Li Anatoliy

Name: Li Anatoliy Yuriyevich
Date of Birth: March 15, 1985
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, 721 day in a pre-trial detention, 49 day in prison
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: Sentence: 6 years and 5 months of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a term of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for 1 year
Currently held in: Detention Center No.2 for Primorye Territory
Address for correspondence: Li Anatoliy Yuriyevich, born 1985, Detention Center No.2 for Primorye Territory, Ul. Engelsa, 63, Ussuriysk, Primorye Territory, 692525

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

Foreign language teacher Anatoliy Lee from Ussuriysk, unexpectedly for himself and his relatives, became a defendant in a criminal case on extremism and ended up in a pre-trial detention center. This happened to him because of his faith in Jehovah God.

Anatoliy was born in the city of Gagarin (Uzbekistan) in 1985. When he was 9, he moved to Ussuriysk (Primorsky Territory) with his older brother and mother, who raised her sons alone.

As a child, Anatoliy was interested in foreign languages, he especially liked English. Later, he was fond of computer games, successfully participated in local team competitions. Anatoliy also paid attention to sports—he was engaged in taekwondo.

After school, Anatoliy studied at the Pedagogical Institute as a teacher of English and Korean and worked as a tutor before the criminal prosecution, constantly improving his skills. In addition, during his life he managed to work as a janitor, a telephone repairman, a logistician in a Canadian trading company.

Even in his youth, Anatoliy, together with his friends, was interested in religions, visited different churches, but did not acquire firm convictions, since he did not find evidence for himself to believe in God. The "just believe" explanation didn't sit well with him. Therefore, when he was given the opportunity to study the Bible, Anatoliy gladly took advantage of it. After reading this book, he was delighted that the Bible provided the very evidence he needed. He also learned that God has a personal name, Jehovah.

In 2008, Anatoliy was drafted into the army, but peaceful views did not allow him to take up arms. He applied to the court to give him the opportunity to perform alternative civilian service. The believer defended his legal right and worked at the post office for 1 year and 9 months. In 2010, he embarked on the Christian path.

In February 2011, Anatoliy married Raisa, who shares his life and religious values. In her free time, Raisa enjoys playing volleyball and painting with watercolors. Anatoliy is also a creative person: he plays the guitar and harmonica, dances and sings.

Anatoliy's mother and brother do not share his beliefs—they are atheists —but this does not prevent them from maintaining close family relationships. Everyone who knows Anatoliy is shocked that such a kind and honest person was accused of extremism.

Case History

In October 2022, law enforcement officers conducted searches at 12 addresses of believers in the village of Yaroslavskiy in Primorye. The Investigative Committee initiated a case against Anatoliy Li and unidentified persons under the article for involving others in the activity of an extremist organization. Later, the charge was reclassified as organizing and participating in such activity. As part of this case, Anatoliy Li and two other believers, Boris Andreyev and Nataliya Sharapova, ended up in a pretrial detention center. The charges were based on video recordings of meetings for worship in which the believers discussed the Bible, sang religious songs and prayed. The case went to court in September 2023. After 9 months, the believers received sentences ranging from 3 to 6.5 years in a penal colony. In September 2024, the court of appeal reduced the sentences of Li and Sharapova by 1 month.The next day, Nataliya was released.
Timeline
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