Name: Moiseyenko Margarita Anatoliyevna
Date of Birth: December 24, 1978
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: penalty of 3 years of imprisonment with restriction of liberty for a term of 10 months

Biography

In February 2022, Margarita Moise‌yenko, a civilian resident of the city of Zeya, was accused of participating in extremist activities. Seven months earlier, her husband Konstantin had been convicted under the same criminal article. Their belief in Jehovah God was the reason for the criminal prosecution.

Margarita was born in Krasnoyarsk in December 1978. She has an elder sister. Her father worked as a welder in an aluminum factory. Mother — a teacher and artist — from childhood instilled in Margarita a love of art and reading. The girl learned to read early, loved to draw, was fond of embroidery and making crafts. She graduated from art school.

Margarita went to college and studied to be a fashion designer. Later, she graduated from the Institute of Trade and Economics with a degree in management. After working for three years in the atelier, Margarita decided to open her own business for individual tailoring. This is what she is still doing.

The love of reading prompted Margarita to pick up the Bible at a young age. She recalls: “Many things were not clear, I treated this book as ancient myths. But later, after the tragic death of a relative, I thought about the meaning of life and at the age of 18 I decided to explore this book more deeply. To her surprise, Margarita found that the Bible was scientifically and historically accurate. Fulfilled Bible prophecies strengthened trust in God and the Bible, and in 2001 Margarita embarked on the Christian path.

She met her future husband Konstantin while still at school. He is was educated as a systems engineer. They got married in 1998. When Konstantin's blind grandmother needed help, the couple moved in with her in the village of Minderla, Krasnoyarsk Territory, where they took care of the elderly woman for the last six years of her life. Since 2016, the Moiseyenkos have been living in the city of Zeya.

Margarita still loves to read. She is a sociable person, she has many friends. She and her husband also love to travel and visit, study English together.

With the beginning of the criminal prosecution in the family, anxiety increased, Margarita's sleep was disturbed. Parents are alarmed, try to help her and Konstantin. Friends and acquaintances of the spouses are worried, realizing that the criminal prosecution of believers is unfounded.

Case History

In October 2020, searches were carried out in 8 homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which were supervised by the FSB. In November 2021, a criminal case was initiated against Margarita Moiseenko, whose husband Konstantinhas already been sentenced to 6 years suspended for believing in Jehovah God, Galina Yatsyk and Yelena Yatsyk for participating in the activities of an extremist organization. The women were given a written undertaking not to leave the place. In March 2023, their case went to court. The prosecutor requested 2.5 to 3 years in prison for women. In September, the court sentenced them to suspended sentences: Margarita Moiseenko to three years, Elena Yatsyk to two and a half, and Galina Yatsyk to two years. In November, an appeal upheld the verdict, excluding the ban on holding certain positions.
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