Valery Vyaznikov

Valery Vyaznikov

Valery Vyaznikov

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Cassation Upheld the Guilty Verdict Against Miner Valeriy Vyaznikov for his Faith

Primorye Territory

The Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok did not satisfy Valeriy Vyaznikov's cassation appeal against the verdict. On August 20, 2024, the panel of judges decided to leave the sentence unchanged – 2.5 years suspended for conversations about God.

Speaking before the court, Valeriy expressed his disagreement with the court's decisions. He said: "I was actually sentenced for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, not for doing anything unlawful. The basis of the criminal case was the fact that the only time I was present at a Bible discussion with a person who was interested in this book... I just wanted the person I was having a conversation with via video to get accurate knowledge from the Bible... and find peace of mind."

Already 58 Jehovah's Witnesses from Primorye Territory, including Valeriy Vyaznikov, have faced criminal prosecution for their faith – this is more than in any other region of the Russian Federation.

The Case of Vyaznikov in Luchegorsk

Case History
In September 2018, law enforcement officers began operational-search measures against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Luchegorsk. An undercover agent, feigning an interest in the Bible, recorded his conversations with believers. In July 2021, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case in which it accused Valeriy Vyaznikov from the village of Chegdomyn of extremism because he had discussed the Bible with others. In December 2022, the case was transferred to a court located 1,000 kilometers away from the believer’s place of residence. He was allowed to participate in most of the hearings via videoconferencing. In November 2023, the court gave Vyaznikov a 2.5-year suspended sentence, then the courts of appeal and cassation upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Vyaznikov
Valeriy

Criminal case

Region:
Primorye Territory
Locality:
Luchegorsk
Suspected of:
"involved a resident of Luchegorsk in the activities of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses";
Court case number:
42202050012000036
Initiated:
July 16, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for Dalnerechensk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Primorsky Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-88/2023 (1-317/2022)
Court of First Instance:
Пожарский районный суд Приморского края
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Нина Калашник
Case History