[{"body":"The Moscow City Court upholds the verdict against Viktor Velikov.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Velikov in Moscow","date":"2026-09-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/moscow7/index.html#20260903","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["appeal","282.3-1","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigation has initiated a second criminal case against Vladimir Chertov — for financing the activity of an extremist organization. According to Investigator Captain of Justice A. Kirov, the believer \"used his authority and well-developed willpower and organizational skills to organize the collection of funds [...] as donations,\" and also exercised \"control over the financial activity\" of the religious group. The ruling to initiate the criminal case cites sums transferred to Chertov in the fall of 2022: 1,000, 500, 400, and 500 rubles. Investigators claim that Chertov used these funds to pay for videoconferencing (Zoom).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Chertov in Alushta","date":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/alushta/index.html#20260701","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 19, 2026, the Surgut City Court announced the verdict in one of two high-profile criminal cases against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in the city. Yuriy Khorikov, his son Roman, Valentina Alekseyeva, and Kirill Severinchik were found guilty under articles on \u0026quot;organizing\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;participating\u0026quot; in the activity of a banned organization. The proceedings against the believers dragged on for 7 years.\nJudge Aleksey Koryakin imposed suspended sentences: Yuriy Khorikov — 6.5 years, Roman Khorikov — 6 years and 4 months, Valentina Alekseyeva — 5 years and Kirill Severinchik — 4 years. In addition, the court ordered the Khorikovs to pay a total of 990,244 rubles.\nRoman Khorikov, 35, is an auto mechanic. In the past, Roman completed alternative civilian service on consciencious grounds. In his final statement, he addressed the court: \u0026quot;I am glad that we were able to show all participants in the proceedings that we are not extremists or religious fanatics, but ordinary people with our own interests, dreams, and hopes, only with a strong faith in our God Jehovah.\u0026quot;\nRoman\u0026#39;s father, Yuriy, 58, is a retired civil servant who worked for many years in the internal security department of a bank. After the search, his situation at work changed drastically: \u0026quot;The bank\u0026#39;s management started treating me with caution, even though I had a good reputation. Eventually, a corporate security officer recommended that I resign, which I did without regret.\u0026quot; In his final statement, he said: \u0026quot;There is no cruelty, no motives of religious hatred, intolerance, or enmity in our hearts.\u0026quot;\nValentina Alekseyeva, 67, is the oldest of those convicted. She is caring for her son, who is severely disabled — since childhood — and requires constant attention. There is no one to care for him besides his mother.\nKirill Severinchik, 29, works as an electromechanic for elevators. His father, Artur, was earlier convicted for his faith in the same city and also received a suspended sentence.\nThe criminal case was initiated in February 2019, following mass searches, during which 7 believers were subjected to torture. Kirill Severinchik was among those who were severely beaten.\nThe main evidence for the charges was the testimony of secret witness \u0026quot;Aleksey Mironov\u0026quot;. According to him, in 2018, he began interacting with Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — out of curiosity — and later approached the FSB. At one hearing, Valentina Alekseyeva stated: \u0026quot;Mironov began studying the Bible on his own initiative; he came to my home without an invitation. On that basis, they are charging me with persuading (involving others) in the activity of a liquidated legal entity.\u0026quot;\nThe indictment amounted to almost 5,000 pages — an amount comparable to a dozen full-length books. The hearings were held behind closed doors. The essence of the charges was that the investigators categorized conversations about the Bible, joint prayers, and meetings for worship as extremist activity. At the same time, the case contains an expert study stating that the believers\u0026#39; words did not reveal \u0026quot;any signs of inciting hatred, promoting superiority, or encouraging acts of violence.\u0026quot;\nIn total, 27 believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area have faced prosecution for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-06-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_8be6be92406eabf4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_511d7a874ce2d005.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_6161b2c11a7400aa.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/06/261135/image_hu_64d9f2d425f06000.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/06/261135.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":"Trial Against Local Jehovah's Witnesses in Surgut Concludes","tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","suspended","families","elderly"],"title":"Suspended Sentences From 4 to 6.5 Years.","type":"news"},{"body":"On 29 April 2026, the Kalininskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk handed down a guilty verdict against Oleg Artemov; he was taken into custody in the courtroom. According to the investigation, the believer took part in religious meetings and paid for video conferencing used for meetings for worship. The court deemed this lawful activity extremism.\n\u0026quot;When the case was initiated, I understood that it would most likely end in a prison term,\u0026quot; Artemov said. The defense intends to appeal the verdict.\nOleg has spent most of his life in Chelyabinsk. After finishing school, he worked as a mechanic at a bowling center and later renovated apartments. He enjoys sports, outings to lakes, and filming funny videos. On September 8, 2022, a 3-hour search was carried out at Artemov\u0026#39;s flat. He recalls: \u0026quot;They seized my phone, where for more than 2 years I had been saving work notes and video content for my professional development. All those efforts went down the drain.\u0026quot; A year and a half later, Colonel Aleksandr Chepenko, known for his serial prosecution of believers, initiated criminal cases against Artemov — two at once. According to law enforcement, the believer \u0026quot;on at least five occasions... took part... in religious meetings\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;made at least 20 payments... paying for \u0026#39;Zoom\u0026#39;... to ensure that meetings were held... by videoconference.\u0026quot;\nThe Kalininskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk heard the case for just over a year. During that time, Artemov experienced both joyful events and tragic losses. Oleg met Yuliya, who came to court to support him; later she became his wife. \u0026quot;It was nerve‑racking to go to her parents and say: \u0026#39;Hello, I want to make your daughter the wife of a \u0026#39;criminal\u0026#39;,\u0026#39;\u0026quot; Oleg joked. Just a month after the wedding, the believer\u0026#39;s father died of a stroke. Now Artemov has been deprived of his freedom.\nAt the very start of the proceedings, Oleg stated: \u0026quot;I believe that I am being discriminated against on the grounds of belonging to a religious minority.\u0026quot; Later, while testifying, he specifically emphasized: \u0026quot;The prosecutor\u0026#39;s assertion that all believers in the city of Chelyabinsk... automatically became members of a legal entity... is fundamentally incorrect,\u0026quot; and he recalled the explanations of the Plenum of the RF Supreme Court of 28 October 2021, which state that Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses \u0026quot;are not prohibited from holding meetings for worship.\u0026quot;\nSentences against believers in Chelyabinsk have already separated three families for many years — lengthy prison terms were handed down last year to Maksim Khamatshin and Andrey Shurygin.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2026-04-29T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2026/04/290921/image_hu_329ff1e22276a077.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2026/04/290921/image_hu_eee594cdd5dec2f5.jpg","webp":"/news/2026/04/290921/image_hu_50668101cff67995.webp","webp2x":"/news/2026/04/290921/image_hu_281aecccdbaa8121.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2026/04/290921.html","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"Yet Another Family of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chelyabinsk Condemned to Years of Separation: Oleg Artemov Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Committee Zabiyaka V. V. charges Anna.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Moroz in Simferopol","date":"2026-02-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol6/index.html#20260205","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol A. Rudoy opens a criminal case against a 59-year-old resident of the village of Mirnoye, Galina Privalova. She is suspected of financing extremist activities.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Privalova in Simferopol","date":"2026-01-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol5/index.html#20260126","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator of the Investigative Committee A. Rudoy opens a criminal case against 27-year-old Anna Moroz. He suspects a resident of the village of Molodezhnoye, Simferopol district, of financing extremism, which she allegedly carried out in March 2022.\nOn the same day, a similar case was opened against another believer from the neighboring village of Mirnoye.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Moroz in Simferopol","date":"2026-01-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol6/index.html#20260126","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On December 18, 2025, Dmitriy Neudakhin, judge of the Savelovskiy District Court, sentenced Viktor Velikov to 5.5 years imprisonment. This is not Neudakhin\u0026#39;s first decision against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses: over 4 years he has imposed preventive measures against believers from Moscow, as a rule, imposing strict measures.\nThe Velikov case is linked to the trial of Aleksandr Serebryakov. Velikovs\u0026#39; house was first searched in the fall of 2023 as part of his case. The charges are identical: the men are being prosecuted for providing lunches to believers at a peaceful 6-day religious event.\nViktor\u0026#39;s home was searched for a second time in April 2025. After it, he ended up behind bars — he was separated from his wife and son. \u0026quot;They didn\u0026#39;t grant us visits for 2 months,\u0026quot; recalls Olga, the believer\u0026#39;s wife. \u0026quot;The investigator constantly refused. He said that it was not his style to give permission.\u0026quot; She adds that even behind bars her husband did not lose his positive qualities: he treats those around him with compassion and tries to take care of them.\nViktor Velikov is 50. He is from the working class — a lining operator in the production of industrial furnaces. He has been one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses for over 20 years.\nThe Savelovskiy District Court has been considering the case since July 2025. The prosecutor demanded that Viktor be sent to a penal colony for 7 years.\nThis is the sixteenth guilty verdict in Moscow, where 23 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses have faced prosecution for their beliefs, 13 of them are serving sentences in penal colonies.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-12-18T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/12/231529/image_hu_a78f44fa0f800581.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/12/231529/image_hu_90b4ec578e76885b.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/12/231529/image_hu_782c9d942327a07e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/12/231529/image_hu_8d4378b3a2ee66d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/12/231529.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":"One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Moscow Convicted for Financing Extremism","tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.3-1","282.2-2"],"title":"For Six Lunches — 5.5 Years in a Penal Colony.","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 11, 2025, two women practicing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were detained in Saky, Crimea. Their homes were searched; a criminal case was initiated. Yelena Ivashina, 50, and Olga Podlesnaya, 54, were placed under house arrest by the Kievskiy District Court of the city of Simferopol.\nTheir case has been separated from Voronchikhin\u0026#39;s case, which is currently being heard in the Simferopolskiy District Court. According to available information, Ivashina has already been charged with financing the activity of an extremist organization.\nNow, 33 more Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Crimea have been prosecuted. Twelve of them are serving sentences in penal colonies, one in prison, and another in forced labor.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2025-12-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/case.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/12/170824.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":"Case Initiated Against Them and Both Under House Arrest","tags":["ivs","house-arrest","new-case","282.3-1"],"title":"Two Women from Crimea Charged for Extremism for Their Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"Senior investigator of the Investigation Department of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee for the Republic of Crimea V. V. Zabiyaka opened a criminal case against Olga Podlesnaya, accusing her of financing the activities of an extremist organization.\nAccording to the investigation, the believer \"transferred money as donations.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Podlesnaya in Simferopol","date":"2025-11-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol3/index.html#20251127","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior investigator of the Investigation Department of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee for the Republic of Crimea V. V. Zabiyaka opened a criminal case against Elena Ivashina, accusing her of financing the activities of an extremist organization.