Aleksandr Davydenko in a cage for the defendants on the day of the verdict. February 2025

Aleksandr Davydenko in a cage for the defendants on the day of the verdict. February 2025

Aleksandr Davydenko in a cage for the defendants on the day of the verdict. February 2025

Unjust Verdicts

In Kuban, Court Upheld a Prison Sentence for One of Jehovah's Witness for Discussing the Bible

Krasnodar Territory

Aleksandr Davydenko, 33, one of Jehovah's Witness from the village of Pavlovskaya, will go to the colony. On April 28, 2025, the Krasnodar Regional Court upheld the verdict against the believer. He attended the hearing via videoconference from the pre-trial detention center.

The punishment imposed on Davydenko remained unchanged - 4 years and 2 months in prison. Since the believer was behind bars for a long time during the preliminary and judicial investigation, he will have to spend about two years in a correctional institution.

Aleksandr denies guilt in extremism. Even in the court of first instance, the believer emphasized that he was being persecuted on far-fetched grounds. "How could I cause danger to the state by reading the Bible? Aleksandr expressed his bewilderment at one of the hearings and continued: "What evidence confirms that I was engaged in inciting religious hatred and enmity? You and I have listened to audio recordings [of conversations about the Bible], and there is nothing like that on any of them."

In the Krasnodar Territory, 17 Jehovah's Witnesses received prison sentences for their faith, more than in any other region of Russia.

The Case of Davydenko in Pavlovskaya

Case History
In the spring of 2020, Aleksandr Davydenko from the village of Pavlovskaya came to the attention of law enforcement officers. He was suspected of extremism. He and his aunt Lyudmila Shchekoldina were searched, after which the man was interrogated in the FSB building as a witness. Three years later, in April 2023, a criminal case was opened against him under articles on participation in the activities of an extremist organization and involvement in it. In September 2023, Aleksandr was detained and sent to a pre-trial detention center. After 9 months, his case went to court. The proceedings were based on the testimony of an infiltrated agent, Ilchenko, who handed over to the FSB recordings of conversations about God with Davydenko. In January 2025, the court found Davydenko guilty and sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months in a general regime colony. This decision came into force 3 months later.
Timeline

Persons in case

Davydenko
Aleksandr

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnodar Territory
Locality:
Pavlovskaya
Suspected of:
"Held... a religious educational event — a lesson in the study of the "Holy Scriptures" (the Bible)... disseminated the religious beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses" (from the indictment)
Court case number:
12302030030000027
Initiated:
April 10, 2024
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-16/2025 (1-139/2024)
Court of First Instance:
Pavlovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Lev Bogdanov
Case History
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