Yakovlev Yuriy

Name: Yakovlev Yuriy Aleksandrovich
Date of Birth: June 15, 1966
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 783 day in a pre-trial detention, 136 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 2 months of imprisonment with serving in a penal colony of general regime, with deprivation of the right to engage in organizational activities in public or religious associations, public or religious organizations for a term of 2 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: Penal Colony No. 31 in Krasnoyarsk Territory
Address for correspondence: Yakovlev Yuriy Aleksandrovich, born 1966, IK No. 31 in Krasnoyarsk Territory, ul. Krazovskaya, 10, p. Industrialniy, g. Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia, 660111

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

In March 2022, Yuriy Yakovlev, who is known as a kind and sympathetic person, was accused of extremism. Soon he was placed in a pre-trial detention center and subsequently sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in prison. Friends and relatives of the believer are discouraged and believe that extremism and Yuriy's lifestyle are incompatible concepts.

Yuriy was born in June 1966 in the city of Sarapul (Udmurtia). He has an elder brother and a younger sister. Their mother was a road worker, and she was often sent on long business trips, so the family had a chance to live in different cities of the USSR. For several years they settled in Kyrgyzstan, Yuriy remembers this time with warmth. During his school years, he liked to go camping with his classmates. The man did not lose this hobby over the years and from before the criminal prosecution he traveled with friends across the Siberian expanses with pleasure.

After the army, Yuriy went to visit friends in Vladivostok and decided to stay there. To support himself, he began to go to sea. He was fascinated by the beauty and power of the sea. After 15 years, Yuriy moved to Siberia, to the small town of Sosnovoborsk. There he mastered a new specialty and began working as a minced meat compiler. Yuriy likes to cook for himself, his family and friends. He also loves animals: he has two cats.

Yuriy has been familiar with biblical truths since childhood. His mother tried to instill in all her children the love of God. However, at that time, the young man had other interests. Growing up, he began to think about the meaning of life. In 2009, already living in Sosnovoborsk, Yuriy began to seriously study the Bible and soon decided to devote his life to serving God.

When Yuriy's mother developed serious health problems, he moved her to his place to take care of her. The condition of the elderly woman deteriorated sharply after the search and arrest of her son. She died in July 2023. Yuriy could not attend her funeral, as he was in a pre-trial detention center.

Case History

In March 2022, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Yuriy Yakovlev, a resident of Sosnovoborsk. On the next day, the home of the believer was searched, and later he was arrested and placed in a pretrial detention center. The accusation was based on hidden audio recordings of meetings for worship and conversations with friends on Bible topics. The investigation considered such actions as “arranging online meetings”, “pastoral work” and “leading preaching activities” to be organizing the activity of an extremist organization. The investigation lasted 71 days. In June 2022, the case went to court. Although the trial only proved that Yakovlev was one of Jehovah's Witnesses, in March of the following year the believer was sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in a penal colony. In May 2024, the court of appeal upheld this verdict.
Timeline