\nThe investigator claims that the believer \"transferred money as donations.\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Ivashina in Simferopol","date":"2025-11-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/simferopol4/index.html#20251127","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Yelena is charged under two articles at once. The investigator takes from the believer a recognizance agreement and proper behavior.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Mironova in Chelyabinsk","date":"2025-11-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk12/index.html#20251114","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["recognizance-agreement","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Andrey Sazonov ordered to pay 450,000 rubles — this was the verdict heard on October 17, 2025, by one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Uray. It is the third time that the Uray City Court has found him guilty in the same case of extremism.\nFrom the early 2000s, Andrey Sazonov worked at a local heat supply company and at the time of his arrest was the first deputy general director. He lost his job due to the prosecution. \u0026quot;When the criminal case began,\u0026quot; says Andrey, \u0026quot;the director and colleagues immediately began signing a petition so that I would not be taken into custody. Within just half an hour, about 80 people had signed. The second time, during the appeal hearing and when I was in pretrial detention, already a 121 had signed — and that does not include all who wanted to!\u0026quot; Referring to this account in one of his final statements, the believer commented: \u0026quot;These people do not share my religious beliefs, but they want to continue working with me... Isn\u0026#39;t this convincing proof of the absence of extremism?\u0026quot;\nEven witnesses for the prosecution stood up for Andrey. Artem Demidov, who conducted covert video filming of religious meetings, describing him, said in court: \u0026quot;You are a super-person, you should be looked up to!\u0026quot;\nThe first search took place in the home of the Sazonov family in 2019. \u0026quot;When the law enforcement officers raided our home, they broke my knee, and an ambulance had to be called,\u0026quot; Andrey said. The court later declared that search illegal. About a month later, the officers arrived a second time with a fire truck. The couple said that they saw an unknown person pour something flammable over the fence of their house and set it on fire. Under the pretext of extinguishing the fire, law enforcement officers entered the grounds, demanded they open the door, while threatening to cut it open. They read out the search warrant only after repeated demands from the owners.\n\u0026quot;At the time of the searches, the children, son Slava and daughter Irina, were still going to school. Our son was 11 years old then,\u0026quot; recalls Andrey\u0026#39;s wife, Viktoriya. \u0026quot;Our city is small and information spreads quickly. The teachers, having learned what had happened, sympathized with us. The children were mature for their age, not whiny... When Andrey was detained, our son held up at first, but then, when we were sorting out the things scattered by the law enforcement officers, he burst into tears. The next day, our friends arrived — some from over 250 kilometers, some over 750, and others over 1000. One of them comforted our son. And the next day Slava suddenly said: \u0026quot;Mom, I won\u0026#39;t cry anymore.\u0026quot; I asked: \u0026quot;Why?\u0026quot; He answered: \u0026quot;I understand what dad is suffering for — for Jehovah.\u0026quot;\nThe case of Andrey Sazonov was considered in court three times over 6.5 years and each time ended in a guilty verdict and a fine. All this time, the believer defended himself, without the services of a lawyer. \u0026quot;The hardest thing was that the hardship dragged on for so long...\u0026quot;, said Viktoriya, reflecting on their experience. He added: \u0026quot;Of course, I felt tired. Each time it became more and more difficult to force myself to sit down again and prepare for the trial. Everything would already seem clear, but I wanted to make sure it's perfect each time. This took a lot of time and effort.\u0026quot;\nThroughout the prosecution, Andrey\u0026#39;s family and friends did not leave him without support. In his final statement, the believer also addressed them: \u0026quot;Thank you for your support, attention and love. Such friendship is priceless.\u0026quot;\nThe story of Andrey Sazonov is not unique: like him, the Pryanikovs, Dulovs, Bazhenovs and other believers from different regions of the country also had to defend themselves several times in different court instances.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-10-17T18:19:21+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/10/171819/image_hu_40196d5be0052335.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/10/171819/image_hu_630937f1c4b0a615.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/10/171819/image_hu_3015a0fdf6f3a0e8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/10/171819/image_hu_1c4289d00bbdd8e6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/10/171819.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":"Fined Again","tags":["sentence","fine","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Court in Uray Convicted Andrey Sazonov for the Third Time.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Baltachev opened a second criminal case against Yelena, this time under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The ruling alleges that she \"deliberately financed extremist activities ... by placing at the disposal of participants in illegal extremist activities an apartment at their place of residence.\" This is how the investigation interprets the friendly communication of fellow believers in her house.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Mironova in Chelyabinsk","date":"2025-10-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk12/index.html#20251008","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The prosecutor requests a fine of 1.3 million rubles for Andrey Sazonov. At the same time, the prosecutor notes that the defendant is described as a good family man, a trusted leader, and a competent specialist.\nDuring the closing arguments, the believer says: \"Neither the preliminary investigation nor the judicial investigation have established a single fact confirming my guilt. On the contrary, the case materials testify to my complete innocence.\"\nSazonov also refers to case law application in the Russian Federation, in particular, the example of the acquittal in the case of fellow believer Kirill Gushchin, and the decision of the Plenum of the RF Supreme Court, according to which participating in religious rites, reading and distributing religious literature is exercising the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religion.\nWhereas 17 people are allowed to attend the hearing, another 5 are waiting outside.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Sazonov in Uray","date":"2025-09-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/uray/index.html#20250901","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["punishment-request","defense-arguments","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Gryazi City Court fined eight Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, including two elderly women aged 68 and 72, for talking about religion and participating in meetings for worship. The fines vary from 250,000 to 550,000 rubles. The trial lasted almost 2 years and ended on July 28, 2025.\nValeriy Khmil, a father of three minors, recalls how 4.5 years ago officers of the Investigative Committee and riot police broke into his house: \u0026quot;It was early in the morning. The children were scared, although the law enforcement officers tried to behave appropriately.\u0026quot; His wife, Kira, was put under pressure during the search. \u0026quot;One of the masked law enforcement officers said that if I don\u0026#39;t testify, my husband will be imprisoned for 10 years. I answered: my father, brother, uncle and grandfather were imprisoned for their faith. And so will my husband,\u0026quot; she recalls. Valeriy was not detained immediately, but a few months later — on International Day for the Protection of Children.\nAfter the raid, seven believers, including elderly women, were placed in a temporary detention facility. Later, Reshetnikov and Kretov spent almost 8 months in a pretrial detention center, then another 4 months under house arrest. All defendants in the case were added to the list of extremists.\n\u0026quot;I lost my job. And I couldn\u0026#39;t get another one while the trial was going on,\u0026quot; says Khmil. \u0026quot;But the most difficult thing during house arrest was social isolation, being unable to share my feelings. Over time, I learned to control my emotions. My wife and I tried to help others. This allowed me not to focus just on myself.\u0026quot; Sergey Kretov, an automation engineer, recalls that he was also left without a job because of the arrest, but his good reputation helped to resolve the situation: \u0026quot;After my release from detention, my former boss came to me and said: \u0026#39;Such people should not sit at home!\u0026#39; and took me on at a new place.\u0026quot;\nThe prosecution also led to other problems. Sergey said that after his detention he developed an emotional disorder and had to consult a specialist. \u0026quot;It was real depression — I could not make even the simplest of decisions. It took me 2 years to recover.\u0026quot; The arrest of the believer was a blow to his entire family. Kretov\u0026#39;s daughter, Yelizaveta, recalls: \u0026quot;In one day, everything turned upside down. Lawyers, papers, documents — we were constantly stewing in this mess. I was 15. I had to grow up very quickly. Learn to make my own decisions, accept help...\u0026quot;\nThe believers claim that the charges of extremism are related solely to their religious affiliation. The case was based on audio and video recordings of meetings for worship, as well as wiretapping. As the defense notes, these materials, on the contrary, demonstrate the peaceful nature of the meetings and confirm their innocence. Even at the investigation stage, it was obvious that at least some law enforcement officers did not consider them dangerous extremists. According to Khmil, in their case, one of the investigators sincerely apologized for his actions and justified them with an \u0026quot;order from above\u0026quot;.\nIn 2024, Mariana Katsarova, the UN Human Rights Council\u0026#39;s special rapporteur, expressed concern about the application of Russian legislation on extremism. In her report, she noted that \u0026quot;the definitions of extremism are too vague and allow for arbitrary application,\u0026quot; especially in relation to religious minorities such as Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-07-28T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/07/301347/image_hu_b9845fc7a91369af.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/07/301347/image_hu_5604cfe1461d1395.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/07/301347/image_hu_274ffb93b67950e3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/07/301347/image_hu_a9bfbd8965c73429.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/07/301347.html","regions":["lipetsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","elderly","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"Large Fines Imposed on Eight of Jehovah's Witnesses from Gryazi","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 27, 2025, the Neftekumskiy District Court of the Stavropol Territory fined 53-year-old Aleksey Shcherbich 300,000 rubles for holding peaceful meetings for worship.\nAleksey has been prosecuted for his faith for almost 7 years, since 2018. He was arrested not immediately, but 5.5 years after the start of the criminal prosecution. Up until the verdict was announced, he had spent almost 1 year behind bars in several pretrial detention centers. In one of them, Aleksey was put in a basement cell. \u0026quot;The conditions there are very oppressive. It was hard,\u0026quot; the believer said, and added what cheered him up: \u0026quot;Before going to bed, I prayed fervently and a few minutes later I heard the whisper of one of my cellmates. He called me by name, said that he knew Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses well and had previously been in close contact with us.\u0026quot; Aleksey\u0026#39;s Christian behavior impressed the other prisoners of this detention center so much that they saw him off with tears, wishing him a speedy release.\nAs Natalya, Aleksey\u0026#39;s wife, said, being separated was the most difficult for them. \u0026quot;We are very close. Having lived together for more than 30 years, we have never been apart for so long,\u0026quot; Natalya said.\nAleksey Shcherbich\u0026rsquo;s friends near the police van, which is taking the believer to the hearing, May 21, 2025 Aleksey\u0026#39;s wife expressed gratitude for the active support shown to her family by friends, acquaintances and other caring people. \u0026quot;I live in a village several hundred kilometers from the pretrial detention center. Public transport is often canceled. But thanks to the responsiveness of those who have a car, it was possible to go to the detention center to pass on food or other things to Lyosha (editor\u0026#39;s note: Lyosha is a diminutive form of Aleksey). Sometimes friends made up parcels themselves: they looked for quality products, stood in line at the pretrial detention center, filled out the forms necessary for the transfer, and, of course, fervently prayed for Lyosha, and also wrote him letters of support,\u0026quot; Natalya said.\nDuring the criminal prosecution of her husband, Natalya\u0026#39;s health noticeably weakened. But caring for others helped to fight despondency; she said: \u0026quot;I don\u0026#39;t allow myself to focus on my problems, so I often call others, send voice messages, pray for them and with them. And when I have time and energy, I try to visit someone in person.