Sharapova Nataliya

Updated: July 26, 2024
Name: Sharapova Nataliya Vladimirovna
Date of Birth: November 19, 1972
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 658 day in a pre-trial detention
Current restrictions: detention center
Sentence: 3 years of imprisonment to be served in a general regime penal colony, deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public religious organizations for a period of 2 years, restriction of liberty for 6 months
Currently held in: Detention Center No. 3 in Primorye Territory
Address for correspondence: Sharapova Natalya Vladimirovna, born 1972, SIZO No. 3 in Primorye Territory, ul. Mekhanizatorov, 46, g. Ussuriysk, Primorye Territory, Russia, 692519

Letters of support can be sent by regular mail or through the «zonatelecom».

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

Biography

In the fall of 2022, Natalya Sharapova was searched, detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. She was accused of extremism for no other reason than her beliefs.

Natalya was born in 1972 in the city of Novy Uzen (Kazakhstan). She has an older brother and a younger sister. As a child, Natalya studied music. Now, in her free time, Natalya likes to make topiary (mini-trees placed in a pot as decoration) and beaded jewelry, and she likes to knit.

After graduating from school, Natalya started working in a stockroom at a garment factory. Later, after being laid off at the factory, she worked as manicurist.

Natalya learned the Bible through her mother. Studying the prophecies written in the Holy Scriptures and the fact that they are fulfilled in the smallest detail touched her heart the most. In 2012, Natalya decided to become a Christian.

Natalya has lived in Kazakhstan and in the Primorsky and the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia. She has two daughters. The older one is an engineer-geophysicist, and the younger one is a nurse. They do not share Natalya's religious views, but they understand and respect her beliefs.

Despite the fact that Natalya has health problems, law enforcement officers imprisoned her. Her relatives actively support her and take care of her financially. Although she is a peaceful believer, they had to hire a lawyer for her.

Case History

In October 2022, law enforcement officers conducted searches at 12 addresses of believers in the village of Yaroslavskiy in Primorye. Earlier, a case was initiated against Anatoliy Li and unidentified persons under the article on involving others in the activity of an extremist organization. Later, the charge was reclassified as organizing and participating in such activity. As part of this case, Anatoliy Li and two other believers, Boris Andreyev and Natalia Sharapova, ended up in a pretrial detention center. The charges were based on video recordings of meetings for worship in which the believers talked about their faith, sang religious songs glorifying God and Jesus Christ, and offered prayers to God. The case went to court in September 2023. After nine months, the believers received sentences ranging from 3 to 6.5 years in a penal colony.
Timeline