On January 18, 2021, a Turkmen court sentenced Brother Artur Yangibayev to two years in prison for conscientious objection. This is the second time he has received a punitive sentence for his neutral stand.

Artur Yangibayev

• Born: 1997 (Seydi)

• Biography: Artur faced challenges at a young age, which led him to question why there was so much injustice in the world. He discussed this question with his sister, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This led him to begin studying the Bible at the age of 13. He was baptized in 2014

  Works in construction, renovating apartments. Artur’s parents describe him as a kind and responsible son. His neighbors respect him as an upstanding young man in their community

On August 8, 2016, Artur was placed in a pretrial detention facility because of his conscientious objection to military service. On August 30, he was sentenced to two years of correctional labor. In the fall of 2018, Artur completed his term of correctional labor.

On December 15, 2020, he was drafted into military service for a second time. Soon after, he was questioned by the prosecutor’s office and asked to explain his conscientious objection in writing.

On December 30, the prosecutor’s office informed him that a criminal case had been initiated against him. His passport was seized.

Artur says that after his first sentence “the Bible verses at Romans 8:37-39 gave me confidence that no one can prevent me from remaining faithful to Jehovah.” We know that with Jehovah’s help, Artur will be able to endure this trial as well.