Babayan Samvel

Name: Babayan Samvel Aikazovich
Date of Birth: May 22, 1972
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 490 day in a pre-trial detention, 289 day in prison
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 7 years with serving in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of a public religious organization for a period of 4 years, with restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year 6 months
Term of imprisonment: until January 2031
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 10, Samara Region

Babayan Samvel Aikazovich, born 1972, Correctional Colony No. 10, Samara Region, 446394, Samara Region, Krasnoyarskiy district, pgt. Volzhskiy, ul. Zavodskaya, 4

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the ZT system.

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

In the fall of 2024, a peaceful resident of Samara, Samvel Babayan, was preparing for a serious operation. He was unable to receive treatment because of the criminal prosecution he was subjected to for his religious beliefs. The believer was taken into custody, creating an additional threat to his health.

Samvel was born in 1972 in the city of Kapan (Armenia). There were five children in the family: four sons and one daughter. Samvel is the youngest child. His father died when he was 8. Neither his mother, nor his sister, nor two of his brothers are alive now.

As a child, Samvel loved to play football and was a good goalkeeper. He also liked music. In his youth, Samvel and his brothers founded their own band, where he played drums. The young people performed in restaurants and at weddings. Samvel still loves music. He also enjoys singing and editing music videos.

Samvel and his wife, Bella, met when they were both 16. They got married in 2000. The couple enjoys spending time with friends. They have a son and a daughter.

Bella was the first to become interested in Bible teachings. She heard about them from relatives. She was especially impressed by the Bible prophecies that have already come true. In 2001, Bella was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and 2 years later Samvel joined her. He was touched by the love and unity among believers, as well as God's promise in the Bible to bring dead loved ones back to life in the future.

Samvel worked as a builder, as well as a carpenter — he made wooden stairs. He lived with his family in such cities as Yerevan, Azov, Shakhty (Rostov Region) and Orenburg. They moved to Samara because Bella's mother was ill and needed care.

The prosecution had a negative impact on all family members. Due to the severe stress, Samvel's already poor health deteriorated significantly. Bella is forced to take care of the needs of the family alone and resolve issues related to her husband's stay in the pretrial detention center. She and her son have also developed health problems.

The couple's relatives are surprised and outraged by such an attitude towards a person who has not committed anything illegal and is in dire need of medical treatment.

Health risk

Case History

In September 2024, a series of searches of Jehovah’s Witnesses took place in Samara. As it turned out, three months earlier, an investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Samara initiated a criminal case against Samvel Babayan, accusing him of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. After interrogation, he was detained and imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center, where his chronic illnesses worsened. In May 2025, the believer’s case went to court. In October 2025, the court sentenced Samvel to 7 years of real imprisonment, and 3 months later this decision was approved by the court of appeal.
Timeline
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