\u0026quot;\nAleksey and Natalya have been Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses since the early 2000s. For about 20 years, the state had no complaints about their beliefs, which have not changed since then. However, the prosecution demanded that the court send Aleksey to a penal colony for 8 years.\nJehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Neftekumsk were first prosecuted back in 2017, just a month after the decision to liquidate the legal entities of this denomination came into force. Then the law enforcement officers raided the believers during a picnic. Soon the FSB initiated a criminal case, as a result of which three believers were sentenced to large fines.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-05-27T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/05/301116/image_hu_73c536e3f881d507.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/05/301116/image_hu_49e403de364bf5d5.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/05/301116/image_hu_32c7c043a5777f5e.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/05/301116/image_hu_e0c2f791b59d4c23.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/05/301116.html","regions":["stavropol"],"subtitle":"He Was Released","tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","fine"],"title":"Court in Neftekumsk Fined One of Jehovah's Witnesses 300,000 Rubles.","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 22, 2025, the verdict in the second case against 48-year-old Aleksandr Serebryakov entered into force. A panel of judges of the Moscow City Court, chaired by Galina Lebedeva, agreed to his prison term but lifted the additional restriction of freedom that the believer was to serve after his release.\nThe prosecutor requested the court of appeal send the criminal case for a new trial, and the believer asked to be acquitted. Aleksandr mentioned that the second verdict, sentencing him to 5 years in a penal colony, \u0026quot;is actually repeating the verdict that has already entered into force and imposing a sentence for the same crime.\u0026quot;\nThe second criminal case against Serebryakov was based on materials from his first case, which were literally copied from there. The lawyer called this \u0026quot;an obvious attempt to prosecute A.G. Serebryakov twice for the same crime with an increase and severity of the punishment imposed... which is unacceptable.\u0026quot; Moreover, the verdict is based on several conclusions of experts, who did not appear in court for questioning. At the same time, there are no documents confirming their identity or specialist knowledge in the case materials.\nBy the time of the appeal hearing, Serebryakov had spent about 1.5 years in a pretrial detention center. Currently, 17 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Moscow and the Moscow Region are in custody.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-05-22T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/05/260910/image_hu_da4c15fd36f3f8bb.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/05/260910/image_hu_c1af97b59884bea0.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/05/260910/image_hu_b6316ce5bf2825da.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/05/260910/image_hu_c997d8032bd1fbb3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/05/260910.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":"Convicted Twice for the Same Thing","tags":["appeal","282.3-1","sizo"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Moscow Upheld 5 Years in Penal Colony for Aleksandr Serebryakov.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Denis Sushchenko summons Anastasia Dyldina to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Primorsky Territory and charges her in a new edition. Now, in addition to participating in the activities of an extremist organization, the believer is also accused of financing it. Anastasia is charged with participating in a meeting for worship consisting of \"a video performance 'The Earth Will Endure Forever', the singing of songs...' Paradise Promised by God... 'Always devoted to God.'\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Byche and Others in Vladivostok","date":"2025-04-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vladivostok12/index.html#20250417","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On April 8, 2025, the home of Viktor Velikov, 54, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Solnechnogorsk, was searched, after which he was placed in a temporary detention facility for 2 days, and then in a pretrial detention center. He is a defendant in a case for financing the activity of an extremist organization.\nAt 6 a.m., Viktor and his wife heard a loud knock on the door. Opening it, they saw a local police officer, two law enforcement officers and testifying witnesses. The police officers behaved properly. According to them, they were looking for personal notes, Bibles and the Koran. Electronic devices and bank cards were confiscated from the believer. The search lasted about 2 hours, after which he was taken to the Savelovskiy Investigative Committee, where he was interrogated, charged under Article 282.3(1) of the RF CrC and detained.\nEarlier, in 2023, the home of Viktor Velikov had already been searched — back then police officers went to his place of work and took him home. They searched for any documents or electronic media that could mention Jehovah\u0026#39;s name or Bible terms. He was also interrogated in the Moscow Directorate of the Investigative Committee. According to available information, the new criminal case is related to the case against Aleksandr Serebryakov, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the court in December 2024 on similar charges.\nUpdate. On April 10, in Tver, as part of the criminal case against Viktor Velikov, a search was carried out at the home of Andrey Lukin and his wife. Law enforcement officers waited for them for 3 hours near their home. The actual search lasted about 2 hours, it was carried out by four officials who reported to Oleg Postnyy, senior detective for the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Tver Region. Electronic devices were seized from the believers. Andrey was taken to Moscow to the Savelovskiy Interdistrict Investigative Committee. After interrogation, he was placed in a temporary detention facility, and then, by decision of the Savelovskiy Court of Moscow, in pretrial detention center No. 7 \u0026ldquo;Kapotnya\u0026rdquo; until April 25, 2025. ","category":"siloviki","date":"2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"svg":"/img/news/handcuffs.svg"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/04/140859.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":"Two Men Detained in Solnechnogorsk and Tver","tags":["search","interrogation","ivs","282.3-1","sizo"],"title":"Searches at Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses Again in the Moscow and Tver Regions.","type":"news"},{"body":"Kirill Krymsky, 37, is being prosecuted under two articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing.\nInvestigator Denis Sushchenko considers it a sign of extremism that \"Krymsky played the communicative role of assistant to the host during weekly religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses, read a prayer for Jehovah God.\"\nThe investigation bases the accusation against Krymskiy and other believers involved in this case on the testimony of an embedded agent, S. I. Sergeenko.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Byche and Others in Vladivostok","date":"2025-04-07T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vladivostok12/index.html#20250407","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Denis Sushchenko, investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Primorsky Territory, opens a criminal case against Yegor Pogrebnyak, Anatoliy Baranov, Kirill Krymsky and Anastasia Dyldina under another article - Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\nAccording to the decision to initiate a criminal case, the believers allegedly financed extremist activities, and the fact of the transfer of voluntary donations to Yuriy Bycha is cited as evidence.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Byche and Others in Vladivostok","date":"2025-04-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/vladivostok12/index.html#20250404","regions":["primorye"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The prosecutor requested large fines for the defendants as a punishment: Podolin - 800 thousand rubles; Popras - 790 thousand rubles; Khmil - 750 thousand rubles; Kretov and Reshetnikov - 500 thousand rubles each; Vyrezkova and Morglang - 490 thousand rubles each and Perekatiy - 400 thousand rubles.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Reshetnikov and Others in Gryazi","date":"2025-03-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/gryazi/index.html#20250328","regions":["lipetsk"],"tags":["punishment-request","elderly","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The prosecutor approves the indictment, according to which Oleg Artyomov is accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and financing these activities.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Oleg Artemov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2025-03-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk11/index.html#20250317","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 21, 2025, the Court of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area upheld the verdict against a group of believers from Surgut. The panel of judges considered the case for more than 4 months. The suspended sentences imposed on the believers — from 3 years and 3 months to 7 years — entered into force.\nThe case against Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Surgut is one of the biggest and longest of its kind: the criminal prosecution affected 18 people and has been going on for more than 6 years.\nThe verdict of the court of first instance, handed down at the end of 2023, was appealed by both sides: state prosecutor Larysa Oniskevich considered the punishment \u0026quot;excessively lenient\u0026quot;, and the defense sought to overturn the conviction. According to the lawyer, the decision of the court of first instance is unconstitutional. \u0026quot;The materials of the criminal case do not contain a single fact, not one single statement, not one single episode that would fit the criteria of extremist activity,\u0026quot; one of the convicted persons, Vyacheslav Boronos, echoed the lawyer's words during the closing arguments.\nAnother 9 believers in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area—Yugra faced criminal prosecution on similar grounds. Eric Patterson, executive vice president of the Religious Freedom Institute and former dean of Regent University\u0026#39;s Robertson School of Government, said, \u0026quot;Russia\u0026#39;s continuing persecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses as \u0026#39;extremists\u0026#39; who threaten Russia\u0026#39;s national security is unfair and unwise. It contributes to an atmosphere of fear and social stagnation.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-02-21T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_8837bffa5e66bebd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_9114f0455e7da91c.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_8e40446b24ebf024.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/02/251517/image_hu_45310bcaa4b39f9e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/02/251517.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":"In Khanty-Mansiysk, Appeal Hearings in the Case of Eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses From Surgut Have Ended","tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","families","elderly"],"title":"Terms to be Upheld.","type":"news"},{"body":"Vadim Baltachev, Senior Investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chelyabinsk Region, issues a ruling against Oleg Artyomov to bring him as a defendant in committing crimes under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Oleg Artemov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk11/index.html#20250114","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 14, 2025, a panel of judges of the Novosibirsk Regional Court upheld the conviction of two believers: 6 years in a penal colony for Valeriy Maletskov for organizing the activity of an extremist organization and 4 years in a penal colony for Marina Chaplykina for participating in and financing it.\nFor more than 1 year — since the verdict was passed — the believers have been in a pretrial detention center. The first appeal hearing took place back in June 2024, however, as it turned out, the believers were not given the opportunity to fully familiarize themselves with the case materials. Due to this, the panel of judges postponed the trial for 6 months.\nAddressing the court, Marina Chaplykina, 53, said: \u0026quot;I respect the state and judicial authorities, trying to do what Jesus Christ taught —\u0026#39;to pay back Caesar's things to Caesar\u0026#39;s\u0026#39;, that is, to obey the laws of my country: to pay taxes correctly, to respect representatives of the authorities... I believe that one day... people will live, enjoying good health, peaceful conditions and warm relationships... This is not extremism! This is hope for a happy future.\u0026quot;\nThe minor child of Valeriy Maletskov, 50, will be left without his father\u0026#39;s care for 6 long years. Marina Chaplykina is one of 16 women practising the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, who have been sentenced to a term in a penal colony.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2025/01/160924/image_hu_127b1a9e8c674bab.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2025/01/160924/image_hu_d352ba2bee4492dc.jpg","webp":"/news/2025/01/160924/image_hu_6dfdb51b9920de.webp","webp2x":"/news/2025/01/160924/image_hu_b82528bd49c9f796.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2025/01/160924.html","regions":["novosibirsk"],"subtitle":"A Man and a Woman Will be Sent to a Penal Colony for Their Faith","tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Novosibirsk Upheld the Verdict Against Two Jehovah's Witnesses.","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 17, 2024, Aleksandr Korovenko, judge of the Pechora City Court of the Komi Republic fined a group of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, having found them guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, participating in, and financing it.