Khachaturyan Garegin

Name: Khachaturyan Garegin Benikovich
Date of Birth: July 28, 1967
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, 781 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: Punishment in the form of 6 years and 6 months of imprisonment in a general regime correctional colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in organizational activities in public and religious associations and organizations, for a period of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year
Currently held in: Detention Centre No.3 for Rostov-on-Don Region
Address for correspondence: Khachaturyan Garegin Benikovich, born 1967, SIZO No. 3 for Rostov-on-Don Region, ul. Ukrainskaya, 1, Novocherkassk, Rostov-on-Don Region, Russia, 346408

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

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

Biography

The life of a carpenter from Novocherkassk, Garegin Khachaturian, changed dramatically when he was imprisoned in August 2022 for his faith in God.

Garegin was born in July 1967 in the mountain village of Karachinar (Azerbaijan). His parents and one of his four sisters are no longer alive. As a child, the boy helped his parents with the housework, herding sheep.

After receiving secondary education, Garegin began working as a carpenter. He manufactures furniture, window frames, décor elements. At the same time, he is engaged in the repair of residential premises.

Garegin leads an active lifestyle: he likes to walk and run, play football and ride a bicycle. He likes chess and backgammon. He is proficient in the art of playing the Azerbaijani tar.

For some time Garegin lived in Poland and Germany. In 1995 he moved to Russia and settled in Novocherkassk.

Garegin was the first in the family to start reading the Bible. In it, he found answers to many questions. He was also touched by the sincere love that Jehovah's Witnesses showed for each other. In 1994, he embarked on the Christian path. His younger sister soon followed suit.

In 2008, Garegin married Ksenia. She works as a speech therapist in a kindergarten. The couple strives to apply what they learn from the Bible to their lives and raised their son, Timothy, according to Bible principles.

Garegin's relatives worry about him and provide all possible assistance to the family.

Case History

In the early August morning of 2022, searches were carried out at the homes of local Jehovah’s Witnesses in Novocherkassk and the village of Hrushevskaya. Half an hour before their searches, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Gevorg Yeritsyan, Garegin Khachaturyan and Lyubov Galitsyna on charges of extremism. The men were interrogated and placed in a pre-trial detention center. A few days later, Lyubov also found herself behind bars. She spent more than a year in a pre-trial detention center, after which she was released under house arrest. Hearings in the case began in September 2023. In June 2024, the court sentenced Lyubov Galitsyna to 2 years and 3 months, Gevorg Yeritsyan to 6 years and 2 months, and Garegin Khachaturyan to 6.5 years of real imprisonment for religion. The court considered the term assigned to Galitsyna to have already been served. Three months later, the appeal upheld the verdict.
Timeline