Suvorov Vladimir

Name: Suvorov Vladimir Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: January 5, 1946
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 6 years, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of religious organizations for a term of 5 years; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 4 years

Biography

On January 16, 2020, in Chelyabinsk, a criminal case was opened against a 74-year-old peaceful believer, former artist Vladimir Suvorov. He was accused of organizing worship services consisting of singing songs, praying and discussing the Bible.

Vladimir was born in January 1946 in Chelyabinsk. His mother raised him alone. Since childhood, he has been professionally fond of skiing. At the age of 17 he got a job at a factory as a turner. But his heart gravitated towards the theater. Overcoming constraint and enslavement, Vladimir became the leading soloist of the folk theater of the pantomime "Masks". Has performed in Russia and abroad.

Later, after graduating from the University of Marxism-Leninism, Vladimir worked as deputy director at the Palace of Culture of Railway Workers. In his spare time, Vladimir likes to compose songs and perform them with a guitar.

In 1973, Vladimir married Valentina. The couple had a son, Igor. In 2014, a close-knit family suffered a tragedy: Igor died of a serious illness, he left a wife and a daughter. The couple did not have time to move away from one misfortune, as they suffered another. On December 5, 2019, 71-year-old Valentina was charged in a criminal case for her faith. Vladimir's health deteriorated sharply. At the request of the cardiologist, he was hospitalized.

Vladimir chose the Christian path for himself back in 1993, wanting to follow the example of Jesus described in the Bible. He was joined by his wife and son. 27 years later, he had to defend his peaceful convictions in court. On July 1, 2021, Oksana Mitina, judge of the Metallurgichesky District Court of Chelyabinsk, found the elderly believer guilty of organizing the activities of a banned organization. She sentenced Vladimir Suvorov to 6 years of suspended imprisonment.

Case History

Former theater actor Vladimir Suvorov, following his wife, Valentina, faced persecution by the authorities because of his religious views. In January 2020, Aleksandr Chepenko, an investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Chelyabinsk Region, opened a criminal case against an elderly man. He saw in Vladimir’s actions a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, since he “organized the preaching activity.” Conversations with people about God, holding worship services, singing and praying were regarded by the investigation as the organization of extremist activity, and the presence of literature in electronic form was declared “conspiracy measures”. Since October 2020, the case has been considered by Oksana Mitina, judge of the Metallurgichesky District Court of Chelyabinsk. The prosecutor requested 7 years in prison for the elderly believer. On July 1, 2021, the court sentenced the 75-year-old pensioner to 6 years of suspended imprisonment. In October 2021, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court upheld the suspended sentence handed down to Vladimir Suvorov.
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