Five Years Suspended for Bible Discussions. Man with Impaired Hearing and Pensioner Convicted in Birobidzhan

Five years suspended with restriction of freedom for 1.5 years — Judge Natalia Shibanova sentenced Aleksandr Krushevskiy, 47, and Anatoliy Artamonov, 73, to such term on July 29, 2025. She found the believers guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and involving others in it.

The first search at Krushevsky's house - there were three of them in total - took place back in 2018. Artamonov's family was persecuted in 2019: then his daughter, Larisa, and grandson, Yevgeniy Egorov, became the accused. In early 2024, the investigation brought charges against Krushevskiy and Artamonov, citing hidden videos of their conversations on biblical topics in a circle of friends.

The criminal case complicated the already difficult life of Aleksandr Krushevskiy, who has been hearing disabled since childhood. "The old hearing aid has long served its resource, and I could not get a new one because of the persecution. This is just one of the difficulties that fell on my shoulders," the man said in his last word. During the interrogation, the believer was not provided with a sign language interpreter, and at the hearings he could not always make out the words of the judge.

Krushevsky's wife takes what is happening hard and almost does not leave the house. His mother also has an emotional hard time. "Imagine, a beloved mother sees her son, disabled since childhood, under investigation, running around the courts. Of course, her heart breaks," Aleksandr shared.

Anatoly Artamonov, a working pensioner, could not receive his salary in full due to the blocking of his bank card. The trial in the Birobidzhan District Court took a lot of time and effort, but the believer said that he "tried to spend every free minute with his wife, son and great-grandchildren."

According to Artamonov, he draws strength from the examples of his elderly and infirm fellow believers: "If they endure everything, then I can too. I especially remember the example of Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person sentenced to seven years of imprisonment." Krushevsky said about his mood during the trial: "I tried not to think about the negative attitude of others - there is so much negativity. Instead, I helped everyone stay in a good mood."

In the Jewish Autonomous Region, 27 people were prosecuted, of whom 13 were women. Four men are serving terms ranging from 3.5 years to six years and nine months in a penal colony.