Biography
Anastasia Sycheva, a peaceful believer from the town of Obluchye, fought for her right to freedom of religion for a year. However, on March 11, 2021, the Court of Appeal upheld the sentence handed down to her by a lower court in January only because of her faith in Jehovah God: 2 years of suspended imprisonment with a 2-year probationary period and 6 months of restriction of liberty.
Anastasia was born in 1977 in the village of Teploozersk (Jewish Autonomous Region). She was the fourth of five children in the family. My father worked all his life at a cement plant, had many awards as an honorary cement worker. Nastya grew up shy and silent. She loved books - the whole family was reading, parents instilled in children a love of literature. From an early age, the girl spent a lot of time knitting, was fond of singing.
After school, Anastasia graduated from medical college and received the specialty of a nurse. For a long time she worked in a dental office, then got a job as a district nurse in a psychiatric hospital.
When her older sister died of cancer at the age of 33, Anastasia took custody of her two young children, who at that time were 9 years old and 3 years old. "There were a lot of challenges in raising children alone," she says. "But I tried to apply Bible principles. Mom undermined her health by caring for her sick sister and died. In the same year, a month earlier, the middle brother passed away.
Even in her teenage years, Anastasia thought about life and death. "I was haunted by the thought that a person's life could end so suddenly," she recalls. "The question arose: then what is the meaning of man's existence on earth?" In the last year of school, she became interested in the Bible. In it, Anastasia found answers to her questions and found hope for the resurrection of the dead to life on earth, which gave her the strength to survive numerous losses without losing her presence of mind.
In September 2019, a criminal case was opened against Anastasia under an "extremist" article. This was an unexpected shock for her. During the same period, the believer underwent eye surgery, and she still has to take care of her elderly father, who suffered a hip injury.
Everything that happened could not deprive the believer of her love of life. Anastasia enthusiastically learns English on her own, loves to meet old friends, make new acquaintances, spend time in nature, dance and listen to music, travel.
Numerous friends support Anastasia in difficulties. The believer noted: "True love is manifested in deeds. And my friends show that kind of love."