Court in Kurgan Fined a Disabled Man Suffering from Cancer 400,000 Rubles for His Faith

One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Anatoliy Isakov, 59, was found guilty of extremism for holding peaceful meetings for worship. On August 8, 2024, Sergey Lytkin, judge of the Kurgan City Court, imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles on him, reducing it to 400,000, taking into account the believer's stay in custody.

The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The court also ordered Isakov to pay legal costs of 6,900 rubles. The prosecutor had requested a 6.5-year suspended sentence for Isakov.

The hearings lasted about a year. The charge of organizing the activity of an extremist organization was based on the testimony of witnesses. However, some of them were not acquainted with the defendant, others did not confirm their testimony given during the preliminary investigation, and a secret witness said that Isakov's actions did not violate anyone's rights. "The charge against me is extremely unreasonable," Anatoliy Isakov said in court. "Expressing hatred, enmity and violence is incompatible with my views. I treat people of other religions and nationalities with respect. Everyone who knows me can confirm that."

The criminal prosecution began in July 2021, when FSB officers searched Isakov's apartment. The believer was placed in a pretrial detention center, despite the fact that he needed to undergo chemotherapy on a monthly basis. In addition, he was deprived of painkillers, which he needed due to spinal surgery. The believer had difficulty walking. For 1.5 months, he sought to mitigate the preventive measure, but only after a request from the ECHR to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and an inspection by the Human Rights Ombudsman, the court released Isakov from the detention center, admitting that he had an illness that prevented him from being kept in detention.

After his release, an electronic bracelet was placed on the believer's leg, and every week he had to report to the Penitentiary Inspectorate. As Isakov was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list, his bank account was blocked, and it was difficult for him to receive his disability pension.

Isakov said what helped him not to lose heart: "I tried to be positive, observed hygiene and routine in the detention center. When he received parcels from relatives and friends, he shared what he could with his cellmates. That also brought me joy. After all, there's more happiness in giving than receiving." During 1.5 months in pretrial detention, Anatoliy received about 500 letters of support from all over the world. Isakov coped with emotional and material difficulties, thanks to the support of friends and fellow believers. "I personally felt the true brotherly love that Jesus spoke about," Anatoliy shared his feelings.

Another six Jehovah's Witnesses from the Kurgan Region are being prosecuted on similar charges, three of them are defending their beliefs in court.