Galkevich Tatyana

Updated: July 26, 2024
Name: Galkevich Tatyana Stepanovna
Date of Birth: August 2, 1959
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 187 day in a pre-trial detention, 265 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 2 years of imprisonment, punishment in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 1 year

Biography

Tatyana Galkevich, a peaceful resident of Smolensk, did not even suspect that her faith in God would become a reason for criminal prosecution. The investigation accuses her of praying and discussing the Bible with friends. As a result, the woman spent more than six months in jail for her faith.

Tatyana was born in the village of Bereznyaki, Smolensk region, in 1959. As a child, she was fond of sports and even jumped with a parachute, did handicrafts and loved to read. After school she graduated from a textile technical school and received a specialty as a knitwear production technologist. She worked as a knitter, was a shift master.

Now Tatyana lives in Smolensk and is on a well-deserved rest. In his free time he is engaged in gardening and vegetable garden. Since 1989 she has been married, a daughter was born in marriage.

Tatiana was in awe of God even before she came to know the Bible, but she knew nothing about the Creator. The knowledge gained from studying the Scriptures helped her to better understand them and encouraged her to live according to biblical standards.

Due to the criminal prosecution and imprisonment in the pre-trial detention center, where she spent several months, Tatyana’s chronic diseases worsened. In addition, she lost her job. Relatives who do not share her religious beliefs, as well as friends, try to support the woman morally, emotionally and physically.

Case History

In May 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated a criminal case against Valentina Vladimirova and Tatyana Galkevich, pensioners from Smolensk, for their faith. The women were accused of “participating in joint prayers to Jehovah and discussing Bible interpretations,” which the investigation interprets as participating in extremist activity. Their homes were searched, and they were taken into custody. Galkevich spent 6 months behind bars and about 9 months under house arrest. Vladimirova also spent 6 months in a pretrial detention center, and then almost 2.5 years under house arrest. In October 2020, the case went to court, but it was immediately returned to the prosecutor. A religious expert study in the case was carried out by a graduate of the Orthodox Theological Academy. After 2 months, the retrial of the case began, but in March 2022 it was returned to the prosecutor’s office for revision. In April 2023, the case went to court again, and in February 2024, a 2-year suspended sentence was given.
Timeline