\nTaking 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.\nAleksandr 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\u0026#39;s Witness has been posthumously found guilty of extremism. During the closing arguments, Prilepskiy\u0026#39;s lawyer, said: \u0026quot;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.\u0026quot; Aleksandr\u0026#39;s wife and daughter maintain his innocence.\nThe 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\u0026#39;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.\nThe 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.\nAnother 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.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-12-17T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/191313/image_hu_50e0216aedb73aa1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/191313/image_hu_7a71232502f1b03e.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/191313/image_hu_605b253ade6d9d6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/191313/image_hu_cfda4d44e2c71cf7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/191313.html","regions":["komi"],"subtitle":"One Of Those Convicted Died 2 Years Prior to This Decision","tags":["sentence","fine","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","elderly","died"],"title":"Court Imposes Fines Ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 Rubles on 7 Believers from Pechora.","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 13, 2024, Olga Karamysheva, judge of the Savelovskiy District Court of Moscow, found Aleksandr Serebryakov guilty of financing the activity of an extremist organization. This is the second sentence given to the believer for his religious activity.\nSince August 2022, Serebryakov has been serving a 6-year suspended term — the Golovinskiy District Court of Moscow found him guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization for holding meetings for worship. Prior to this verdict, the believer had been kept in a pretrial detention center for more than 1.5 years. He found himself behind bars again in September 2023 after a new series of searches in several districts of Moscow and in the Moscow Region. In total, Serebryakov spent 3 years in the detention center.\nThe second case has been under the court\u0026#39;s consideration since September 2024. Aleksandr was charged with violating Article 282.3 (1) of the RF CrC for providing food to believers participating in a lengthy worship event. To this, Aleksandr replied: \u0026quot;[It was] specific help specific for people who... are not members of liquidated legal entities. Moreover, if you divide the amount imputed to me by the number of fellow believers, you will get 250 rubles per person. You can't even buy a business lunch for this amount in Moscow, what kind of financing are we talking about? This is absurd.\u0026quot; The defendant continued: \u0026quot;The investigation has not established any facts indicating that I financed any legal entities.\u0026quot;\nIn the family of Aleksandr Serebryakov, two more people faced prosecution for their faith: his mother-in-law and father-in-law, the Krutyakovs, Zinaida and Yuriy. They were given a 2-year and 3-month and 6-year suspended sentence respectively. \u0026quot;All of this resulted in stress, pain, tears and illness,\u0026quot; Aleksandr said. During his first imprisonment in a pretrial detention center, he suffered from covid which led to a critical stage of lung damage and a difficult period of rehabilitation. In his final statement, the believer addressed his elderly mother: \u0026quot;I have done nothing wrong or illegal. I am not guilty before the law, or before the state, or before God... You\u0026#39;ve raised me well. I am being judged for my friendship with God and my desire to please him.\u0026quot;\nIn Moscow, out of 18 accused Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, 10 received long prison sentences.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-12-13T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/161311/image_hu_16726e97c1771ad8.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/161311/image_hu_5e1dbe1e011deffb.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/161311/image_hu_3bd7810982f63f59.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/161311/image_hu_661ccf2c959a2e63.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/161311.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.3-1"],"title":"Aleksandr Serebryakov Has Not Yet Served Suspended Term for His Faith, But Received Second Sentence - 5 Years in a Penal Colony","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 12, 2024, the Irkutsk Regional Court upheld the sentence against nine Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Earlier, the court of first instance had sentenced them to various terms of imprisonment in a penal colony. The believers maintain their innocence and have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation proceedings.\nAs noted by the defense, the meetings of worships in which the convicted Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses participated had nothing to do with the liquidated legal entities. Nevertheless, Sergey Vasiliyev was found guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization (Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC), the rest were found guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization (Article 282.2(1) of the RF CrC); six of them were also found guilty of financing it (Article 282.3(1) of the RF CrC). Aleksey Solnechny, commented during the closing arguments: \u0026quot;I am charged with allegedly collecting funds... However, there is no concrete proof that I collected and transferred funds specifically for the needs of extremist organizations and specifically for extremist purposes. The verdict does not mention such evidence.\u0026quot;\nMikhail Moysh has two minor children. The believer\u0026#39;s wife, Yelena, said: \u0026quot;Nikita [the eldest son — Ed.] misses his father; they only talk on the phone and during visits. The youngest son, David, was 6 months old when Misha was arrested. When I manage to take him on visits, he doesn\u0026#39;t recognize his daddy.\u0026quot; At the appeal hearing, Mikhail\u0026#39;s lawyer asked the judicial panel: \u0026quot;Why then did the court recognize M.F. Moysh having young children of as a mitigating circumstance? In order to impose an even harsher punishment than the prosecutor requested?\u0026quot; The court\u0026#39;s position regarding Andrey Tolmachev, who spent about 2.5 years in solitary confinement, has not changed either. He is the only son of elderly parents: his father has a disability, and due to health reasons his mother is unable to provide her husband with proper care.\nIn his final statement, Sergey Vasiliyev, who had fully served his sentence in a pretrial detention center and under house arrest before the appeal hearing, explained that his faith in God changed his life for the better: \u0026quot;I stopped swearing, quit smoking and began learning to love people. In total, it took me 9 years to overcome all the negative things within me with the help of Jehovah God. After that, for almost 20 years, the state had nothing on me. And suddenly, in 2021, there were searches and I was arrested. For what? Because I studied the Bible and tried, like Jesus Christ, to do good to people.\u0026quot;\nIt is noteworthy that neither the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Irkutsk nor the Irkutsk Regional Court questioned the expert Elbakyan, although in the first instance she was waiting in the courthouse to be questioned, having flown from Moscow to the hearing to testify. Yekaterina Sergeyevna is a well-known Russian religious scholar. At the appeal hearing, one of the lawyers noted: \u0026quot;This is the only specialist who has examined all the meetings for worship mentioned in the charges against our clients.\u0026quot; Another lawyer emphasized that the refusal to interrogate is a serious violation of the RF Criminal Procedural Code: \u0026quot;If this motion is not satisfied, then I believe that the appellate ruling will be unlawful.\u0026quot; In the end, the panel of judges rejected all motions filed by the defense.\nThe criminal case against the Irkutsk believers received wide publicity, since the mass searches were accompanied by torture and violence by law enforcement officers, for which they have not yet been held responsibile.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-12-12T09:36:31+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/12/120936/image_hu_9e9e8c7f750bc1bf.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/12/120936/image_hu_2c18f594d5837e91.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/12/120936/image_hu_a65f37f1ab956a02.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/12/120936/image_hu_4df5ffbbf6b6c808.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/12/120936.html","regions":["irkutsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","siloviks-violence","torture","elderly"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Irkutsk Upheld Verdict Against Nine Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"The verdict in the large-scale case of believers from Magadan — seven men and six women aged 32 to 73 — entered into force on October 15, 2024, by decision of the Magadan Regional Court. The prosecutor sought to change suspended sentences to prison terms for some of them, but the panel of judges supported the decision of the court of first instance.\nAll of the believers disagree with the guilty verdict and the appeal decision, according to which they will serve suspended sentences from 3 to 7 years. In their appeals, they drew attention to the absence of corpus delicti in their actions and stated that, according to the RF Constitution, they had every right to meet to discuss the Bible and to associate.\nIn her appeal, prosecutor Marina Shvyreva requested tougher sentences for some of the believers. For example, she requested 6.5 and 7 years in a penal colony for Ivan Puyda and Konstantin Petrov, respectively.\nMost of the convicted persons noted that reading holy texts, participating in joint meetings for worship and in community life, as well as striving to tell others about their beliefs are generally accepted ways of expressing any Christian faith. The believers came to the conclusion that the court mistakenly regarded lawful behavior of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses as unlawful actions of an extremist nature. They also noted that the court did not establish the motives of religious hatred or enmity in their actions and did not determine against which specific social group they acted.\nGalina Dergacheva expressed her position on the verdict as follows: \u0026quot;By their actions, the state authorities present me and my fellow believers in a bad light before society, contribute to the spread of prejudice and form the impression that Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are a dangerous and dubious sect.\u0026quot; She added: \u0026quot;The state and all officials are obliged to maintain neutrality and impartiality. Therefore, they do not have the right to assess the legitimacy of religious beliefs or determine what can be believed and what not.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-10-15T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/10/160849/image_hu_b62de93596e6970.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/10/160849/image_hu_a75355bcac9d9be9.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/10/160849/image_hu_c318ac947cd10e94.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/10/160849/image_hu_70c3d7d9939d5038.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/10/160849.html","regions":["magadan"],"subtitle":"Court of Appeal Upheld the Decision of the Magadan Court","tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended","elderly"],"title":"Thirteen Believers, Men and Women, Will Serve Suspended Sentences.","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 9, 2024, Arsen Avanesov, 41, was released from Penal Colony No. 3 for the Ulyanovsk Region. He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for practicing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. Subsequently, the believer spent 2.5 years in a pretrial detention center and about 3 years in a penal colony.\nArsen was released as the last of three defendants in a criminal case, which was initiated by the Rostov-on-Don Investigative Committee in 2019. In February 2024, Arsen\u0026#39;s elderly father, Vilen Avanesov, was released from the colony having spent almost 5 years behind bars, and in August 2024, Aleksandr Parkov completed his term.\nIn the penal colony, Arsen worked in a sewing workshop and established himself as a reliable and hardworking person. For his hard work and participation in the colony\u0026#39;s sports events, he received several awards.\nLetters of support and parcels that he received from different countries helped the believer greatly to remain optimistic. One day, Arsen received a parcel from England — an elderly couple sent him, among other things, eyeglasses, which were useful to other believers imprisoned in the same colony.\nShortly before his release, Arsen said that in his \u0026quot;thoughts he is already at home,\u0026quot; but he is worried that he \u0026quot;will have to learn how to do some things again\u0026quot; after 5.5 years behind bars.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2024-10-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_d132dab7285b550e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_4e3c79516dd60dfa.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_e97f5e0a7fe2db74.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/10/091530/image_hu_e144ed8a7302fe26.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/10/091530.