He robbed the believers of money and assaulted them...Self-proclaimed Siberian Jesus Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
Jul 06, 2025
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According to Russian media such as Siberian Online and TBK, the Novosibirsk court recently sentenced Sergey Torov, the founder of the religious group 'Church of the Last Testament', to 12 years in prison.
Earlier, Russian investigators handed him over to trial on charges of stealing money from believers, embezzling it, and inflicting mental violence.
Shortly after he was fired from the traffic police in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he founded the 'Last Bible Church' and started a religious movement.
In a volatile society, he recruited thousands of believers and even built a community called 'Abode of Dawn' in a remote area of Siberia.
It once housed about 300 enthusiastic followers.
Sergey Torov forbade his followers to eat, smoke, and drink, and to use money, but he had no qualms about using ordinary currency.
In a 2002 interview with the British media 'Guardian', he deified himself by saying "In short, I am Jesus Christ".
In 2020, Russian authorities arrested Torov and two of his aides.
They were accused of psychologically and physically harming at least 16 believers and of exploiting them financially. After years of investigation and trial, a court in Novosibirsk, Russia, recently sentenced Torov to 12 years in maximum security.
This event evokes a deep discussion of the complex boundaries between religious authority and individual freedom, and rekindles social interest in closed religious communities.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
