Biography
In January 2023, Anna Matveeva, a Jehovah's Witness from Lesosibirsk, became a defendant in a criminal case because of talking about the Bible with friends.
Anna was born in April 1977 in the village of Selenduma (Republic of Buryatia). Until the age of 9, she was raised by her paternal grandparents in the city of Oster, Chernihiv region (Ukraine), and in 1986, after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Anna moved to her aunt in the village of Nevonka, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Since childhood, Anna loves books and music. As a teenager, she received a musical education in the accordion class, and connected her profession with the Russian language and literature—she graduated from the Pedagogical Institute in Lesosibirsk and has been working in her specialty for many years.
In her free time, Anna likes to walk around her city and its environs, and also ride on the ice slide in winter. She is married and has two adult children.
One day, Anna became interested in what was written in the Bible. She was particularly impressed by the way Bible prophecy is being fulfilled today. Also, the knowledge gained helped her to make sure that God hears her prayers and answers them. In 2013, 15 years after first reading the Bible, Anna decided to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
When faced with criminal prosecution for her faith, Anna tries not to lose heart, but to focus on how God, family, and friends support her.