“Administration Convinced: I’m Not a Threat to Society” — One of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Oryol Released Early From Compulsory Labor

Dmitriy Ignatov, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, 28, was released on December 30, 2025. By court decision, he was released 11 months ahead of schedule.

Dmitriy was convicted in July 2024 for participating in peaceful meetings for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses and sentenced to 2 years of compulsory labor followed by a 6-month restriction of freedom. He arrived at the correctional center in November 2024 and worked as a welder at a retail and refrigeration equipment plant.

"During the year I spent in compulsory labor, the center's administration realized that I'm an ordinary person and pose no threat to society," Dmitriy stated in his motion for early release. In granting his request, the Glazunovskiy District Court of the Oryol Region took into account his contribution to improving the grounds of the correctional center and his conscientious attitude toward work, which earned him an award at the plant.

In court, Dmitriy reiterated that he still does not consider himself guilty and emphasized: "I do not approve of extremism and believe it has no place in human society."

Describing conditions at the center, Dmitriy said: "The room looks very like a hospital ward. It had everything necessary: a cooker, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, but food and drinking water we bought ourselves." The daily routine was strict: wake-up at 5:30 a.m., exercise, inspections, cleaning. The walk to the plant took about 25 minutes, and along the way we were allowed to stop at stores, the pharmacy, or the post office.

Over the 8.5 years of prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 12 people have been sentenced to compulsory labor; 8 are still serving this type of punishment.