A 68-year-old Jehovah’s Witness from Russia’s Kurgan region died on Monday, about a month after a local court fined him 500,000 rubles ($5,000) for “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” (in this case, the religious activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses). He is reportedly the 12th Jehovah’s Witness to die in Russia during or after a protracted police investigation.

Alexander Lubin spent more than three years under investigation. In August 2021, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and obtained his release from pre-trial detention. Lubin had an autoimmune disease and needed an oxygen tank, which the detention center did not provide.

In the years that followed, Lubin’s health declined due to the stress of his case and attending courtroom hearings, according to his lawyers. However, he has maintained his innocence and has already appealed.

In 2017, the Russian Supreme Court outlawed Jehovah’s Witnesses as “organized extremists” in 2017. Since then, the Russian justice system has prosecuted hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses for practicing their faith.