Kishta Tutinova, Tsagan Khalgayeva and Yekaterina Menkova
A court in Elista has toughened the punishment for three believers. A court in Elista has toughened the punishment for three believers. Over Online Bible Discussions
KalmykiaOn September 17, 2024, the Supreme Court of Kalmykia reclassified Kishta Tutinova's actions from participation to organizing the activity of an extremist organization, appointing her to four years suspended sentence with a probationary period of three years and restriction of freedom for one year. The court added six months to the additional restriction of freedom for Yekaterina Menkova and Tsagan Khalgayeva.
In June 2024, the Elista City Court of the Republic of Kalmykia sentenced three believers to suspended sentences: Khalgayeva and Menkova to two years, and Tutinova to three years. The court called it illegal for women to talk peacefully about God and the Bible. Assistant prosecutor Marina Bugdayeva appealed the sentence as "excessively lenient".
The decision of the court of appeal has entered into force, but the believers still do not admit guilt. Speaking in the court of first instance, Tutinova emphasized: "I have never carried out extremist activities and there was no intent. I have never had a motive of enmity or hatred, no one was hurt, no one was hurt. I am a believer and a law-abiding citizen."