One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Vitaliy Omelchenko, Will Pay a Fine of 580,000 Rubles Because of His Faith. An Appeal in Murmansk Upheld the Verdict of a Lower Court

On December 15, 2022, the Murmansk Regional Court, chaired by Judge Nikolay Martynov, denied the appeal of one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Vitaliy Omelchenko, against the guilty verdict issued by the first instance court. The penalty of a fine in the amount of 580,000 rubles became enforceable.

The criminal case against Vitaliy was initiated in December 2019. A month later the believer was detained near his house, after which he was sent to a detention center for two days. The court decided that Bible-based discussions among fellow believers constituted "a serious crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state, characterized by a high degree of public danger".

“The court groundlessly recognized my peaceful practice of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses together with others as a crime,” Omelchenko said in his appeal. “I was not engaged in extremist or other illegal activities. I lead a peaceful life, I respect authority, and I obey the law because I am a believer. Displaying hatred, enmity and violence is incompatible with my views. I have respect for representatives of other religions and nationalities.” The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal the verdict in the cassational court.

Numerous Russian and international human rights activists have repeatedly pointed out that the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Russian authorities is unacceptable. In fact, on June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that “the imposition of criminal sanctions for manifestation of religious beliefs amounts to an interference with the exercise of the right to freedom of religion under Article 9 § 1 of the Convention” (§ 264).