Nov. 13 (UPI) — Russia has sentenced two 74-year-old men to three years in prison this week for practicing their Jehovah’s Witness religion, the church confirmed Thursday, making them the oldest Jehovah’s Witnesses currently behind bars amid the Kremlin’s crackdown on the Christian denomination.
In an emailed statement to UPI, Jehovah’s Witness Regional Director of Communications Jarrod Lopes said Valeriy Knyaze and Indus Talipov were sentenced Wednesday.
“It’s patently absurd that Russian judges would imprison peace-loving elderly Christians like Valeriy and Indus,” Lopes said.
Russia has jailed and sentenced hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses since April 2017, when its Supreme Court criminalized all activity by the religion as extremist — a ruling that has not only been widely condemned but declared unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2022.
According to the church, Russian authorities began investigating Jehovah’s Witness activities in Izhevsk, in western Russia, where Knyaze and Talipov lived, in June 2024. Homes of at least three families were searched on June 4, after which Knyaze, Talipov and Alexander Stefanidin, were charged with organizing extremist-activity for holding meetings for worship and reading scripture online.
Valeriy Knyazev, 74, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in a Russian prison for practicing his Jehovah’s Witness religion. Photo courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Lopes said the basis for the convictions was remote testimony from an individual known by the pseudonym Lozhkin, whom he called a spy of Russia’s Federal Security Service.
“Lozhkin is part of a growing FSB network of undercover agents used to identify and prosecute Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Lopes said.
“Often these spies feign interest in studying the Bible, attend worship discussions for months or even years, secretly record conversations and then provide deceptive testimony to secure convictions.”
Talipov, who converted to Christianity in 2009, said in court that he has tried to live his life not only in accordance with Russia’s laws, but also those of his church.
“I have lived my whole life — and still live — as a law-abiding person,” he said. “Therefore, accusing me of organizing extremist activity contradicts both my personal beliefs and the laws set forth in the Bible, which are sacred to me.”
There are currently 175 Jehovah’s Witnesses jailed in Russia and Crimea, of whom 19 are over the age of 65, according to the church.