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["release","families","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Arsen Avanesov From Rostov Was Released From the Penal Colony, Having Completely Served the Term for His Faith in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"Captain of Justice D. T. Mamedova, Senior Investigator of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Department for the Northern Administrative District of the Main Investigation Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow, separates the criminal case against unidentified persons under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the case of Aleksandr Serebryakov into a separate proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Lukin in Moscow","date":"2024-08-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/moscow10/index.html#20240805","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Captain of Justice D. T. Mamedova, Senior Investigator of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Department for the Northern Administrative District of the Main Investigation Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow, separates the criminal case against unidentified persons under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the case of Aleksandr Serebryakov into a separate proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Velikov in Moscow","date":"2024-08-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/moscow7/index.html#20240805","regions":["moscow"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"52-year-old Jehovah's Witness Aleksey Shcherbich is detained. The next day, he reports that he is in the FSB department in Stavropol.\nIt is already known that the believer's case has been separated into separate proceedings and he has been charged with organizing and financing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to the court's decision, Shcherbich is placed in the Stavropol pre-trial detention center.\nYou can write letters of support to Alexey, indicating on the envelope: \"Shcherbich Alexei Gennadievich, born in 1972, pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Stavropol Territory, Vorovskogo Square, 6, Stavropol, 355002\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Samsonov and Others in Neftekumsk","date":"2024-06-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk/index.html#20240611","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["sizo","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On March 27, 2024, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok did not satisfy the cassation appeal against the verdict of Alam Aliyev, Sergey Shulyarenko, Valeriy Kriger and Dmitriy Zagulin. They will continue to serve time in Blagoveshchensk for their faith in God.\nEarlier, in December 2022, the court of first instance sentenced Aliyev to 6.5 years in a penal colony, Shulyarenko and Kriger to 7 years each, and Zagulin to 3.5 years for allegedly organizing and financing extremist activity. In June 2023, the court of appeal reduced the prison sentences of Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger by only three months.\nThe believers were charged with holding 7 meetings for worship, as well as collecting voluntary donations for the general needs of the believers. However, the court did not cite a single excerpt from recordings of the meetings that promotes incitement to hatred or enmity. The cassation appeal states: \u0026quot;As a result of a miscarriage of justice, Aliyev, Zagulin, Kriger and Shulyarenko were convicted only because they professed beliefs based on the Bible and peacefully practiced their Christian faith as Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\u0026quot; The defense also stressed that the verdict is based only on assumptions that the money was spent on extremist activity. However, neither the time, place, methods of collection, receipt, storage nor their expenditure were indicated. The court did not establish the motives for committing the crime, but declared the believers to be extremists.\nThe court completely ignored that Alam Aliyev has serious illnesses: hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and problems with his spine.\nThe European Court of Human Rights responded to the complaint of Alam Aliyev and other applicants from Russia and ruled that charging Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses with extremist activity violates their rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The Court called on the Russian Federation to take all necessary measures to stop the criminal prosecution of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses and release them from prison.\nIn the Jewish Autonomous Region, 24 of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are being prosecuted for their religious beliefs. Half of them are married couples.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-27T15:34:57+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_1eab4c5cb7a13f3b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_3a945de119359056.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_31bd24185047770a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/271534/image_hu_a569f1675dd5b46c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/271534.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":"The Court of Cassation Upheld the Harsh Sentence for Faith","tags":["cassation","282.2-1","282.3-1","health-risk","families","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"Aliyev, Shulyarenko, Kriger and Zagulin Will Remain in the Penal Colony.","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of Crimea overturned the verdict against Taras Kuzo, Petr Zhiltsov, Sergey Lyulin and Darya Kuzo, the wife of Taras. The men were released from the detention center, their preventive measure was changed to a ban on certain actions; the preventive measure for Darya remained the same \u0026ndash; a recoginizance agreement. The case was sent for a new trial by different judges.\nEarlier, the Yalta City Court sentenced Taras Kuzo to 6 years and 6 months, Petr Zhiltsov to 6 years and 1 month, and Sergey Lyulin to 6 years in a penal colony. Darya Kuzo received a 3-year suspended sentence. The verdict was appealed. In the appeal, the defense emphasized that there was no evidence that the beliefs of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were extremist in nature. Practicing this religion is not prohibited in the Russian Federation.\nAddressing the court before the appeal decision, Darya Kuzo told what her family had to endure during the persecution: \u0026quot;My young children survived three terrible searches carried out by armed men; on November 14, 2023 my husband\u0026#39;s mother suffered cardiac arrest due to [stress], we were added to the list of Rosfinmonitoring as extremists, and all our bank accounts were blocked...\u0026quot;\nTaras and Darya Kuzo with their children. March 2024 \u0026quot;The case, contains only vague terminology about extremism \u0026ndash; something that is absolutely alien to us. We have never shown hatred or enmity towards people. Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are known throughout the world as peaceful people. We are tried only because we live and believe as taught by the Greatest Teacher, Jesus Christ. I have been one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses for 23 years now, I have been living by God\u0026#39;s highest moral standards as set forth in the Bible, and I have seen how the application of these principles has made our family strong and happy for 15 years already. It\u0026#39;s been almost a year since my children and I were separated [from Taras], this is very painful for us. I really want our children to grow up in a complete family as mentally and emotionally stable people,\u0026quot; Darya summed up, asking the court to make a fair decision.\nTo date, 30 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Crimea are being prosecuted solely for their religious beliefs; 9 of them are already serving sentences \u0026ndash; from 6 to 6.5 years \u0026ndash; in penal colonies.\n","category":"trial","date":"2024-03-22T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_72a1f3f4341cc664.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_85526a1b55a15b03.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_d7dd5f0bced29832.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/221638/image_hu_874bda11bdf3c42c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/221638.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":"The Men Were Released From the Pre-trial Detention Center, but the Trial Will Start Again","tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.3-1","families","minors"],"title":"The Supreme Court in Crimea Overturned the Verdict of Four Jehovah's Witnesses.","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 19, 2024, the Fourth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Krasnodar rejected the appeal of Sergey Korolev, Sergey Kosyanenko and Rinat Kiramov against the verdict of the court of first instance. The believers will remain in the penal colony.\nKorolev, Kosyanenko and Kiramov have already been imprisoned for more than two years for ordinary religious practices not related to extremist activity. Their lawyer emphasized this in the cassation appeal: \u0026quot;The court did not substantiate in its decisions why it regarded the peaceful way of expressing faith in God as a way of committing a crime.\u0026quot;\nThe defense also pointed out in the cassation appeal that the verdict and the appellate ruling \u0026quot;were issued with significant violations of the law,\u0026quot; namely: the court did not take into account that the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses is not banned; did not indicate specific extremist actions of the defendants; did not provide evidence of unlawfulness; and did not establish motives for committing the crimes. In addition, the court did not assess the violations during the expert studies, in particular, the fact that the linguist N. V. Gromova encroached on the competence of a religious scholar and tried to \u0026quot;conduct her own religious study.\u0026quot;\nIrina and Galina, Rinat Kiramov\u0026rsquo;s mother and wife, in front of the court of cassation, March 2024 Professor Anatoliy Pchelintsev, an honorable Russian lawyer, said: \u0026quot;Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses as part of global Christianity are recognized and operate unhindered in most countries of the world and are only banned in some countries with a totalitarian regime ... Without guaranteed freedom of conscience, no state can be stable and prosperous.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/200944/image_hu_def9de240052f19b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/200944/image_hu_2b2a630f1af69e07.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/200944/image_hu_8e8fb631219ab9d3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/200944/image_hu_f11984214449ca61.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/200944.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":"They Will Continue to Serve Their Sentences in the Penal Colony","tags":["cassation","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.3-1","elderly"],"title":"Court of Cassation Did not Change the Harsh Sentence of Three of Jehovah's Witnesses from Akhtubinsk for Their Faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"One of the largest cases for faith of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses in Russia, in which the investigation and trial lasted almost 6 years, ended in a guilty verdict. On March 6, 2024, Tatyana Belayeva, judge of the Magadan City Court, gave suspended sentences to believers aged 31 to 73.\nSergey Yerkin, Konstantin Petrov and Ivan Puyda received 7 years, Yevgeniy Zyablov received 5 years, Sergey Agadzhanov, Viktor Revyakin, Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev, Irina Khvostova, Lyubov Asatryan, Galina Dergacheva, Inna Kardakova and Galina Pechko received 3 years — all suspended with a probation period of 2 to 5 years. As an additional punishment, believers were given a restriction of freedom from 10 months to 1 year.\nA criminal case was initiated in May 2018, followed by searches. Ivan Puyda was detained by the law enforcement officers in Khabarovsk, 1600 km from Magadan. He, as well as Petrov, Zyablov and Yerkin were behind bars between 2 and 4 months. As a result of the second wave of searches in March 2019, Lyubov Asatryan, Irina Khvostova, Mikhail and Oksana Solntsev, Inna Kardakova, Galina Dergacheva, Viktor Revyakin and Sergey Agadzhanov became defendants in the case. Galina Pechko was added to the list 2 years later.\nThe charges of organizing, financing and participating in the activity of an extremist organization was based on hidden recordings of meetings for worship, during which the believers discussed compassion and love for people and forgiveness and hope. The testimonies of witnesses, including the FSB officer who conducted operational work within the case, did not reveal any expression of extremism at these religious meetings. At court hearings, the defense has repeatedly noted that all 13 believers have a reputation of being decent, intelligent and hardworking people.\nThe support of relatives and friends helped the believers to cope with the difficulties caused by the criminal prosecution. Galina Pechko said: \u0026quot;I can reach out to them at any time. I hear so many words of encouragement that warm my heart and help me endure everyday difficulties.\u0026quot; According to Ivan Puyda, during his imprisonment his grandfather\u0026#39; example of resilience, who was also persecuted for his faith in Soviet times, strengthened him: \u0026quot;If he were alive, he would be proud of me ... His example inspired me to remain faithful and courageous.\u0026quot;\nThe convicted persons deny their guilt of extremism, as they said in their final statements.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-06T15:40:55+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_d4268defdd51729f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_5dbaaa40b1106758.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_f2b5dc69280b052a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/061540/image_hu_f86f427d433e7116.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/061540.html","regions":["magadan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended","elderly","families","descendants-repressed"],"title":"Court In Magadan Gave 13 Jehovah's Witnesses Suspended Sentences From 3 to 7 Years","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 5, 2024, Andrey Slavinskiy, judge of the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Irkutsk, issued a verdict in the case of 9 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. He found them guilty of extremism and sentenced them to various terms of imprisonment in a penal colony.