OCTOBER 18, 2022
RUSSIA

“I Am Proud to Bear Jehovah’s Name”

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On October 10, 2022, the Kezhemskiy District Court of the Krasnoyarsk Territory convicted Brother Ildar Urazbakhtin. He received a suspended prison sentence of three years and is not required to go to prison at this time.

Time Line

July 20, 2021

At least five homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were searched in the city of Kodinsk, including that of Ildar and his family. He was placed in a temporary detention facility
July 21, 2021

Released and placed under house arrest. Prohibited from using the telephone or the Internet
September 20, 2021

Released from house arrest and placed under travel restrictions
January 13, 2022

Charged with holding video conferences where he “encouraged deep study of the Bible and encouraged brothers and sisters to support one another”
March 30, 2022

Criminal trial began

Profile

Ildar Urazbakhtin

Born: 1963 (Bratsk, Irkutsk Region)

Biography: Studied electrical engineering. Works as an industrial safety inspector

Married Gulnora in 1987. Had prayed to God to find meaning in his life. Was contacted by Jehovah’s Witnesses and began to study the Bible. Baptized in 1999. Gulnora was baptized in 2006

They have one son, one daughter, and three granddaughters

Personal Comments

How did Jehovah strengthen you during your time in the detention center?

When they put me in the detention facility, I did not know what to do or what to expect. Jehovah strengthened me in a remarkable way. One of the guards came to the window in my cell and asked: “Is there anything I could bring you to read?” I asked: “Do you have a Bible?” I then spent the next few hours reading with great pleasure some of my favorite Bible accounts. After that, another guard found out I was spiritually-minded, and he started asking me all sorts of questions. We talked for several hours. That was exactly what I needed.

What helps you to maintain your confidence?

Proverbs 28:1 says: “The wicked flee when no one pursues them, but the righteous are as confident as a lion.” Knowing for a certainty that I am not a criminal helps me to look my opposers square in the eyes. There is nothing for me to be ashamed of. I am proud to bear Jehovah’s name! The persecution we have faced in Russia has only served to make us stronger. Jehovah is true to his word when he said he will finish our training and make us strong.—1 Peter 5:10.

The experiences of Ildar and other brothers and sisters in Russia remind us that our God, Jehovah, is eager and ready to help us in “times of distress.”—Psalm 46:1.

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