Name: Mareyev Roman Viktorovich
Date of Birth: June 11, 1978
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 1078 day in a pre-trial detention, 22 day in prison
Current restrictions: restriction of freedom
Sentence: punishment in the form of 4 years 6 months of imprisonment with serving in a correctional colony of general regime, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year

Biography

Roman Mareyev, a peaceful believer from Moscow, who takes care of elderly parents with disabilities, learned in October 2021 that a criminal case had been opened against him. The reason for the persecution was his faith in Jehovah God. His home was searched, after which he was thrown behind bars.

Roman was born in June 1978 in Moscow. He has a younger sister who lives in another city. The believer's mother has a third group of disabilities, and his father has a second, since he had two heart attacks and can only walk on crutches.

As a child, Roman was a calm, obedient child, loved to learn. Teachers praised him for his exemplary behavior and good academic performance. Roman graduated from the Russian State Open Technical University with a degree in national economics. After that, he worked as a machinist, and later as an engineer in the electric depot of the Moscow Metro. Roman enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

When Roman began reading the Bible, he was moved by the prophecies in the book of Daniel. They strengthened his confidence in God's promises of a wonderful future. Upon learning that Roman had begun to study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, his parents were vehemently opposed. However, later their attitude changed when they saw the rationality and consistency of the biblical teachings. At 24, Roman embarked on the Christian path.

Due to criminal prosecution, the believer cannot take care of the mother and father. His elderly parents are worried, complaining of panic attacks and hypertension, they say that in the morning it seems to them that someone is knocking on the door again. They say with bitterness: "We are sitting, figuratively speaking, with him in prison." Parents are looking forward to Roman's return home. Everyone who knows him is perplexed, expresses sympathy and hopes for a fair outcome of the case.

Case History

In October 2021, the Investigative Committee conducted at least eight searches in different districts of Moscow and the Moscow Region. Anatoliy Marunov, Sergey Tolokonnikov and Roman Mareyev were detained and sent to a temporary detention facility. Later, Mareyev and Tolokonnikov were placed in a detention center, and Marunov was placed under house arrest. A criminal case was initiated against them under an article for extremism. In June 2022, the case went to court. The charge was based on recordings made by an FSB agent who pretended to be interested in the Bible. In July 2023, the defendants were sentenced: 69-year-old veteran of work Marunov – 6.5 years, 50-year-old Tolokonnikov – 5 years, and 45-year-old Mareyev – 4.5 years in a penal colony. A year later, the court of appeal toughened Tolokonnikov’s sentence, adding 2 months to his term. Roman Mareyev was released on October 25, 2024.
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