The beating in the Orenburg colony did not break the believers and their families in Saratov

"We were approaching the car, the road was blocked by a tinted jeep, several people in balaclavas with machine guns jumped out of there and, shouting 'Stop!' twisted their arms and laid them on the hood of my car" – this is how Felix Makhammadiev described his detention back in July 2019. The interview was recorded after Felix was released after 11 months in jail. At that time, no one knew that just two months later the court would find him guilty of organizing extremist activities and send him back to jail along with his fellow believers.

"I got it because I smiled"

In December 2019, the Saratov Regional Court rejected the believers' appeal and upheld the verdict. In early February, five of the six convicted Jehovah's Witnesses were transferred to Correctional Colony No. 1 in Orenburg, and on February 6, upon arrival, they were all beaten by prison staff.

"They squatted down and started beating them with truncheons, hands and feet. Felix got the most, most likely due to the fact that he smiled there at the entrance, because he is smiling, "says Evgenia Lagunova, wife of Felix Mahammadiev, about those events.

After the beatings, doctors diagnosed Felix Mahammadiev with a broken rib, lung and kidney damage.

A pre-trial detention center and a colony for a hardworking family man

Alexey and Tatyana Budenchuk have two minor children. Their whole family lives in a small private house, and the main income comes from the household. But on June 12, 2018, their lives changed dramatically. A group of armed law enforcement officers came to their home.

"I saw a masked man in uniform entering the garage. A few seconds later he went up the stairs, put me on the floor, handcuffed me."

Oleksiy Budenchuk tells about his detention.

According to his son Yegor, the security forces detained both parents at that time: "Mom and dad were taken away. I was worried that it might happen that I wouldn't see them again."

As a result, Tatyana was released, and two days later, by a court decision, Aleksey was placed in a pre-trial detention center together with Konstantin Bazhenov and Felix Makhammadiev. Three more believers were chosen as a measure of restraint in the form of a written undertaking not to leave.

"In total, I stayed in the pre-trial detention center for 11 months and 8 days. On May 20, 2019, we were released from there under another measure of restraint - a ban on certain actions, "recalls Alexei Budenchuk.

"There are no victims, there is no damage"

In July 2019, the consideration of the merits of the criminal case against the believers began. Lawyer Viktor Shipilov draws attention to the groundlessness of the accusation.

"Even if you read the indictment, it directly says: 'There are no victims, no damage has been caused to anyone.' A person should know what he is accused of, when he did something, where he did something. It begins with the fact that at an unspecified time, in an unidentified place, after a certain date, there was an intention to create an organization whose activities are prohibited, "says defender Shipilov.

As a result, all six believers were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of two to three and a half years.

This court decision was a test for the relatives and friends of the convicts. Their wives declare that they will continue to support their husbands and will never give up their faith in God.

In July 2019, Felix Makhammadiev and Alexei Budenchuk shared in an interview that the criminal prosecution did not embitter them, and they see the difficulties they may still face as an opportunity to prove their devotion to God.

"There came a moment when it seemed: well, that's it, I can't stand it anymore. But I prayed to Jehovah every day that he would give me peace and joy for this day," Felix Makhammadiev said at the time.

According to Felix's wife Eugenia, he does not lose heart. "I'm very proud of him! Not only did he meet this test with dignity, he carries it with dignity, and he helps me to hold on with dignity, "she says.

In connection with the beating of believers in Orenburg Penal Colony No. 1, complaints were filed with the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia Tatyana Moskalkova, the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov, the Office of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and dozens of other bodies.