Imprisoned for Their Faith—Crimea

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The aggressive opposition of the Russian authorities to Jehovah’s Witnesses has now spilled over into Crimea. In Russia the government has not only banned the Witnesses’ legal entities but has clearly shown its intent to wipe out their peaceful worship. Since the April 2017 ban, Russian authorities have conducted numerous raids on Witness gatherings throughout Russia, resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of scores of Witnesses. The same heavy-handed tactics are now being used against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Crimea.

The first mass raid in Crimea took place on November 15, 2018, in Dzhankoy, when approximately 200 police and special forces officers raided eight private homes in which small groups of Witnesses were meeting together to read and discuss the Bible. At least 35 armed and masked officers forcibly entered the home of Sergey Filatov, where a group of six Witnesses were gathered. The Witnesses were terrorized by this aggressive action. The intruders pinned a 78-year-old man against the wall, forced him to the ground, handcuffed him, and beat him so badly that he was rushed to the hospital. Two other older men were so traumatized that they were rushed to the hospital with extremely high blood pressure. Tragically, a young woman whose house was also raided suffered a miscarriage.

Following the raid, Mr. Filatov was criminally charged under Article 282.2(1) of the Russian Criminal Code with organizing the activity of an “extremist organization.” On March 5, 2020, the district court in Crimea sentenced Mr. Filatov to six years in a general regime prison colony. After the sentencing he was immediately escorted to prison.

In the years following the 2018 raid in Dzhankoy, special forces officers continue to forcibly enter the homes of Witnesses who are suspected of extremist activity. The most recent raid occurred on August 7, 2024, when several armed and masked law enforcement officers searched the homes of five Witnesses, including the home of 68-year-old Tamara Brattseva in the village of Razdolnoye. Ms. Brattseva, charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization, is currently on trial. In October 2024, two Witness men, Yuriy Gerashchenko and Sergey Parfenovich, were each sentenced to six years in a penal colony. They had previously been given suspended sentences, but the prosecutor pushed for a harsher punishment, which was granted by the court. They were immediately arrested in the courtroom and transferred to prison.

As a result of home raids and subsequent criminal trials and convictions, there are currently 14 Witness men in prison serving sentences up to six and a half years. All have been charged with promoting the activities of an extremist organization.

Prisoner of Conscience Profile

Sergey Parfenovich

Sergey Parfenovich, father of six, became another victim of criminal prosecution in September 2022 after a series of police searches in the homes of Crimean Jehovah’s Witnesses. Sergey was born in May 1972 in the village of Mirnoye, Crimea. His mother and father are retired, and he has two sisters. As a child, he was fond of football.

After finishing school, Sergey graduated from a vocational college as an electrician to repair electrical equipment. He found work at a bakery and a construction site, and as a furniture maker and a cleaner of a sports complex. Since January 2020, he has also been caring for his sick father.

Sergey found meaning in life when he learned about God and Jesus from the Bible. He was amazed and comforted that, according to the Bible, in the future there will be a paradise on earth and that people will live forever. This knowledge of and appreciation for God prompted him to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1993.

In 1997, Sergey married Marina, a primary school teacher, and together they have four sons and two daughters. Marina is now retired. She and their six children share Sergey’s beliefs and support him during this difficult situation in life. The couple loves spending time together with their children and friends. Sergey is still fond of football and often plays it with his sons and friends. He also loves playing chess and enjoying nature in the mountains and by the sea.

As a result of the criminal prosecution, the life of this large family has changed a lot. Since the four older children live separately, Sergey’s duties while he is behind bars fall on the shoulders of his wife and younger children. Marina has serious heart problems and other chronic illnesses that have worsened due to stress.

The hardships associated with the prosecution and imprisonment have brought Sergey’s family closer together like never before. They all are trying not to lose heart and to remain positive.

Time Line

February 17, 2025

Fourteen of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Crimea are currently imprisoned.
October 3, 2024

Yuriy Gerashchenko and Sergey Parfenovich sentenced to six years in a penal colony.
August 7, 2024

Law enforcement officers raid five Witness homes in Alushta, Razdolnoye, and Senokosnoye. Criminal case initiated against Tamara Brattseva.
August 5, 2021

Eight homes of Witnesses searched. Aleksandr Dubovenko and Aleksandr Litvinyuk arrested.
October 1, 2020

Nine homes are raided in Sevastopol. Igor Shmidt is arrested and placed in pretrial detention.
June 4, 2019

Special forces officers raid ten homes in Sevastopol. Mr. Stashevskiy is subsequently charged with organizing extremist activities.
March 20, 2019

Special forces officers raid eight homes in Alupka and Yalta. Mr. Gerasimov is interrogated and subsequently charged with organizing extremist activities.
November 15, 2018

Eight homes raided by over 200 police and special forces officers in Dzhankoy, including Mr. Filatov’s home.

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