Berchuk Aleksey

Name: Berchuk Aleksey Aleksandrovich
Date of Birth: November 17, 1975
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 64 day in a pre-trial detention, 1309 day in prison
Sentence: Punishment in the form of 8 years of imprisonment to be served in a general regime correctional colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a term of 5 years 6 months, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year 6 months
Term of imprisonment: until May 2029
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Republic of Mari El
Address for correspondence: Berchuk Aleksey Aleksandrovich, born 1975, Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Republic of Mari El, ul. Medvedevo, 1, poselok Medvedevo, Republic of Mari El, 425200

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail.

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

On January 21, 2019, Aleksey Berchuk was detained at one of the Moscow airports. He was charged with organizing extremist activities, after which he was forced to return to Blagoveshchensk together with an FSB investigator.

Aleksey was born in 1975 in the city of Kartaly (Chelyabinsk region), later lived in Saransk, Blagoveshchensk and other cities. The only son in the family. Aleksey loved sports since childhood, especially hockey. He was also fond of wrestling and boxing. However, in the 1990s, after reading the Bible on his own several times, he changed his hobbies to more peaceful ones. He loves to play football with friends. In 2008, Aleksey got married. He worked in the field of construction and finishing works.

The criminal case against the believer was considered in court for more than a year. On June 30, 2021, judge Tatyana Studilko set a new record for the cruelty of a sentence to peaceful believers. She sentenced Aleksey to 8 years in prison in a general regime colony for singing and praying to Jehovah God.

Case History

In October 2017, the FSB began covertly filming the private life of Dmitry Golik and his wife, as well as the peaceful worship services of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Blagoveshchensk. In June 2018, a criminal case was opened against Aleksey Berchuk, and a month later searches were carried out at 7 families of believers. Berchuk and Golik were charged with organizing an extremist community. In January 2019, Berchuk was detained at a Moscow airport and taken into custody. A measure of restraint in the form of a written undertaking not to leave was chosen for the believers. On February 6, 2020, the case was submitted to the Blagoveshchensk City Court. On June 30, 2021, judge Tatyana Studilko found the believers guilty and sentenced them to a record cruel punishment: 7 and 8 years in a general regime colony. On September 2, 2021, the Amur Regional Court reduced Dmitriy Golik’s prison term by 10 months. The verdict against Aleksey Berchuk was upheld. In February 2022, the Court of Cassation upheld the verdict.
Timeline
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