Two Elderly Jehovah's Witnesses Sentenced Amid Ongoing Russian Crackdown
Russian courts this week sentenced two 74-year-old men, Valeriy Knyaze and Indus Talipov, to three years in prison for practising as Jehovah's Witnesses, the denomination said. The church described the sentences as part of the Kremlin's sustained campaign against the religious group.
Jarrod Lopes, Regional Director of Communications for Jehovah's Witnesses, confirmed the verdicts and criticized the convictions as deeply unjust. According to the church, investigators in Izhevsk opened a probe in June 2024; homes of at least three families were searched on June 4, after which Knyaze, Talipov and fellow congregant Alexander Stefanidin were charged with organizing extremist activity for holding worship meetings and reading scripture online.
"It's patently absurd that Russian judges would imprison peace-loving elderly Christians like Valeriy and Indus," Lopes said.
The church says the convictions relied in part on remote testimony from an individual using the pseudonym "Lozhkin," whom Lopes described as an informant for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The church alleges such informants sometimes feign interest in Bible study, attend worship sessions for extended periods, secretly record conversations and then provide testimony used to secure convictions.
Talipov, who converted in 2009, told the court: "I have lived my whole life — and still live — as a law-abiding person. Therefore, accusing me of organizing extremist activity contradicts both my personal beliefs and the laws set forth in the Bible, which are sacred to me."
This case comes against the background of a broader legal and human-rights dispute. In April 2017, Russia's Supreme Court declared all activity by Jehovah's Witnesses extremist, effectively banning the faith's operations in the country. The decision has drawn international condemnation and was ruled unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2022.
According to Jehovah's Witnesses, there are currently 175 members jailed in Russia and Crimea, including 19 people over the age of 65. Human rights groups and the international community continue to raise concerns about the prosecution and imprisonment of religious believers under Russia's broad extremism laws.
Context: The case highlights ongoing tensions between the Russian state and religious minorities, and adds to calls from rights organizations for review of prosecutions relying on undercover informants and remote testimony.
