The prosecutor has requested three and a half years in prison for a Jehovah’s Witness from Kurgan, a city in the Urals.

During the hearing at the Kurgan City Court, the prosecutor requested three and a half years in a general regime penal colony for Jehovah’s Witness Anastasia Gaytur, according to the website “Jehovah’s Witnesses: The Legal Situation in Russia.”

The 29-year-old believer is accused of participating in the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigation, she took part remotely in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ religious meetings, performed religious songs, recited prayers, and took part in reading and discussing articles on the subject of religion.

Gaytur was detained in connection with the criminal case at the end of May 2024. Three days later, security officers searched her home. Since that time, she has been under a travel restriction order.

In September 2023, a similar criminal case was initiated against the believer’s father, Alexander Gaytur. However, he was never formally charged and the case was not sent to court.

In 1949, Anastasia Gaytur’s grandparents and their families were exiled to Siberia from their home due to their religious beliefs—they too were Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1989, they were rehabilitated and recognised as victims of political repression.