Roman Gumenyuk with his wife Olesya. January 16, 2025

Roman Gumenyuk with his wife Olesya. January 16, 2025

Roman Gumenyuk with his wife Olesya. January 16, 2025

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Appeal in Sakhalin Upheld Guilty Verdict Against Roman Gumenyuk

Sakhalin Region

On January 24, 2025, a panel of judges of the Sakhalin Regional Court considered the case of Roman Gumenyuk and did not change the decision of the court of first instance. Earlier, the court gave the believer a 5-year suspended sentence. He maintains his innocence and has the right to appeal this decision in cassation proceedings.

In his appeal, Gumenyuk noted that participating in meetings for worship and conversations on Bible topics with other people is not a crime, but a form of expressing faith that is not prohibited by law. In his final statement, the defendant said: "I have not committed any crime, and especially the one I am charged with. I lead an honest life. My friends and acquaintances know me as a peace-loving person who is incapable of illegal actions that would harm anyone."

Roman Gumenyuk became the sixth Jehovah's Witness in the Sakhalin Region convicted for his religion.

The Case of Gumenyuk in Korsakov

Case History
The home of Roman Gumenyuk was searched and he was interrogated in August 2023. A month earlier, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against him under the article on participating in the activity of an extremist organization. This is how the investigation interpreted conducting conversations on Bible topics via videoconferencing. In May 2024, the believer was prosecuted under another article, charging him with involving others in the activity of an extremist organization. The case went to court a month later. Roman Gumenyuk is a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness. In Soviet times, his father was sentenced to 3 years for his religious beliefs, but was later rehabilitated as a victim of political repression. In November 2024, Roman was given a 5-year suspended sentence with restriction of freedom for 2 years and a 3-year probation period. In January 2025, the court of appeal upheld this verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Gumenyuk
Roman

Criminal case

Region:
Sakhalin Region
Locality:
Korsakov
Suspected of:
"by unidentified technical means in the format of videoconferencing in unidentified places... took part in regular meetings, during which he promoted extremist ideology" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12302640018000051
Initiated:
March 19, 2023
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Korsakovskiy Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Sakhalin Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1.1)
Court case number:
1-261/2024
Court of First Instance:
Korsakov City Court
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Marina Zelenina
Case History
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