Believer from Astrakhan returned to penal colony unit after 20 days in punishment cell
Anna Safronova, a Jehovah’s Witness* from Astrakhan, who complained about cruel treatment in a penal colony in Stavropol, has been released from a punishment cell. The administration of the penal colonies often uses placement to punishment cell specifically in relation to prisoners who are believers.
The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Anna Safronova is often being sent to a punishment cell for long periods. A prisoner’s advocate lodged a complaint to the prosecutor’s office about the torture of her client for refusing to wear a St. George ribbon.
On January 25, 2022, a court sentenced Anna Safronova to six years of imprisonment, finding her guilty of financing the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses* and participating in it. In the summer of 2024, the defence reported that the health state of Anna Safronova had deteriorated in prison. Investigators accused Anna Safronova of participating in online religious gatherings where she was singing songs and praying. As of February 2023, the Anna Safronova’s six-year-imprisonment sentence has become the harshest in Russia for a woman who professes the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses*.
Yaroslav Sivulsky, a spokesperson for the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses*, hopes for a softening of the harsh attitude towards believers in the penal colonies after such problems have been made public. Yaroslav Sivulsky cited examples when a prisoner’s complaint resulted in an easing of the complainant’s situation.
“In Saratov, convicted believers were severely beaten upon their delivery to the penal colony. One of them, Felix Makhammadiev, was hospitalized. After the incident had been made public, no such incidents happened again. Moreover, Felix Makhammadiev received proper medical treatment. Another example: a lot of attention was drawn to the story of torture during the detention of believers in Surgut. That fact contributed to the protection of believers to some extent,” Yaroslav Sivulsky noted.
Earlier, the spokesperson for the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses* has noted that the Anna Safronova’s case shows there is a practice of harsh treatment of convicted Jehovah’s Witnesses*. “Rinat Kiramov, a resident of Akhtubinsk, was subjected to cruel torture in the penal colony. Lyudmila Schekoldina from the Krasnodar village of Pavlovskaya and her advocates spent six months fighting for appointment of a surgery for her. During all that time, Lyudmila Schekoldina suffered from severe pain,” Yaroslav Sivulsky stated.
On March 21, 67-year-old Valery Bailo died at a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Novorossiysk. Relatives claimed that the man complained about his poor health state, but he was not provided with medical care.
Placement to a punishment cell (ShIZO) is often used in penal colonies in Russia to punish believers, notes Valentin Bogdan, the head of the “Protection of Prisoners’ Rights”** Foundation. “Their religious practices are often perceived by the administration as violations. And sometimes the administration itself initiates instructions, the implementation of which contradicts their beliefs,” the human rights defender stated.
*All the 396 Russian organizations of Jehovah’s Witnesses were recognized as extremist, and their activities in Russia were banned by court decision.
**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 17, 2025 at 02:59 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: СK correspondent