Unjust Verdicts

"I am not ashamed of the way I have lived this chapter." One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Sergey Fyodorov, Sentenced to Six Years in Penal Colony for His Faith in Jehovah God

Samara Region,   Karelia

On July 22, 2026, the Avtozavodskiy District Court of Tolyatti announced the verdict against Sergey Fyodorov, 52. He was found guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization and sentenced to 6 years' actual imprisonment. By this time, the believer had already spent more than 2 years in a pretrial detention center.

In March 2024, nine law enforcement officers burst into the Fyodorovs' apartment in Tolyatti: Sergey was handcuffed and struck on the head. During the search, printed publications from the list of extremist materials were planted on the believers. Fyodorov was taken 2,000 km away to Petrozavodsk "to provide an explanation." The investigation was conducted by the Federal Security Service Directorate for the Republic of Karelia, but the trial was held in Tolyatti under the authority of Judge Natalya Chernova.

"I believe that in time everything will fall into place, sooner or later justice will prevail, and all the innocent will be acquitted by human court or by God's court," Sergey said in his final statement.

Concluding his speech in court, Fyodorov said: "This case is just another chapter. There is still an entire book ahead. I am not ashamed of the way I have lived this chapter."

The Case of Fedorov in Petrozavodsk

Case History
Sergey Fyodorov and his wife first came to the attention of law enforcement in the summer of 2019, when their home was searched. About five years later, FSB officers showed up again: under the pretext of inspecting the premises, they effectively searched their apartment in Tolyatti, handcuffed Sergey, struck him on the head, and planted banned literature. The believer was taken 2,000 kilometers away to Petrozavodsk “to give an explanation.” In June 2024, a criminal case was opened against Fyodorov for allegedly organizing the activities of an extremist organization. His home was searched for the third time, and he was placed in a pre-trial detention center. In September 2025, the case was submitted to court. In July 2026, the court handed down a sentence of six years in a general-regime penal colony.
Timeline

Persons in case

Fedorov
Sergey

Criminal case

Region:
Karelia
Locality:
Petrozavodsk
Suspected of:
"Performed... informational, organizational and control functions... by regularly inspecting the activities of the religious groups formed by the Center located in the region, checking the effectiveness of the functioning of religious groups in the field of their organization of religious education and upbringing of followers" (from the decree on the separation of the criminal case)
Court case number:
12407860001000026
Initiated:
June 6, 2024
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
FSB of Russia in the Republic of Karelia
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-268/2026 (1-1006/2025)
Court of First Instance:
Avtozavodskiy District Court of Tolyatti
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Natalya Chernova
Case History
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