In Biysk, One of Jehovah's Witnesses Given Suspended Sentence for His Faith

On December 11, 2024, the Biysk City Court gave Sergey Lukin a 4.5-year suspended sentence. The believer does not admit guilt and, as a Christian, considers it his inherent right to talk to friends and other people about the Bible. "What's extremist about wanting to follow Jesus' example?" he asked in court.

The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Lukin in December 2022. The following month, the homes of four families of Jehovah's Witnesses from Biysk were searched, including Sergey's apartment and place of work. The law enforcement officers who took part in the investigative actions were armed. After his interrogation, Lukin was placed under a recognizance agreement.

The criminal case involved a man who pretended to be interested in the Bible: he secretly recorded conversations with Lukin on Bible topics and later handed over the recordings to the law enforcement agencies. The investigation considered these conversations to be involving others in the activity of an extremist organization, and participating in peaceful meetings for worship as continuing its activity.

In his final statement, Lukin drew an analogy between his situation and the repressions during World War II. He quoted a report on a group of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany: "... the accused, who for several years have called themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses," held meetings in their apartments, read and distributed printed materials of the banned [organization] ... gathered together to listen to the Bible Students' radio broadcasts from abroad." The believer noted that the accusations are identical to modern ones. "Hasn't history shown that such persecution is a path to terrible consequences?" he said.

Nine Jehovah's Witnesses have already been charged with extremism in the Altai Territory, two of them are serving sentences in penal colonies for their faith.