In Birobidzhan, a Single Mother Convicted for Participating in Religious Meetings

On August 4, 2026, the Birobidzhanskiy District Court announced the verdict against Irina Savkina, 49. Judge Olga Klyuchikova gave her a 2-year suspended sentence and 1 year of restriction of freedom. "The review of my criminal case is over, but I still cannot understand what I am guilty of and why I am considered dangerous," said the believer in her final statement.

At the very first hearing, Savkina noted that the case materials did not contain a single quote from her statements that would indicate hateful motives or extremist purposes. Part of what Irina was charged with, namely "activity in various places," as mentioned in the case materials, refers to a period when she was undergoing treatment after a leg fracture. "Who could have suffered because of a person who could not get out of bed? — she asked the court. — I had great difficulty making it to the doctor; taxi drivers always pulled right up to the doorstep and helped me get in the car, seeing how hard it was for me. Yet the state prosecutor speaks of supposed extremist actions."

After recovering, Irina returned to her ordinary life, moved with her daughter to another city, and found a job. In October 2025, the believer unexpectedly discovered her accounts were blocked. Several weeks earlier, Investigative Committee investigator Dmitriy Yankin initiated a criminal case against her for participating in the activity of a liquidated organization.

Irina had to return to Birobidzhan, where she has since been under a recognizance agreement. This deprived her of the opportunity to care for her elderly mother with a heart condition. "Nowadays [from official podiums] there is much talk about family and family values. But because I am being prosecuted, it is not only I who suffer, but also my child and an elderly person," said the believer.

Irina Savkina is one of 19 women — Jehovah's Witnesses who are being persecuted in the Jewish Autonomous Region. In this region, a total of 30 criminal cases have already been initiated against believers.