Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Troshina Mariya Vladimirovna
Date of Birth: February 13, 1977
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 188 day in a pre-trial detention, 193 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: Suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

On October 7, 2018, a group of FSB officers and SOBR fighters arrested Maria Troshina, a civilian resident of the city of Sychevka. She was placed in a pre-trial detention center, where she spent more than 6 months. Then, after more than a year of investigation and 16 months of trials, the believer was found guilty and sentenced to 6 years of probation just because of her faith in Jehovah God.

Maria Troshina was born in 1977 in St. Petersburg. He has a brother who still lives in the "cultural capital". Since childhood, she has been fond of history, and in her school years she even worked as a guide. She learns foreign languages on her own.

It was her love of history that made Mary interested in the authenticity of the Bible from a historical and scientific point of view. Although both of Maria's parents are no longer alive, her mother shared her daughter's craving for the spiritual. Both mother and daughter decided to devote their lives to serving God over the years, which eventually led to ridiculous accusations of extremism.

Case History

Sychevka is a city of compact residence of followers of the Old Believers. Nurse Natalia Sorokina and tour guide Maria Troshina spent more than six months in jail because they believe in Jehovah God and try to live according to the biblical commandments. In 2018, the FSB accused them of “religious hatred” and of “organizing the activities of a banned organization.” At the same time, law enforcement officers cynically mentioned that “the state guarantees the equality of human and civil rights and freedoms, regardless of their attitude to religion.” Natalia’s health deteriorated during the period of her stay in the pre-trial detention center. On April 22, 2021, Arkady Likhachev, judge of the Sychevsky District Court of the Smolensk Region, sentenced the believers to 6 years of suspended imprisonment with a probation period of 3 years. In September 2021, the appellate court upheld this decision.