Olga Ivanova, Convicted for her Faith in God in 2021, Released from the Penal Colony in Zelenokumsk

After spending a little more than 2 years and 3 months in a penal colony, Olga Ivanova, a 41-year-old Jehovah's Witness, was released on June 11, 2024. She has served her sentence in full.

In correctional colony No. 7 in the Stavropol Territory, Ivanova had to work hard in cloth cutting workshop. Her mother said: “She was so tired that in the morning she wanted to cry, because a night's rest wasn't enough, but she had to go back to work for 12 hours. She worked even on Saturdays, with only one day off.” For health reasons, Olga was exempt from working in the workshop for the last few months.

Olga had a good relationship with her cellmates. She maintained her joy and a positive attitude thanks to her faith. According to Olga, praying helped her greatly along with letters from friends, which she received even in the pretrial detention center during her transfer.

Olga Ivanova's husband, Yevgeniy, continues to serve a long term of imprisonment in Tatarstan. In a penal colony in the Stavropol Territory, another believer from Astrakhan, Anna Safronova, continues to serve time for her religious beliefs. Across the country, 96 more Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned for their beliefs.