\nThe maximum term — 7 years — were received by Yaroslav Kalin, Sergey Kosteyev, Nikolay Martynov, Mikhail Moysh, Aleksey Solnechny and Andrey Tolmachev. Igor Popov and Denis Sarazhakov received 6 years and 4 months, and Sergey Vasilyev received 3 years. The verdict has not entered into force; the believers do not admit their guilt and plan to appeal.\nA criminal case was initiated in October 2021, when searches were carried out in the homes of the believers. Law enforcement officers behaved rudely: they broke windows and entered through windows and balcony doors. Some of the raids were carried out with beatings.\nAfter the searches, six men — Yaroslav Kalin, Sergey Kosteyev, Nikolay Martynov, Mikhail Moysh, Aleksey Solnechny, and Andrey Tolmachev — were taken into custody, where they spent more than 2 years. The oldest of the detainees is Sergey Vasilyev, who is now 72 years old, stayed for 2 days in the temporary detention facility, after which he was placed under house arrest (and now again taken into custody in the court). In the pretrial detention center some of the men were often ill. \u0026quot;My friends and I suffered a lot of hardships and deprivation during the criminal prosecution,\u0026quot; said Yaroslav Kalin. \u0026quot;We were in the worst cells and conditions possible. We have experienced the misery of imprisonment firsthand.\u0026quot;\nAs part of this case, in November 2021, searches were also carried out at the homes of Denis Sarazhakov in Khakassia and Igor Popov in the Kemerovo Region, after which the men were placed in a pretrial detention center; they also spent more than 2 years in prison.\nAfter a year of investigative actions, in December 2022, the case was submitted to the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Irkutsk. The prosecutor requested 3 to 7 years in a penal colony for the believers.\nSpeaking in court, Aleksey Solnechny said in his final statement: \u0026quot;I have been detained for more than two years on charges of a crime I did not commit. When you read the indictment, you can see that the investigator included in it all the fiction that he found on the Internet regarding Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\u0026quot; He added: \u0026quot;Either I am one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses or I am an extremist. It is impossible to be both at the same time. And I declare: I am one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, but I am not an extremist!\u0026quot;\nYaroslav Kalin emphasized in his final statement: \u0026quot;I truly wonder for what act such a term was requested for me. I did not sit just doing nothing during this trial. I looked deeply into the accusation and the arguments of the investigation and was convinced of the complete incompetence of the accusation and its illegality. I have not received an answer to the question: where and what is extremism? Neither my conscience nor my reasoning accepts the unfounded accusations that were made in court. And the requested punishment simply defies logic.\u0026quot;\nAt one of the court hearings, he also spoke about how his relatives were exiled to Siberia for their faith during the Soviet era: \u0026quot;I was sure that history could not repeat itself. Russia cannot make the same mistakes. It cannot first imprison believers, then apologize to their children, and then again imprison their children and grandchildren for their faith in God.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-03-05T11:41:36+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/051141/image_hu_55afbcc49d5ec30e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/051141/image_hu_9a000d0223c49810.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/051141/image_hu_24c4bdbd6deff63a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/051141/image_hu_57e66eb58d070625.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/051141.html","regions":["irkutsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","siloviks-violence","descendants-repressed"],"title":"Nine of Jehovah's Witnesses from Irkutsk Received 3 to 7 Years in a Penal Colony for Their Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 29, 2024, Sergey Kochetkov, judge of the Teykovo District Court of the Ivanovo Region, sentenced Vladimir Spivak, Aleksandr Vasichkin, Sergey Galyamin and Anatoliy Lyamo to large fines for practicing their faith.\nNone of the convicted persons pleaded guilty. They can appeal the verdict. The state prosecutor requested fines between 700,000 and 1,200,000 rubles be imposed on the men. The court fined the believers slightly less: Vladimir Spivak 600,000, Sergey Galyamin 650,000, Aleksandr Vasichkin and Anatoliy Lyamo 1,100,000 rubles each.\nFriends came to the courthouse to support the believers, February 29, 2024. Vasichkin and Spivak first encountered searches back in 2015; Vladimir and his wife were under surveillance by security forces. Later, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, the homes of the believers were again searched, and a criminal case was initiated. It went to court in January 2023 and was examined for just over a year. Throughout this time, the men were under recognizance agreements.\nTwo secret witnesses who had attended meetings of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses\u0026#39; several times in the past, testified in court. They explained that they had not heard any calls for violence, religious hatred or overthrow of the government; they also could not confirm the accusations against the believers and admitted they had not been threatened by them. Other witnesses for the prosecution described the defendants positively.\nThe charges were based, among other things, on the expert study of Tatyana Belova, PhD in Philosophy. She allegedly identified the voice of Sergey Galyamin on one of the recordings and made her conclusions based on this. However, a phonetic expert study conducted by another expert proved that it was not Galyamin\u0026#39;s voice.\nDespite their own difficulties, the four believers try to support their fellow believers who find themselves in similar circumstances. Aleksandr Vasichkin said: \u0026quot;I try to attend court hearings of other believers. I went to help one of my friends rebuild their house after a fire.\u0026quot;\nIn the Ivanovo Region, 13 Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are currently being prosecuted for their faith in 5 criminal cases.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-02-29T09:29:54+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/03/010929/image_hu_56414810654010ca.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/03/010929/image_hu_fa8b8527c6a06c45.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/03/010929/image_hu_12de3bfd55c7faca.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/03/010929/image_hu_868e743892d250b9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/03/010929.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"subtitle":"Four Believers Were Ordered to Pay Between 600,000 and 1,100,000 Rubles for Their Beliefs","tags":["elderly","sentence","282.2-1","282.2-2","fine","282.3-1"],"title":"Court in Teykovo Considered the Common Religious Practice of Jehovah's Witnesses to Be Extremism.","type":"news"},{"body":"Based on the materials separated from the case of Maxim Khamatshin , the investigator of the Investigative Committee, Colonel Alexander Chepenko, initiates two criminal cases against 28-year-old Oleg Artemov - on charges of participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing.\nAccording to Chepenko, the believer \"in the period from 06.09.2017 to 08.09.2022 ... at least 5 times intentionally... took part in the activities of a religious association... in the form of participation in religious meetings... conducting conversations with residents of Chelyabinsk, demonstrating and watching educational videos\".\nArtemov is also suspected of financing the activities of an extremist organization, since he allegedly \"made at least 20 payments ... by paying for \"Zoom\"... to ensure the holding of meetings of members of the said religious association by videoconference.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Oleg Artemov in Chelyabinsk","date":"2024-02-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chelyabinsk11/index.html#20240229","regions":["chelyabinsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On February 9, 2024, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan denied the appeal of Sergey Gromov, one of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses, against the verdict and upheld it—6 years and 1 month of imprisonment in a penal colony. The believer can appeal this decision to the court of cassation.\nIn the appeal, the defendant's lawyer emphasized that such a verdict was against the constitution: \"The court of first instance did not protect Gromov from religious discrimination against Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nThree other Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses from Tatarstan were sentenced to various terms in penal colonies, a total of 13 residents of this region are being prosecuted for their faith.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-02-09T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/311448/image_hu_dba7453f2780aca7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/311448/image_hu_71722678b5080aa0.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/311448/image_hu_70ebc31ffd29bc0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/311448/image_hu_ee3fbddec2e9c540.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/311448.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":"A Peaceful Believer Going to a Penal Colony for 6 Years for His Religious Views","tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"The Supreme Court of Tatarstan Upheld the Verdict of Sergey Gromov.","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 29, 2024, Anton Mokin, judge of the Shuya City Court of the Ivanovo Region, sentenced Aleksey Arkhipov, Svetlana Ryzhkova, Svetlana Shishina, and the couple Dmitriy and Yelena Mikhaylov to large fines for their faith in Jehovah God.\nAleksey Arkhipov was fined 380,000, Svetlana Shishina 400,000, Svetlana Ryzhkova 480,000, Yelena Mikhaylova 560,000, and her husband Dmitriy Mikhaylov 950,000 rubles. The prosecution requested a fine of 1,200,000 rubles for Mikhaylov, taking into account the time of detention; for Mikhaylova and Ryzhkova — 600,000 rubles; for Shishina and Arkhipov — 400,000 rubles. The believers insist on their innocence and have the right to appeal.\n\u0026quot;Actually, I am accused of believing in God,\u0026quot; commented Dmitriy Mikhaylov on the accusation. \u0026quot;I am charged with discussing religious topics with my friends.\u0026quot; He also emphasized that the linguistic forensic expert study did not reveal signs of extremism in the materials examined. His wife Yelena said: \u0026quot;The charges against me are serious, but there is no concrete evidence.\u0026quot;\nSvetlana Shishina, a mother of two, said: \u0026quot;I have always respected people of different religious denominations, and I teach my children to do the same.\u0026quot; \u0026quot;The charges against me are far-fetched, unfounded and not lawful,\u0026quot; said Svetlana Ryzhkova. Aleksey Arkhipov, in turn, emphasized: \u0026quot;I have never plotted or intended to commit any illegal actions against the authorities, nevermind undermining the foundations of the constitutional order and state security, as this contradicts my beliefs as a Christian and a God-fearing person.\u0026quot;\nCriminal prosecution of the believers began in 2018; their homes were searched. Later it turned out, that prior to that, a hidden video camera had been installed at least at one of the addresses, and one person, on the instructions of the special forces, feigned interest in the Bible. After his arrest, Dmitriy Mikhaylov spent 6 months in a pretrial detention center. His wife, together with other women whose husbands were imprisoned for their faith in God, sent an open letter to the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights. In response to this letter, a request was sent to the General Prosecutor\u0026#39;s Office to check the legality and validity of the criminal prosecution of citizens professing the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. However, the criminal prosecution did not stop. The case was returned twice to the investigator for revision and after 4 years it was re-submitted to the court, which considered the case for 1.5 years.\nOn April 26, 2019, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion on Dmitriy Mikhaylov\u0026#39;s complaint, calling on the Russian authorities to stop his criminal prosecution and grant him the right to compensation and reparation.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-01-29T16:05:39+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_994e19bb312b86b9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_56be0241ab7ca51e.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_6984153ca51a1a68.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/291605/image_hu_4baf6ff7f4f7804d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/291605.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"subtitle":"They Must Pay the State From 380 to 950 Thousand Rubles","tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","sentence","secret-witness","surveillance","fine","minors","elderly","families"],"title":"Court in Shuya Fined 5 Jehovah's Witnesses for Reading the Bible Together.","type":"news"},{"body":"According to the decision of the Orenburg Regional Court, on January 24, 2024, the verdict entered into force for five Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses — Vladislav Kolbanov, Vladimir Kochnev, Pavel Lekontsev, Nikolay Zhugin, and Sergey Logunov received suspended sentences from 2.5 to 3.5 years for friendly meetings with fellow believers.\nThe state prosecutor requested that the court of appeal uphold the verdict. The believers\u0026#39; lawyer called the prosecution\u0026#39;s demands groundless, stressing that in the verdict the court specifically noted: \u0026quot;Actions aimed at inciting hatred and enmity, calls for violence... the defendants are not charged.