Criminal trial

Tomsk Regional Court Replaced Seversk-Based Andrey Kolesnichenko's Four-Year Prison Sentence With a Suspended Sentence

Tomsk Region

On June 30, 2022, the Tomsk Regional Court, chaired by Judge Andrey Kaplyuk, mitigated the sentence imposed by the court of first instance and replaced Andrey Kolesnichenko, 52, having changed four years in a penal colony for four years of probation.

The hearing was held via video-conferencing, as Kolesnichenko is in the pre-trial detention center in the city of Kolpashevo, which is more than 300 kilometers from Seversk. After the decision of the Court of Appeal, the believer was released. The verdict has entered into force. Kolesnichenko has the right to appeal against it in the cassation procedure.

In January 2022, Andrey Kolesnichenko was found guilty by the judge of the Severskiy City Court of the Tomsk Region, Yalchin Badalov. He considered proven the believer's guilt in participating in the activities of an extremist community (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The sentence turned out to be somewhat milder than the prosecutor requested—5 years in prison. The believer was taken into custody.

On the same day, the judge of the Severskiy City Court, Svetlana Chebotareva, found guilty and sent to a colony for 7 years the brother of Andrey's wife, Yevgeniy Korotun.

The criminal prosecution of both Andrey Kolesnichenko and Yevgeniy Korotun began with searches that took place in July 2020. The Investigative Committee for the Tomsk Region opened a criminal case against Korotun, from which 8 months later he separated the case of Kolesnichenko into a separate proceeding.

On December 17, 2021, the 35 member countries of the International Religious Freedom Alliance issued a joint statement in defense of Jehovah's Witnesses who are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. The statement calls for the immediate release of all prisoners and an end to torture, violence, searches and other forms of discrimination against this denomination.

Case of Kolesnichenko in Seversk

Case History
Andriy Kolesnichenko was accused of “participating in a closed secret meeting in the form of a collective religious service.” This is how the investigating authorities called the peaceful meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Seversk. In July 2020, FSB officers detained the believer right at his workplace, after which his house was searched. In March 2021, the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Tomsk Region opened a criminal case against Kolesnichenko for participating in the activities of an extremist organization. After 3 months, it was submitted to the Seversky City Court. The accusation was based on the testimony of an informant who pretended to be interested in the Bible, recorded the services on video and handed them over to the FSB. The prosecutor requested that the believer be sentenced to 5 years in prison. In January 2022, Judge Yalchin Badalov sentenced Andrey to 4 years in a general regime colony and 1 year of additional restriction of freedom. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. In June 2022, the appellate court commuted the sentence, replacing it with 4 years of suspended sentence.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Seversk
Suspected of:
"participation in a closed secret meeting in the form of a collective religious service, consisting of the reproduction of audio and video recordings ... singing songs from a special collection of religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and prayers to Jehovah God"
Court case number:
12102690003000020
Initiated:
March 25, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigation Department for Closed Administrative Territory of Seversk, Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-10/2022
Court:
Северский городской суд Томской области
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Ялчин Бадалов
Case History
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