Name: Popova Rimma Mukharbievna
Date of Birth: August 22, 1968
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 60 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: prohibition of certain actions
Sentence: Imprisonment for a term of 4 years 6 months, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year 8 months, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to participation in the work of religious and public organizations for a term of 3 years, imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

Rimma Popova, a resident of Cherkessk with a good reputation among colleagues, friends, and neighbors, was prosecuted in a criminal case in October 2023 for her belief in Jehovah God.

Rimma was born in August 1968 in the village of Psyzh (Karachay-Cherkessia). Her father and mother worked as cooks. Rimma was the only child in the family. The parents have passed away.

As a child, Rimma went to a music school, and also did gymnastics. After school, she completed accounting courses. She worked as a cashier and later as a cook. Until house arrest, Rimma worked as a housewife in a private medical clinic.

Her parents were religious people and instilled religious values in their daughter from childhood. Once, as an adult, Rimma watched a movie about Jesus Christ, which touched her to the depths of her soul. After some time, the woman met Jehovah's Witnesses, they introduced her to the Bible. The knowledge she acquired, as well as her love for God and appreciation for him, prompted her to embark on the Christian path in 2012.

Rimma is divorced and has two adult children, a daughter and a son who lives with her. In her leisure time, the woman likes to walk in nature, she is also still fond of music.

The criminal prosecution caused stress and affected the health of the believer, which causes anxiety for her children. They do not understand how their mother, whom everyone respects and appreciates, could be accused of extremism.

Case History

In October 2023, Rimma Popova from Cherkessk was charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organization and involving other persons in it. Earlier, in June of the same year, the believer’s house was searched, after that the woman was placed to a temporary detention facility, and then under house arrest for 2 months. Later, the court commuted her preventive measure to a ban on certain activities. Soon Rimma was hospitalized due to a heart attack. In April 2024, the case went to court. The prosecutor asked Popova to 4.5 years in a penal colony. In January 2025, she received a 4.5-year suspended sentence.
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