proceeding.
Timeline

Persons in case

Kuzhelkov
Anton

Criminal case

Region:
Tambov Region
Locality:
Kirsanov
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, he "deliberately carried out organizational actions in Kirsanov, Tambov Region... expressed by convening meetings, organizing religious presentations and meetings for worship, distributing literature of extremist content,collecting funds under the guise of donations, implementing preaching activity"
Court case number:
12002680011000017
Initiated:
December 21, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tambov Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-2/2025 (1-2/2024; 1-2/2023; 1-15/2022; 1-174/2021)
Court:
Kirsanovskiy District Court of the Tambov Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Yelena Shubakina
Case History
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