On February 1, 2021, a the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region is scheduled to announce its verdict in the case involving Brother Igor Tsarev. He faces four years in prison.

Igor Tsarev

• Born: 1974 (Birakan, Jewish Autonomous Region)

• Biography: He has two younger sisters. While still in school, he worked as a logger, woodworker, and electrician to help support his family. Loves spending time in nature and fishing

• He started to question the meaning of life while he served in the army. This search led him and his father to a study of the Bible. He was baptized in 1997. Married his wife, Viktoriya, in 1998. They have a school-aged daughter

Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Brother Igor Tsarev on July 30, 2019. He is accused of studying the Bible “in order to spread the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Videos of religious meetings, recorded covertly by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents, have been presented as evidence against Igor. In an unusual move, the prosecutor requested that the hearings be closed to the public. According to the prosecutor, this request, which was granted, was necessary to keep listeners from adopting Igor’s beliefs.

“Very soon, the court’s judgment will fundamentally change my life,” says Igor. “Really, it already has. I am under a recognizance agreement, so my ability to travel is restricted. At work, I’ve been forced to explain to my boss why law enforcement has targeted me. My boss and coworkers struggle to understand why I’m being treated this way, but they acknowledge that Christians have always been persecuted.”

Our prayers are with Igor and his family. We know that Jehovah will give them “power through his spirit.”—Ephesians 3:16.