A Court in Yaroslavl Fined a Believer 75,000 Rubles for Practicing the Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses

On September 23, 2024, the judge of the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Yaroslavl, Marina Chipilenko, convicted Anton Kokovin, 34, and fined him for participating in the activities of an extremist organization. The decision has not entered into force and can be appealed.

About 2.5 years ago, Investigative Committee investigator Aleksandr Grigoriyev opened a criminal case against a believer for participating in an online conference where religious issues were discussed. A day later, Anton was detained on the street, the apartment of his friends, where he was staying, was searched, and after interrogation he was released on recognizance agreement. Rosfinmonitoring added him to the list of terrorists and extremists, and his bank accounts were blocked.

In May 2023, Anton Kokovin's case went to court. During the hearings, the defense noted that there were serious errors in the case materials, especially in the phonoscopic examination. Despite this, the prosecution requested 3 years in a penal colony for the believer.

In total, 11 Jehovah's Witnesses were subjected to religious persecution in the Yaroslavl region. Four of them have already served their sentences.