Name: Galyamin Sergey Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: October 28, 1967
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Sentence: penalty in the form of a fine in the amount of 650,000 rubles

Biography

On April 11, 2020, at 6:30 a.m., despite the self-isolation regime introduced in Russia in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, the security forces searched Sergey Galyamin's apartment. A peaceful believer became one of four accused under the "extremist" article.

Sergey was born in the city of Teikovo (Ivanovo region) in 1967. He has a brother and sister, his father is already dead. As a child, Sergey was fond of badminton, loved to listen to music and spent a lot of time walking on the street.

He graduated from college with a degree in repairman. After military service for some time he served as an ensign, worked as a plumber. Since 1995 he has been an individual entrepreneur, engaged in shoe repair.

In 1991, Sergey married Lyudmila. She is a professional seamstress, and loves this activity. For her, sewing is not only a profession, but also a hobby. Sergey learns to play the guitar on his own. The couple have three daughters. The older ones are already married and live separately. The youngest daughter is still in school and lives with her parents. She loves to draw, bake cakes and make soap.

In 1993, Lyudmila's father died tragically, which was a great shock for her. A year later, the couple began to study the Bible together, and the hope of the resurrection of the dead truly comforted Luda. Studying the Holy Scriptures, Sergey also became convinced that he had found the truth. He recalls: "I felt kindness and genuine love among believers." Putting Bible principles into practice strengthened the marriage and helped the couple to lovingly raise their children.

Sergey's mother, brother and sister do not share his religious views, but they have a positive attitude towards his faith. The whole family is under great stress because of Sergey's criminal prosecution. For the first time after the search, Lyudmila could hardly sleep. The daughter is afraid to stay at home alone. Due to the pandemic, she is on distance learning and is now deprived of the opportunity to study normally - during the search , the security forces took away her electronic device.

Case History

In April 2020, security forces raided the apartments of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the town of Teykovo. A day earlier, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case for organizing the activity of an extremist organization against Vladimir Spivak, Aleksandr Vasichkin, Sergey Galyamin and Anatoliy Lyamo. All believers were placed under a recognizance agreement. A year later, the investigator charged Lyamo also for financing the activity of an extremist organization. In August 2021, charges were added to Aleksandr Vasichkin for participating in the activity of an extremist organization. The charges were based on the testimony of two secret witnesses. In January 2023, the case of the believers went to court. In February 2024, the judge sentenced the believers to large fines: Spivak — 600,000, Sergey Galyamin — 650,000, Aleksandr Vasichkin and Anatoliy Lyamo — 1,100,000 rubles each.