Sokolov Yevgeniy

This person is also involved in another criminal case as well:
The Case of Sokolov in Zeya
Name: Sokolov Yevgeniy Yuriyevich
Date of Birth: July 18, 1976
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 161 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 7 years with serving in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a term of 5 years, with restriction of freedom for a term of 1 year
Currently held in: Detention Center No.1 for Voronezh Region

Sokolov Yevgeniy Yuriyevich, born 1976, Detention Center No.1 for Voronezh Region, ul. Zhelyabova, 56, Voronezh, Voronezh Region, 394030

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Biography

On July 13, 2020 law enforcement agencies of the Voronezh region held the largest special operation against Jehovah's Witnesses in modern Russia. Among the victims of the actions of the operatives was Yevgeny Sokolov, who was sent after a search in the pre-trial detention center.

Yevgeny was born in 1976 in Prokopievsk (Kemerovo Region). He has two brothers in his family. As a child, he went fishing with his father. He loved to read books.

After school Yevgeny graduated from a mining school. He worked as an underground electrician in a mine, as well as an electrician in a hotel and an evening school. He lived in different cities: Tashtagol, Osinniki, Khanty-Mansiysk, Far East, Saratov and Voronezh regions.

In the early 90's Eugene began to study deeply the Holy Scriptures. He was impressed by the consistency of this ancient book, as well as the accuracy of the prophecies fulfilled, and decided to become a Christian.

In 1995, Eugene married Alesya. They love to spend time together in the countryside and in the mountains.

Family and friends are shocked by Yevgeny's arrest and worried that decent people can go to prison because of their faith in God and reading the Bible.

Case History

On a single day, July 13, 2020, 110 searches were carried out in seven localities of the Voronezh Region — a record-breaking operation against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Five believers reported being tortured by law enforcement officers. The Investigative Committee charged 10 men (then aged 24 to 56) with organizing extremist activity and sent them to pretrial detention, where most remained for nearly 5 months. The events in Voronezh sparked widespread public outcry: EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed regret and dismay over what had happened. The believers deny any guilt in extremism and emphasize that, as Christians, they respect the authorities and peacefully practice their faith in accordance with their constitutional rights. The trial began in December 2021. Nearly 4 years later, the believers were given various punishments — ranging from a 6-year suspended sentence to 7 years in a penal colony.
Timeline
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