Detention: On March 4, 2021, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against Tadevos Derenekovich Manukyan. He was charged under part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization'), alleging his involvement in organizing the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious community. Initially, his case was investigated together with the cases of Taras and Darya Kuzio, Sergey Lyulin, and Petr Zhiltsov, but it was later separated into a distinct proceeding. No preventive measures such as detention or house arrest were applied to him.

Verdict: As of July 26, 2026, no guilty verdict has been issued against Tadevos Manukyan. The criminal case remains at the pre-trial investigation stage.

Manukyan Tadevos Derenekovich was born on October 24, 1981, in Yerevan, Armenia. He grew up in a large family with three older sisters and a brother. As a child, he was interested in drawing. When he was nine, the family moved to the city of Artashat, Armenia, and four years later to the Kherson region of Ukraine. Since 2000, he has lived in Yalta.

His older sister was one of the first to take an interest in the Bible. Later, Tadevos also began studying it, and in 2012 he became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious community. Before the criminal prosecution began, he worked as a home and apartment repair specialist. In his free time, he enjoyed hiking, chess, mushroom picking, and cooking outdoors.

On March 4, 2021, Russian investigators opened a criminal case against him. According to the investigation, he allegedly organized the activities of a religious organization banned in Russia. Human rights defenders emphasize that the real reason for the prosecution was his peaceful practice of religion, participation in Bible meetings, and communication with fellow believers.

After the criminal case was opened, Tadevos Manukyan was forced to change his usual way of life. Due to the criminal prosecution, he faced difficulties with work and everyday life. International human rights organizations consider his persecution to be politically and religiously motivated, linking it to a systematic campaign against Jehovah's Witnesses in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Information used from open sources: Project 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial', Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Photo: Memorial.

Date of update: 26.07.2026.