Court in Yaroslavl Punished Three Men and a Woman With Suspended Sentences From 2.5 to 6.5 Years For Their Beliefs

On August 3, 2023, Irina Vlasova, judge of the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Yaroslavl, found 4 Jehovah's Witnesses guilty of extremism: 47-year-old Andrey Vyushin and 57-year-old Petr Filiznov received 6.5 years suspended; 40-year-old Aleksandr and 35-year-old Mariya Kuznetsova received 2.5 years suspended.

The court imposed as additional punishment a 6-month restriction of freedom on the Kuznetsovs. Filiznov and Vyushin were given restriction of freedom for 1 year with deprivation of the right to hold leading positions in public and religious organizations for 4 years and 6 months.

In the spring of 2021, a series of searches took place in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yaroslavl. The father of a young child Andrey Vyushin, as well as Petr Filiznov and the Kuznetsovs were detained. For discussing the Bible, praying and singing religious songs, Vyushin and Filiznov were accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and the Kuznetsovs — of participating in its activity. All four believers spent 3 months in a detention center, and then another 2 years under a ban on certain actions.

The criminal case against the residents of Yaroslavl was investigated by the Investigative Committee for more than a year; it went to court in August 2022. Judge Irina Vlasova heard the case for 10 months with short breaks due to the illness of Aleksandr Kuznetsov, who was fighting cancer. The prosecution used the testimony of secret witnesses, but the defendants pointed out that their statements did not correspond with the facts. Other witnesses said that they had not heard from the defendants calls for the overthrow of the state system, the breakup of families or other extremist statements.

The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed, as the believers maintain their innocence. They emphasize that thanks to the Bible they have become useful members of society. Thus, Mariya Kuznetsova said: “Only love for God and people encourages Jehovah’s Witnesses to meet together, read his Word, the Bible, meditate, discuss Bible questions, pray, sing spiritual songs and change for the better.” According to her husband Aleksandr Kuznetsov, the charge is completely contrary to the explanation of the Plenum of the Supreme Court, which states that a religious event in itself is not an illegal activity. “The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not forbid me to be a believer, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses… Faith in the living God Jehovah and worship of him are not evil acts or extremism,” he stressed.

According to the ruling of the ECHR, “only religious expressions and actions that contain or call for violence, hate or discrimination may serve as grounds for suppressing them as ‘extremist’.” Despite the absence of signs of extremism in the actions of believers, the authorities continue the mass prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.