Biography
The life of Andrey Shiyan, a customs clearance specialist, was turned upside down overnight when authorities conducted the first search of his home in November 2021 in search of biblical literature.
Andrey was born in September 1969 in the city of Lesosibirsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory) into a family of engineers. He has a sister who is 4 years younger than him and shares his religious views.
As a child, Andrey was involved in athletics, and also studied at an art school. In the late 1980s, he served in the army. In 1993 he graduated from the Lesosibirsk branch of the Siberian Technological Institute. There, the young man was the captain of the humor club team.
Andrey worked in trade, as an operator at a rosin plant, as an engineer in the sales department of a timber mill. For the past 27 years, he has been a specialist in customs clearance. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and writing poetry.
While studying at the institute, Andrey met Inna, who was a year younger than him. In 1992 they got married. After graduation, she worked as a salesman, and when her daughter was born, she was engaged in her upbringing. Now the girl is already married. She is a creative person—she is fond of needlework, knitting and drawing.
Inna's mother became the first Jehovah's Witness in the family. In 2001, her daughter joined her. In the same year, Andrey attended the service of Jehovah's Witnesses for the first time. He developed a trust in the Bible. He was especially touched by the doctrine of the creation of the world. In 2002, he embarked on the Christian path, and 4 years later his daughter decided to become Jehovah's Witness.
Because of the criminal prosecution, relatives and friends are worried about Andrey. "Our life is in constant expectation," the believer shared. "My health has deteriorated . . . Due to constant summons for interrogations, my work came to naught.