\u0026quot;\nThe believers themselves once again stated that they consider any guilty decision unjust and infringing on their right to freedom of religion. \u0026quot;It is impossible to establish from the appealed verdict on what basis the court refused to consider the actions imputed to me as exercising my right to freedom of religion within the framework of the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses,\u0026quot; Nikolay Zhugin noted in his appeal. Vladimir Kochnev emphasized: \u0026quot;The court did not establish the presence of motives of religious hatred or enmity in my actions. All my actions were completely peaceful.\u0026quot;\n","category":"verdict","date":"2024-01-24T17:10:21+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/241710/image_hu_93a3f4a9d25a06b0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/241710/image_hu_629aad76f92b144d.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/241710/image_hu_dfb50f5a251f60d8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/241710/image_hu_c40fa49f0c453651.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/241710.html","regions":["orenburg"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","elderly","282.2-2","282.3-1","282.2-1","suspended"],"title":"Court of Appeal in Orenburg Upholds the Suspended Sentence of Five Believers","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 11, 2024, the panel of judges of the Court of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area \u0026ndash; Yugra, chaired by Judge Lyudmila Blashkova, overturned the verdict against Andrey Sazonov and sent the case to the Uray City Court for a new trial with a new panel of judges.\nIn the winter of 2021, the Uray City Court found Andrey Sazonov guilty of organizing and financing the activity of an extremist organization and sentenced him to a fine of 450,000 rubles. The court deemed Sazonov\u0026#39;s peaceful religious activity, as well as colleting funds to help his fellow believers, to be a crime. The verdict was appealed. The court of appeal overturned the verdict, sending the case for a new trial.\nIn a new appeal, the believer noted: \u0026quot;Religious organization of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses \u0026ndash; this is the name of an international religion, which the RF Supreme Court did not ban.\u0026quot;\nHe added that there was no corpus delicti in his religious actions: \u0026quot;All witnesses unanimously testified [in court] that they had never heard from me statements inciting religious hatred or enmity, and did not see any other signs of extremism. The forensic expert studies conducted in the case also did not establish the presence of signs of extremism in meetings for worship.\u0026quot;\nIn addition to preliminary hearings and court hearings concerning his preventive measures, Andrey Sazonov has been going to court for more than 3.5 years. In the Uray City Court, his case has already been heard by two of the three judges working there with criminal cases. When announcing the appeal decision, the court did not explain why the believer\u0026#39;s case was again sent for retrial.\n","category":"other","date":"2024-01-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2024/01/120901/image_hu_2d6b21d55de65586.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2024/01/120901/image_hu_dd7a8d7572af2362.jpg","webp":"/news/2024/01/120901/image_hu_c3e6c6276b4714bd.webp","webp2x":"/news/2024/01/120901/image_hu_72cdf2c74eea0b30.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2024/01/120901.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["retrial","282.2-1","282.3-1","fine"],"title":"For a Second Time Court of Appeal Overturned the Sentence of Andrey Sazonov, One of Jehovah's Witnesses From Uray And Sent The Case for a Third Trial","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 8, 2023, the Judicial Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan, during the retrial of the case of Konstantin Sannikov, upheld the initial sentence for the believer — 6.5 years imprisonment. He will remain in the penal colony.\nIn June 2023, the Court of Appeal lifted the additional restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year, imposed on Sannikov by the district court. The prosecutor appealed this decision in October 2023, and the Sixth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Samara returned Sannikov\u0026#39;s case for a second appeal hearing comprising different judges. In court, the believer said, \u0026quot;My imprisonment is religious persecution.\u0026quot;\nFor the period between the cassation appeal and the second appeal, the believer was transferred from the penal colony to the pre-trial detention center.\nKonstantin Sannikov has been imprisoned since August 2020. He has already spent 2 years and 9 months in a pretrial detention center and 6 months in a penal colony. His detention had a negative impact on his health, and in the penal colony he lost a lot of weight due to malnutrition. Despite this, the believer maintains a positive attitude and good relationship with those around him.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-12-08T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/colony2_hu_bce02cc6b2982695.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/colony2_hu_4065c86442783316.jpg","webp":"/news/common/colony2_hu_2c67bb3b320c327c.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/colony2_hu_58a310f8beb82f71.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/12/141336.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","retrial","sizo","life-in-prison","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Konstantin Sannikov Remains in a Penal Colony After Second Appeal","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 23, 2023, Igor Pospelov, judge of the Uray City Court, found Andrey Sazonov, 43, guilty of extremism for discussing the Bible. The believer was fined 450,000 rubles.\nTwo years earlier, the court imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles on Sazonov. The court of appeal overturned the verdict and returned the case for a new trial. The retrial lasted almost 1.5 years. The witnesses for the prosecution described Sazonov positively. It became clear that there are no victims in the case, and religious and linguistic expert studies did not reveal any extremist statements in the examined materials. The prosecutor requested a fine of 1,300,000 rubles for the believer.\nIn his final statement, the believer said: \"I have not said or done anything that could be related to extremism. Moreover, my respect and faith in God do not even allow me to think about anything like that.\"\nAndrey Sazonov has already been defending the right to freely practice his faith for almost 4 years. A criminal case against him was initiated in January 2019. Shortly afterwards, a series of searches and interrogations took place in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, during which several believers were tortured.\nA total of 27 Jehovah's Witnesses in the region are being prosecuted solely for exercising their right to freedom of religion.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-10-23T13:24:12+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/10/231324/image_hu_b9fdf3d14a5fecbd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/10/231324/image_hu_c003a8a39051370a.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/10/231324/image_hu_bade4efb7f34d99a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/10/231324/image_hu_55f8a966dbdf70ae.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/10/231324.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["fine","282.2-1","sentence","282.3-1"],"title":"In Uray, Andrey Sazonov Was Again Fined for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"The prosecutor asks the court to impose punishment on the believers: from 3 years and 3 months to 9.5 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.\nThe longest term requested for Sergey Loginov is 9.5 years in prison. The prosecutor requested 8.5 years for Timofey Zhukov and Pavel Romashov, 8 years and 4 months for Leonid Rysikov and Viktor Fefilov, 8 years and 8 months for Vyacheslav Boronos, Vasily Burenesk, Igor Petrov, Aleksey Plekhov and Igor Trifonov, 7 years and 10 months for Artem Kim, Igor Kobotov and Savely Gargalyk, 7 years and 8 months for Yevgeny Kayryak, 6 years and 8 months for Sergey Volosnikov and Yevgeny Fedin, Artur Severinchik was sentenced to 6.5 years and Viola Shepel to 3 years and 3 months in prison.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut","date":"2023-10-16T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut/index.html#20231016","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["punishment-request","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On September 26, a panel of judges of the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok upheld the verdict against Sergey Afanasiyev, Anton Olshevskiy, Sergey Kardakov, Adam Svarichevskiy and Sergey Yermilov. Each of them received more than 6 years in a penal colony for their faith.\nIt was noted in one of the court of cassation's appeals, that \"Even in Soviet times, during the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, believers were not always sentenced to imprisonment, especially for such a long period as in the present case\".\nAll five of the believers from Blagoveshchensk have pleaded not guilty and believe that they are not being persecuted for a crime, but for practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In support of this, the believers point out that law enforcement agencies have not established a single fact pointing to their engagement in any unlawful activity.\nAll of this runs contarary to the decision of the Plenum of the RF Supreme Court, which states that \"actions consisting exclusively in the exercise of their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion... if such do not contain elements of extremism, do not on their own constitute the corpus delicti.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-09-26T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/colony4_hu_fbb0f6cf1b601cc0.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/colony4_hu_51441f02ed3083fc.jpg","webp":"/news/common/colony4_hu_d4437787afa78821.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/colony4_hu_ceca8910487919d5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/09/280836.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","cassation"],"title":"Court of Cassation Upheld the Verdict Against Five Believers from Blagoveshchensk","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 19, 2023, the homes of at least nine families of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched in several districts of Moscow and in the Moscow Region (Solnechnogorsk, Fryazino, Dmitrov, and Chekhov). Aleksandr Serebryakov, who is serving a suspended sentence, was sent to a detention center based on a new charge.\nSix days earlier, Captain of Justice Roman Ivanov, Senior Investigator of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow, initiated a criminal case against Serebryakov and unidentified persons under an article for financing the activity of an extremist organization. Aleksandr is being charged for actions that took place in the period from 2018 to 2019, when he was already charged under another article.\nThe search of the home of the Serebryakov family began early in the morning and continued for about 3 hours. It was supervised by police major A. V. Tretyakov, senior officer of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow. Seven people were with him and some of them were armed. After the search, Aleksandr was taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee. On September 20, 2023, Dmitriy Neudakhin, judge of the Savelovskiy District Court, imposed pretrial detention on the believer until November 13, 2023.\nIn Fryazino searches were conducted at the place of residence and at the address of registration of one family of Jehovah's Witnesses. The ruling for investigative actions was issued by the Timiryazevsky District Court. The searches were supervised by police lieutenant A.V. Bigishnin. A 60-year-old couple were offered money to give information about fellow believers; they refused. One of the testifying witnesses was drunk and threatened the couple. Due to the stress, the husband's blood pressure spiked. After the search, he was taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee as a witness.\nOn September 19, in Dmitrov and the nearby village of Zverkovo, homes of two Jehovah's Witness families were searched. Armed police officers arrived at the home of a couple with two minor children (7 and 11 years old) at 6:30 in the morning. They threatened to kick down the front door. Then the apartment was searched for 3 hours, after which the family head was taken to Moscow for interrogation and later released. Law enforcement officers arrived to search the house of a believer in Zverkovo at 7:00 in the morning. Because of the anxiety, his blood pressure spiked, but despite this, he was taken to Moscow, where he was interrogated and later released.\nIn Moscow, armed and masked law enforcement officers broke into another home of believers at 7 a.m. filming everything with the phone. The family head was put face down on the floor and handcuffed. Later the handcuffs were removed because he did not resist and they found out that his 15-year-old daughter cannot cope with any stress due to a serious illness. The search lasted 3.5 hours. It was supervised by FSB Lieutenant Colonel Denis Kozlov. Then the family head was taken in a minibus with armed guards for interrogation to the Investigative Committee to Investigator Pavel Pavlov.\nUpdate. On September 26, another search took place in Solnechnogorsk. FSB officers detained a man right at his workplace and then took him home. He was taken for interrogation, and then released. During the searches, money, Bibles, bank cards, personal notes, electronic devices and other data storage were seized from the believers.\nIn Moscow and the Moscow Region, 19 Jehovah's Witnesses have already become defendants in criminal cases because of their religious views. Of these, nine people were sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony, and five, including an elderly woman, were given suspended sentences.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2023-09-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/common/handcuffs4_hu_d665666f0a5dd85a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/common/handcuffs4_hu_bd71719f669afc61.jpg","webp":"/news/common/handcuffs4_hu_4aed7f4d320ebdad.webp","webp2x":"/news/common/handcuffs4_hu_67833fdad2999079.