Name: Khabarov Aleksey Nikolayevich
Date of Birth: February 15, 1975
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 61 day in a pre-trial detention, 331 day in prison
Sentence: punishment in deprivation of liberty for a term of 2 years 4 months with serving in a correctional colony of general regime, with restriction of liberty for a term of 5 months
Currently held in: Correctional Colony No. 4 of the Novgorod Region
Address for correspondence: Khabarov Aleksey Nikolayevich, born 1975, Correctional Colony No. 4 of the Novgorod Region, Per. Vasileva, 84, Valday, Novgorod Region, 175400

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «FSIN-letter system». To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

Parcels and parcels should not be sent because of the limit on their number per year.

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

Biography

In April 2019, in the city of Porkhov, security officers broke into the homes of believers with searches. Alexei Khabarov was accused of extremism. After several years of proceedings, during which he was first sentenced to a suspended sentence, then fully acquitted, but eventually sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, the believer ended up behind bars.

Alexey was born in 1975 in the village of Burtsevskaya, Arkhangelsk Region. He has a younger brother. Since childhood, Alexei loved fishing, in which a significant role was played by the fact that his father worked all his life as a fish protection inspector. Alexey grew up as an athletic child: he was fond of football and athletics, participated in district and regional competitions, and received school certificates.

Aleksey graduated from the Pedagogical University as a teacher of labor and drawing. However, in 1997, due to the difficult economic situation, he went to work in a bakery, where he was a handyman, watchman and freight forwarder. In the following years, he worked as a sales representative in a printing house, and then was engaged in construction and repair.

In his free time, Alexey likes to organize friends' weddings and joint trips to nature, go mushroom picking, and also does not forget to keep himself in good physical shape.

For many years, Alexei was worried about the transience of life. While serving in the army, he began to think about the questions: what is the meaning of life? What does the future hold for people? His spiritual quest led him to study the Bible. As a result, he found meaning in life, in 2000 he became a Christian.

In 2008, Alexey moved to the city of Severodvinsk, and three years later to Porkhov.

Although the parents do not share their son's religious views, they worry about him and do not understand why he is being persecuted.

Case History

In 2019, the FSB initiated a criminal case against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Porkhov. Law enforcement officers conducted searches and interrogated local believers. As a result, Aleksey Khabarov was charged with extremism. During the court hearings, all witnesses, including the FSB counter-terrorism officer, spoke positively about Khabarov. In September 2021, the court gave him a 3-year suspended sentence. The court of appeal overturned this decision, and in January 2022, a retrial of the case began in a court comprised of different judges. The prosecutor again requested 3.5 years in a penal colony for Khabarov, but the court acquitted him. In November 2022, the court of appeal again sent the case for a new – third – consideration in the same court. This time the believer was sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. In December 2023, the court of appeal slightly changed this decision, reducing the term by 2 months. The court of cassation in St. Petersburg upheld this decision.
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