On February 10, 2021, the Abinskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory, Russia, sentenced Brother Aleksandr Ivshin, 63, to seven and a half years in prison. This is the harshest sentence imposed on one of Jehovah’s Witnesses since the organization was banned in 2017.

Brother Ivshin has been the subject of a criminal case since April 23, 2020. He has been indicted for the “crimes” of organizing religious services by videoconference and singing Kingdom songs. During his final statement to the court, he thoroughly established the Scriptural basis for his beliefs and stated: “Honorable court, my stance in life is based on Bible principles, in which no extremism or hatred exist.”