Criminal Investigation and Trial

The Court of Appeal in Birobidzhan released Alam Aliyev

Jewish Autonomous Area

On May 25, 2018, Judge Angela Sizova of the Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region issued an appeal ruling to "release from custody immediately in the courtroom" 55-year-old Alam Aliyev, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, who was sent to prison solely because of his faith! The believer spent 8 days in custody, from May 17, 2018, when a large-scale raid was carried out on the homes of local Jehovah's Witnesses.

Aliyev's fellow believers could not hold back tears of joy.

The case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan

Case History
In May 2018, the city of Birobidzhan hosted a special FSB operation with the participation of 150 security officials, code-named "Judgement Day". More than 20 families of Jehovah's Witnesses have become victims of criminal prosecution, including Alam Aliyev, Valeriy Kriger, Sergey Shulyarenko, and Dmitriy Zagulin. The believers were accused of holding joint worship services, which the investigation considered to be the organization of the activities of the extremist organization and its financing. They spent more than 5 months in the pre-trial detention center. In November 2020, the case went to court. The hearings lasted more than 2 years, and in December 2022, the court sentenced Dmitriy Zagulin to 3 years and 6 months, Alam Aliyev to 6 years and 6 months, and Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger to 7 years in prison. The appeal confirmed the terms of Zagulin and Aliyev, and reduced those of Shulyarenko and Krieger by 3 months. The court of cassation upheld the verdict in March 2024. The wives of the three convicts were also prosecuted: Svetlana Monis, Tatyana Zagulina and Natalya Kriger. In September 2023, Sergey Shulyarenko's wedding took place in the colony.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Jewish Autonomous Area
Locality:
Birobidzhan
Suspected of:
according to the investigation he together with others conducted religious services, which is interpreted as “organising the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11807990001000008
Initiated:
May 14, 2018
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Court case number:
№ 1-8/2022 (1-65/2021; 1-609/2020)
Court:
Биробиджанский районный суд ЕАО
Judge:
Яна Владимирова
Case History