Resident of Kuzbass Sentenced to Six Years in Penal Colony for Prayers and Conversations About the Bible

On October 15, 2026, Judge Aleksey Semerikov announced the decision in the case of 55-year-old Jehovah's Witness Vitaliy Syrykh: six years' imprisonment. The reason was the weekly meetings for worship that the believer conducted at his home via videoconferencing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Vitaliy has a strong family — he has been married to his wife Nadezhda for over 35 years, and together they raised two children. Syrykh dedicated his entire working life to a mine, where he was an underground electrician-fitter. He is now retired. Vitaliy strives to be useful to others. For example, the management company recently thanked him for participating in a cleanup initiative and for keeping the yard clean.

In his defense, Vitaliy drew attention to the fact that the charges were partly based on his use of God's name — Jehovah. The believer emphasized that this cannot be considered a crime and reminded the court that this name was widely used by Russian writers and is found in the Synodal translation of the Bible.

As evidence for the prosecution, recordings of Vitaliy's phone conversations were used in the case. “While listening to them, we noticed that I praised and thanked people for their good deeds, said that God values them, and that on the Paradise Earth their life will improve. Giving someone hope is not extremist activity,” commented Syrykh.

The first criminal case against Vitaliy was initiated in April 2021 but was later dismissed due to lack of elements of the crime. In December 2024, he was charged again, this time with a more serious accusation — organizing the activity of an extremist organization.

In March 2025, another resident of Kaltan, Aleksandr Tsikunov, was convicted and sentenced to six years in a penal colony. The verdict was handed down by the same judge.