Biography
Jehovah's Witnesses living in Irkutsk have been persecuted for their peaceful confession of religion since the time of Operation "North". It seemed that these shameful pages of history were in the past, as the believers were rehabilitated. However, in October 2021, Aleksey Solnechny and six more Jehovah's Witnesses became new victims of religious persecution.
Aleksey was born in 1976 in the city of Abakan (Krasnoyarsk Territory). His mother and two younger sisters share his views on life. As a child, Aleksey was fond of playing the guitar, drawing, wood burning and reading books. Graduated from vocational technical school.
Aleksey worked in various fields: a carpenter at a school, a gas station operator. Now he is engaged in electrical installation. In his spare time, he enjoys reading books and writing poetry.
Aleksey pondered about the evidence for the existence of the Creator. Returning from the army, he engaged himself in a thorough study of the Bible. At that time, his mother was already talking about the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses. Although at first Aleksey was skeptical, over time, after examining the prophecies from the Holy Scriptures, he decided to live according to biblical principles.
From childhood, Aleksey lived in the Irkutsk region, mainly in the villages. After getting married in 2011, he and his wife, Alyona, moved to the village of Ust-Ordynsky (Buryat autonomous region).
Alyona loves nature and animals. The spouses like to spend time together, especially in the fresh air: to have picnics with their relatives around the fire, sing songs, communicate. Alyona works with children. Although it takes a lot of effort and time, she loves doing household chores, especially cooking and baking. The family has a common dream — to travel all over the world.
Criminal prosecution for his faith brought with it a lot of troubles: it separated Aleksey from his wife and family, deprived him of his job, and with her the ability to provide for his family, undermined Aleksey's reputation as a law-abiding citizen. After the searches, Alyona finds it difficult to come to her senses. She experiences tension, anxiety is caused by any unexpected knock on the door. Alyona shares: “It is emotionally very difficult to be at a distance from her husband. I miss him very much, miss him very much. Almost every night I shudder at the thought that everything will happen again."
Its employees say that it is unacceptable to initiate a criminal case solely on the basis of religious affiliation.
Those close to Aleksey, as well as his acquaintances, who are not Jehovah's Witnesses, also do not understand the reason for the unfair treatment of believers. In their opinion, Aleksey and extremism are absolutely incompatible concepts.