Updated: May 3, 2024
Name: Martynova Nina Leontiyevna
Date of Birth: August 11, 1958
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Sentence: penalty in the form of a fine in the amount of 80,000 rubles

Biography

In June 2021, the house of Nina Martynova and her husband Andrey was searched. The reason was the Christian beliefs of the spouses. The peaceful believer, like her husband, was accused of extremism.

Nina was born in August 1958 in the village of Pervomaisky, located near the city of Alatyr (Chuvashia). She grew up in a large family—she has two elder brothers and three sisters. In her school years, Nina was involved in athletics and participated in competitions.

After graduating from a pedagogical school, Nina worked as a kindergarten teacher. She is now retired. In the summer he works in the garden, in the winter he knits and strengthens his physical health.

Living in Kamchatka, Nina met Andrey. In 1991, they moved together to the Moscow region, where they lived for 6 years. In 1992 they registered their marriage. Together, the couple raised two daughters, one of whom has been a disabled person of group I since childhood.

In the early 1990s, Nina and Andrey began to study the Bible with interest. Nina was especially encouraged by the thought that God does not punish children for the fault of their parents, as she had been told before. She was also struck by the accuracy of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. In 1992, the couple decided to become Christians, and in 1998 they moved to Nina's homeland—to the village of Pervomaisky.

The criminal prosecution affected the health of the believer. She experiences anxiety, sleep problems. Nina's husband, Andrey, is also a defendant in the criminal case. Relatives and neighbors of the Martynovs are outraged by the actions of the security forces and consider it unfair to persecute these peaceful people only for their faith in God.

Case History

In June 2021, the FSB of Russia initiated a criminal case against unidentified persons, and a week later, a series of searches were carried out in Alatyr at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The family of Andrey Martynov was subjected to investigative actions twice (the first search took place in 2012). The law enforcement officers seized electronic devices, photographs, personal notes, drawings and other items, with inscriptions mentioning the name of God - Jehovah. In April 2022, Andrey and Nina Martynov, Mikhail Yermakov and Zoya Pavlova were charged: the men with organizing the activitiy of an extremist organization, and the women with involvement and participation in it. In July 2022, the case against the believers went to court, and in December of the same year, the court gave the women a fine of 350,000 rubles, and the men a 6-year suspended sentence. After 2 months, the verdict entered into force by the decision of the appellate instance.