An Appeal in Primorye Overturned the Acquittal of Dmitriy Barmakin. The Case Is Sent for Retrial
Primorye TerritoryOn April 8, 2022, a panel of judges of the Primorye Territory Court chaired by Tatyana Myshkina granted the prosecutor's appeal against the acquittal Dmitriy Barmakin, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The verdict was canceled, the case was sent for a new trial to the court of first instance.
In November 2021, Judge Stanislav Salnikov of the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok acquitted Dmitriy Barmakin. After examining the evidence presented by the investigation, he concluded that "Barmakin D. V. never carried out extremist activities," but "realized his right to freedom of conscience and religion." However, the prosecutor asked the higher court to overturn the acquittal and remand the case for a new trial.
The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia causes great resonance in the legal community. The ECHR, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are just some of the organizations condemning the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.