Court Imposes Fines Ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 Rubles on 7 Believers from Pechora. One Of Those Convicted Died 2 Years Prior to This Decision

On December 17, 2024, Aleksandr Korovenko, judge of the Pechora City Court of the Komi Republic fined a group of Jehovah's Witnesses, having found them guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, participating in, and financing it.

Taking into account the time spent in detention, Gennadiy Polyakevich must pay 200,000 rubles, and Gennadiy Skutelets — 250,000 rubles. The court imposed fines of 600,000 rubles on Nikolay Anufriyev, Eduard Merinkov and Aleksandr Vorontsov. The verdict has not yet entered into force and can be appealed.

Aleksandr Prilepskiy, who died during the proceedings at the age of 58 from the consequences of COVID-19, was also found guilty by the court, but it ruled to terminate the criminal prosecution due to his death. Thus, this is already the third case where one ofJehovah's Witness has been posthumously found guilty of extremism. During the closing arguments, Prilepskiy's lawyer, said: "Although my client is no longer with us, there are people who are ready to continue the fight, as my client did not admit his guilt." Aleksandr's wife and daughter maintain his innocence.

The Investigative Committee for the Komi Republic initiated a criminal case against the believers in January 2020. At that time, searches were conducted by law enforcement officers in the homes of 12 Jehovah's Witnesses. Polyakevich was sent to a pretrial detention center, where he spent about 10 months. Skutelets spent 1 year under house arrest. The other believers were placed under recognizance agreements. After about 1.5 years of investigation, the case went to court, however, after 8 months it was sent back for further investigation. In April 2023, the court hearings resumed — essentially starting the proceedings with different judges. The prosecutor requested 5 to 7 years imprisonment for the believers.

The support of friends and fellow believers helped the defendants cope with the hardships of criminal prosecution — they provided material assistance, attended hearings in any weather, gave cards, food, and wrote encouraging letters. Gennadiy Polyakevich, said in his final statement, that he received more than 5,500 letters while in the pretrial detention center.

Another case against five believers is being considered by a court in the Komi Republic. One of them, Sergey Ushakhin, a disabled person, died during the court hearings due to a sudden deterioration of his health.