Case of Melnikov in Ussuriysk

Investigator of the Investigative Directorate for the city of Ussuriysk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Primorsky Territory Marvanyuk E.S. initiates a criminal case against Sergey Melnikov under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of activities of an extremist organization).

Sergey Melnikov is detained in his own car during a conversation with a man whom he met over the past year and who, together with his two friends, took him out to talk about faith. After the arrest, Sergey's house is searched, his laptop and phones are seized. The court chooses a measure of restraint in the form of detention. He was sent to pre-trial detention center No. 2 in Ussuriysk.

Judge of the Ussuriysk District Court Galina Lazareva changes the measure of restraint for Sergey Melnikov from detention to house arrest. The case against the peaceful believer has not been closed, he still faces up to 10 years in prison.

Investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Primorsky Territory V.V. Golsky reclassifies the charge from Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The measure of restraint for Sergei Melnikov was changed from house arrest to recognizance not to leave.

It becomes known that the prosecutor's office returned the case of Sergei Melnikov for further investigation. The Investigative Committee should conduct a linguistic examination of the case.

Sergey Melnikov and his lawyer receive the indictment for review.

The case goes to the Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai. It will be considered by judge Dmitry Babushkin.

Referee: Dmitry Babushkin. Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai (95 Frunze St., Ussuriysk).

The first court hearing is held. The judge granted Sergey Melnikov's request to include the Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The motion to terminate the criminal prosecution and to refuse a lawyer shall be rejected. The prosecutor announces the charges. The defendant expresses his attitude to the charge.

Sergey says that after becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, he became a member of an international theocratic religious organization: "An international religious organization is not a legal organization. This is the general canonical name adopted in the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which means all the inhabitants of the earth who are servants of Jehovah God ... This organization is engaged in worldwide biblical educational activities... This preaching campaign was started by Jesus Christ in the first century A.D."

Sergey recalls that earlier in his testimony, Konstantin Belousov confirmed that Sergey did not impose on him conversations about the Bible and did not encourage him to become Jehovah's Witness. Defendant Melnikov explains: "This accusation is puzzling, to say the least. The investigator accuses me of teaching K.E. Belousov the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is not actually prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Referee: Dmitry Babushkin. Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai (95 Frunze St., Ussuriysk).

The prosecutor states that the remaining prosecution witnesses will not be questioned, as they are not witnesses to the events.

Referee: Dmitry Babushkin. Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai (95 Frunze St., Ussuriysk).

The court listens to audio recordings of Sergey's conversations with Konstantin Belousov (FSB agent) on biblical topics. The files were obtained during operational search activities called "Operational Experiment", conducted from December 2018 to June 2019.

Referee: Dmitry Babushkin. Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai (95 Frunze St., Ussuriysk).

The judge, at the request of the defence, attaches the Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The court hearings, at which the debate was to begin, did not take place due to the illness of the defendant.

During the debate of the parties, the prosecutor requests a 4-year suspended sentence for Sergey Melnikov.

The believer delivers the last word.

The judge of the Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai, Dmitry Babushkin, finds Sergey Melnikov guilty and sentences him to 3 years probation.

The Primorsky Regional Court in Vladivostok approves the verdict to Sergei Melnikov.

The Court of Cassation in Ussuriysk upheld the sentence to Sergey Melnikov - 3 years of suspended imprisonment. Earlier, such a sentence was passed on the believer by the Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai.