Name: Ryabokon Sergey Viktorovich
Date of Birth: July 17, 1989
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 332 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions

Biography

The life of Sergey Ryabokon and his wife changed radically when, in February 2023, the security officers came to search their house. Law enforcement officers classified Sergey as an extremist only because he believes in Jehovah God. The believer was arrested and put in a detention center.

Sergey was born in 1989 in the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk (Ukraine). He has a younger sister. Their father worked for many years as a railway welder, and now as an electrician in an educational institution. Their mother works as a teacher assistant in a kindergarten. When Sergey was still small, the family moved to the Arkhangelsk Region. As a youth, he was involved in athletics and soccer.

After school, Sergey became an electrician for the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment. He worked as an electrician, janitor and also at a construction site. Guided by love of peace, Sergey requested to complete alternative civilian service instead of military service. He completed it in Moscow, working in his profession.

Sergey's mother was the first in the family who became one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Sergey was also impressed by the unity, kindness and peace among believers who applied the advice from the Bible. Eventually, he also decided to embark on the Christian path.

In 2010, Sergey married Olga, who shares his Christian values. She enjoys sewing and molding with polymer clay. The couple love to travel together. They lived in the Komi Republic and the Leningrad Region. They enjoy spending time with friends, playing volleyball, football and chess.

Sergey is known as an open, sociable and cheerful person. His friends and relatives, including his father, who does not share his convictions, are worried and consider the criminal prosecution unfair.

Case History

At the end of February 2023, 7 searches were carried out in the cities of Kingisepp and Slantsy (Leningrad Region). The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under an extremist article against Kirill Khabrik, Igor Zhmyrev and other unidentified persons. Charges were also brought against Andrey Morozov, Sergey Ryabokon and Yevgeniy Poveshchenko. The latter was put under a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave, and the rest were placed in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent from 9 to 11 months. At the end of March, searches were again carried out in Kingisepp. 11 other believers were interrogated. Five more people became defendants in the criminal case: Miroslav Sabodash, Igor Shevlyuga, Tatyana Stepanova, Aleksandr Vaganov and Konstantsiya Vovk. They were placed in a temporary detention facility, but soon everyone was released, except for Igor Shevlyuga, who spent a month in a pre-trial detention center. In May 2024, the case went to court.