Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Verigina Violetta Valeriyevna
Date of Birth: September 12, 1985
Current status: Defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)

Biography

In July 2020, a series of searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers in Vladivostok. Among the victims was Violetta Verigina.

Violetta was born in Syktyvkar in 1985. Her father was a military man, her mother worked in a diagnostic center. As a child, she was fond of gymnastics, aerobics, dancing and studied English. After school, she graduated from the Komi State Pedagogical Institute as a teacher of English and French. She also received an additional specialty "translator in the field of professional communication".

For some time she worked as an administrator in a hotel, and then - and until now - as an English teacher. Violetta still enjoys playing sports. She also loves to travel around Russia, visit theaters, watch movies and listen to pop music.

As a child, Violetta began to realize her need for spiritual development, and with the help of her grandmother, she was able to satisfy it, finding answers to her questions in the Bible. In 2016, Violetta met Roman, a man who shares her life values and spiritual interests. They got married and settled in Vladivostok.

Unjustified criminal prosecution and the associated stress caused Violetta's health to deteriorate. The Verigins also suffered financially: their bank accounts are blocked, the spouses constantly have to leave work in connection with the trial.

Violetta's parents, who do not share her religious beliefs, are outraged by the persecution of their daughter and deny her involvement in extremist activities.

Case History

In the early morning of July 2018, a group of masked armed security forces invaded the apartment of 90-year-old grandmother Yelena Barmakina, after which Dmitriy wife Yelena was imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center for 447 days. Later, Yelena herself was accused of extremism because of her religion and the family’s bank accounts were blocked. The believer’s case was considered by the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok. In September 2020, the court returned the case to the prosecutor. In August 2021, investigator Tarasenko opened a criminal case against a peaceful believer Yuriy Redozubov and merged Barmakina’s case into one proceeding with the cases against Redozubov, Lonchakov, Katanaeva, Astvatsaturova, Tregub, Tsorn and the Verigin spouses. In June 2022, the case went to court.