Court in Uray Convicted Andrey Sazonov for the Third Time. Fined Again

Andrey Sazonov ordered to pay 450,000 rubles — this was the verdict heard on October 17, 2025, by one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Uray. It is the third time that the Uray City Court has found him guilty in the same case of extremism.

From the early 2000s, Andrey Sazonov worked at a local heat supply company and at the time of his arrest was the first deputy general director. He lost his job due to the prosecution. "When the criminal case began," says Andrey, "the director and colleagues immediately began signing a petition so that I would not be taken into custody. Within just half an hour, about 80 people had signed. The second time, during the appeal hearing and when I was in pretrial detention, already a 121 had signed — and that does not include all who wanted to!" Referring to this account in one of his final statements, the believer commented: "These people do not share my religious beliefs, but they want to continue working with me... Isn't this convincing proof of the absence of extremism?"

Even witnesses for the prosecution stood up for Andrey. Artem Demidov, who conducted covert video filming of religious meetings, describing him, said in court: "You are a super-person, you should be looked up to!"

The first search took place in the home of the Sazonov family in 2019. "When the law enforcement officers raided our home, they broke my knee, and an ambulance had to be called," Andrey said. The court later declared that search illegal. About a month later, the officers arrived a second time with a fire truck. The couple said that they saw an unknown person pour something flammable over the fence of their house and set it on fire. Under the pretext of extinguishing the fire, law enforcement officers entered the grounds, demanded they open the door, while threatening to cut it open. They read out the search warrant only after repeated demands from the owners.

"At the time of the searches, the children, son Slava and daughter Irina, were still going to school. Our son was 11 years old then," recalls Andrey's wife, Viktoriya. "Our city is small and information spreads quickly. The teachers, having learned what had happened, sympathized with us. The children were mature for their age, not whiny... When Andrey was detained, our son held up at first, but then, when we were sorting out the things scattered by the law enforcement officers, he burst into tears. The next day, our friends arrived — some from over 250 kilometers, some over 750, and others over 1000. One of them comforted our son. And the next day Slava suddenly said: "Mom, I won't cry anymore." I asked: "Why?" He answered: "I understand what dad is suffering for — for Jehovah."

The case of Andrey Sazonov was considered in court three times over 6.5 years and each time ended in a guilty verdict and a fine. All this time, the believer defended himself, without the services of a lawyer. "The hardest thing was that the hardship dragged on for so long...", said Viktoriya, reflecting on their experience. He added: "Of course, I felt tired. Each time it became more and more difficult to force myself to sit down again and prepare for the trial. Everything would already seem clear, but I wanted to make sure it's perfect each time. This took a lot of time and effort."

Throughout the prosecution, Andrey's family and friends did not leave him without support. In his final statement, the believer also addressed them: "Thank you for your support, attention and love. Such friendship is priceless."

The story of Andrey Sazonov is not unique: like him, the Pryanikovs, Dulovs, Bazhenovs and other believers from different regions of the country also had to defend themselves several times in different court instances.