Putintsev Artur

Updated: April 26, 2024
Name: Putintsev Artur Vladislavovich
Date of Birth: March 13, 1970
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 5 day in a temporary detention facility, 1212 day in a pre-trial detention, 18 day in prison
Current restrictions: Detention center
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment with serving in a correctional colony of general regime with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations and associations, for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year and 6 months
Currently held in: Detention Center No. 1 in Oryol Region
Address for correspondence: Putintsev Artur Vladislavovich, born 1970, SIZO No. 1 in Oryol Region, ul. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 10, Oryol, Russia, 302040

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «FSIN-letter system». To pay for service with the card of a foreign bank use Prisonmail.

Note: discussing topics related to criminal prosecution is not allowed in letters; languages other than Russian will not pass.

Biography

Artur Putintsev didn’t trust any religion, but his acquaintance with Jehovah's Witnesses changed his life for the better — he made loyal friends and learned to apply Bible principles in his life. However, a criminal case was opened against him for his love of the Bible and he was sent to jail in December 2020.

Artur was born in Chita (Trans-Baikal Territory) in March 1970. He grew up in a large family and was the eldest of six children. As a child, he loved to go fishing and ride a motorcycle.

The family moved several times. Artur graduated from a vocational technical school in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky (Rostov region) and received a specialty as an electrician. He worked by profession at a factory. After serving in the army in 1991 he moved to the village of Buninsky (Oryol region) and got a job at a state farm. There he met Lyudmila, and in 1993 they got married. After the wedding, Artur started his own business, and for the last two years before his arrest he worked in a taxi.

In 2005, Artur, after carefully studying the Bible, embarked on the Christian path. A year later, his mother joined him, and two years later, his wife. The couple love to travel and ski. Artur is also fond of beekeeping and the design of machines and other mechanisms.

Criminal prosecution and a long stay in a pre-trial detention center away from his family negatively affected the health of the believer — Artur suffers from hypertension. Lyudmila lost her husband's support and care. Friends and relatives do not understand why they are persecuting this calm and peaceful person.

Case History

Since 2009, Vladimir Melnik, a father of many children from Oryol, has been recording the facts of pressure, threats and provocations from the FSB. In December 2020, he was invaded by armed security forces. Vladimir Piskarev and Artur Putintsev were also detained. The believers were placed in a pre-trial detention center, and their names were added to the Rosfinmonitoring list. In January 2022, the case went to court. During the hearings, it became clear that a hidden wiretapping was installed in Piskarev’s apartment, from which audio recordings formed the basis of the charges. In the pre-trial detention center, his health began to deteriorate—he suffered a stroke and more than one hypertensive crisis. Nevertheless, the preventive measure was not mitigated either for him, or for Melnik, or for Putintsev. In October 2023, the court sentenced the three believers to 6 years in a penal colony. In March 2024, a court of appeal upheld the verdict.
Timeline