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 initiated criminal cases against Anton Kuzhelkov and Nikolay Prokhorov. They were merged into one proceeding on the same day. Law enforcement officers searched 19 addresses of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kirsanov, as well as Kuzhelkov’s actual residence in Lukhovitsy (Moscow Region). Nikolay was placed under a recognizance agreement. Anton was put in pretrial detention, where he remained for 431 days, after which he was released under a ban on certain actions. In September 2021, the case went to court; in December 2023 it was passed to a new judge for reconsideration. Proceedings against Prokhorov were discontinued in February 2025 due to his health condition. In May 2025, the court gave Kuzhelkov a 6.5-year suspended sentence.
Timeline

Persons in case

Kuzhelkov
Anton
Prokhorov
Nikolay

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:
verdict did not take effect
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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