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/09/211445.html","regions":["moscow","moscow_obl"],"subtitle":"Aleksandr Serebryakov Who Was Earlier Convicted for His Faith Was Detained","tags":["search","ivs","sizo","new-case","interrogation","282.3-1"],"title":"New Searches and a Criminal Case in Moscow and Moscow Region.","type":"news"},{"body":"The court satisfies the petition of the penitentiary inspectorate for parole. The prosecutor does not object. A believer is considered to have served a suspended sentence.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Yavushkin and Bondarchuk in Kemerovo","date":"2023-09-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kemerovo/index.html#20230915","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["parole","suspended","282.3-1","282.2-2"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On September 14, 2023, the examination of the case of Jehovah's Witness, Sergey Gromov, was completed in the Moskovskiy District Court of the city of Kazan. Judge Alsu Gumirova found him guilty of extremism and sentenced him to six years and one month of imprisonment for peacefully practicing his faith.\nGromov's guilt, according to the investigation, is that he \"conducted religious meetings\" at home. Although, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that worship services in themselves are not a crime, the investigator, followed by the judge, equated holding such meetings with organizing the activities of an extremist organization. The prosecutor asked to sentence Sergey to eight years in prison. The believer considers himself innocent and can appeal the verdict.\nGromov was detained along with his wife in March of 2022 at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. It also turned out that the day before an FSB investigator had initiated a criminal case against him under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Then the Gromovs' apartment in the city of Kazan was searched. Since March 17, 2022, Sergey has been in a pre-trial detention center. Over time, he was also accused of financing the activities of an extremist organization.\nAccording to the believer, the testimonies of secret witnesses which this case is based upon are false. The defense is sure that hiding behind pseudonyms are FSB officer Mikhail Vasilyev and Aleksandr Komzolov, who show a negative attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Gromov explained at one of the court hearings that he had not been in contact with Komzolov since 2014, which meant that he could not know anything about his religious life since that time. The judge overuled the lawyer's questions aimed at identifying contradictions. The second witness, according to the defendant, reported \"non-existent facts\" about their acquaintance. The court did not try to establish whether there was a slander on the part of prosecution witnesses.\nIn total, 13 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted in the Republic of Tatarstan. Eleven of them were convicted for their faith, Konstantin Sannikov received six and a half years in prison. Human rights activists oppose this position of law enforcement officers and call on Russia to stop the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-09-14T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/09/150906/image_hu_b87d459b69ddfe75.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/09/150906/image_hu_aa5ad00e96ee735.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/09/150906/image_hu_778989aab5ee030b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/09/150906/image_hu_1685c0921a116cf9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/09/150906.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"The Court of the City of Kazan Sent Sergey Gromov to a Penal Colony for Six Years for Conducting Religious Meetings","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 31, 2023, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld the verdict against Sergey Korolev, 50, Rinat Kiramov, 36, and Sergey Kosyanenko, 62, sentencing them 7-years imprisonment. They were charged with singing religious songs and praying together to Jehovah God, which the courts deemed as organizing the activity of a banned extremist organization.\nIn the appeal, the defense stated that the court of first instance committed numerous violations against Kosyanenko, Korolev and Kiramov. The court did not indicate what specific extremist actions they committed, nor did it prove their criminal motives and intent. The evidence presented by the investigation – recordings of telephone conversations, the results of covert surveillance, the witness testimonies – did not confirm that the believers \"conspired\" for extremist actions.\nAccording to the defense, the believers from Akhtubinsk were convicted as a result of a miscarriage of justice, and \"the actual purpose of the court verdict is to violate the rights of the convicted persons and force them to change their religion or renounce their faith under pain of criminal prosecution.\" Speaking in court via video conferencing, Sergey Korolev stated: \"For what and on what grounds was I sentenced to 7 years? I was tried in the absence of corpus delicti only for my faith.\" Kiramov and Kosyanenko also denied their guilt in extremism. The convicted persons have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation procedure.\nBy its decision, the Astrakhan Regional Court ignored the fact that the RF Supreme Court did not prohibit the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and the right of individuals to practice it. Other Russian courts operate in a similar way, as a result, more than 700 believers have already been subjected to repressions simply for their religious beliefs.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-08-31T12:37:02+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/09/011237/image_hu_9b053ba820cc6226.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/09/011237/image_hu_5866c30753337a7b.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/09/011237/image_hu_6c813b043c3badb8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/09/011237/image_hu_5adefed6d4c2e06d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/09/011237.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"Regional Court in Astrakhan Upheld Harsh Sentence Against Three Believers From Akhtubinsk","type":"news"},{"body":"D. N. Rumyantsev, Senior Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the First Investigation Department of the Fourth Investigation Department (located in the city of Yekaterinburg), makes decisions on the involvement of Valentina Alekseeva, Yuri and Roman Khorikov as accused. The rulings state that believers, \"acting on the grounds of religious hatred, intolerance and discord, with the aim of promoting the exclusivity, superiority of the followers of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and the inferiority of other citizens on the basis of their attitude to religion, made a joint and agreed decision to commit ... the activities of an extremist organization.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Khorikov and Others in Surgut","date":"2023-07-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut2/index.html#20230705","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On January 11, 2023, the Supreme Court of Russia considered the cassation appeal of Jehovah's Witnesses against the guilty verdict in the extremism case handed down on November 30, 2020, in Omsk and granted the part related to revising the sentence served by Sergey Polyakov.\nMore than two years ago, the Pervomaisky District Court of the city of Omsk sentenced Polyakov to three years in a general regime penal colony, and three women were given a suspended sentence: Anastasiya Polyakova—two and a half years; Gaukhar Bektemirova—two years and three months; Dinara Dyusekeyeva—two years. In May 2021, the appellate court upheld the verdict, and a year later this decision was upheld by the Eighth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in the city of Kemerovo. In November 2022, Sergey Polyakov was released after serving his full term in a penal colony.\nHowever, the believer should have been released forty five days earlier than he actually was. The courts considered the period of Polyakov's detention under house arrest, equating one day of house arrest to a half day of detention in a penal colony. But this law was not adopted in Russia until after 2018, that is, after the date when, according to the investigation and the court, Sergey Polyakov committed the crime. In his case, one day of house arrest should have been equated to one day in a penal colony.\nThe Supreme Court of the Russian Federation granted part of Sergey Polyakov's appeal related to the revision of the term of his sentence, and now he has the right to monetary compensation, which he can already claim in a civil procedure.\nThe believers also asked the Supreme Court to cancel the verdict of the court of first instance as well as the appellate ruling of the judicial panel and to transfer the criminal case for a new trial. They still plead not guilty, arguing that they exercised their constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religion and that their actions were exclusively peaceful.\nThe cassation complaint mentions a number of violations discovered during the hearings in the court of first instance (the disappearance of physical evidence and the lack of measures taken to search for it, as well as the court’s refusal to add to the criminal case evidence that confirms the use of violence against Polyakov during the search and the planting of prohibited religious literature by security forces in places of worship of Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.). During the first instance court hearings, the prosecution did not cite a single statement by Polyakov aimed at inciting religious hatred, nor did it provide any evidence to support such statements. These arguments were not taking into account by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.\nOn June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights fully acquitted Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and ruled that Russia stop persecuting them for their faith. Although Russia ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe in March 2022, in terms of international law, it is obliged to comply with the decisions of the ECHR issued before September 16, 2022.\n","category":"trial","date":"2023-01-11T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/120938/image_hu_83718e2fadfa28bf.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/120938/image_hu_92e1080e8e65c47c.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/120938/image_hu_9b8b537ecac0b043.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/120938/image_hu_67379a35ea58be22.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/120938.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":"One of Them Has Already Served a Full Prison Term for His Faith","tags":["supreme-court","282.2-1","282.2-2","mitigation","282.3-1"],"title":"The Supreme Court of Russia Partially Granted the Appeal of Four of Jehovah's Witnesses From Omsk.","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 10, 2023, the Eighth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Kemerovo upheld the conviction of Aleksandr Bondarchuk and Sergey Yavushkin - 4 years of suspended sentence. The hearing was held in person and was attended by 12 of the defendants' relatives and friends.\nThe court of first instance passed its sentence in June 2021, and in February 2022, the appeal left it unchanged. Aleksandr Bondarchuk and Sergey Yavushkin still do not agree with the charges against them, as they reported in their appeals: \"Neither the verdict nor the appellate ruling provides clear criteria by which we can clearly see what specific actions we took were a continuation of illegal activities of a liquidated legal entity.\"\n\"I was sentenced,\" commented Bondarchuk, \"only for worshiping Jehovah God, calling it an extremist, illegal action. And this is absurd!\"\nYavushkin also explained to the court that Jehovah's Witnesses can in no way be connected with extremism: \"Believing in Jehovah God and at the same time feeling hatred towards people are incompatible concepts. That is why I cannot be called an extremist in any way. Loving and respecting people is my way of life.\nIn June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is illegal: \"Only religious statements and actions containing or calling for violence, hatred or discrimination can constitute grounds for suppression as 'extremist'. [...] The courts have not found any of the petitioners' words, acts or actions to be motivated by violence, hatred or discrimination against others or to have connotations of violence, hatred or discrimination\" (§271).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2023-01-10T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2023/01/111049/image_hu_ed9980fa93ac4e22.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2023/01/111049/image_hu_aa157dfbb89f5783.jpg","webp":"/news/2023/01/111049/image_hu_69279623f2782de7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2023/01/111049/image_hu_63d8b5020cda6ed4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2023/01/111049.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"The Kemerovo Court of Cassation Upheld the Conviction of Aleksandr Bondarchuk and Sergey Yavushkin—Four Years Suspended","type":"news"},{"body":"Text updated February 24, 2023\nOn December 22, 2022, the Fourth General Jurisdiction Court of Cassation, presided over by Judge Rustem Asanov, insignificantly reduced the sentence on believers Rustam Diarov, Sergey Klikunov and Yevgeniy Ivanov, sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony, and Olga Ivanova (wife of Yevgeniy), sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony. Now, after serving their sentence, they will be able to choose a settlement for residence, but they will be banned from leaving it. Previously, they were forbidden to leave Astrakhan.\nThe rest of the verdict was left unchanged, and the cassation appeals were not satisfied. The state prosecutor requested to toughen the punishment, and only verbally, without stating this in written objections to the cassation appeal. The session of the Court of Cassation was held via video-conferencing. Believers participated in the hearings while in the colonies.\nIn fact, the court found Astrakhan residents guilty of extremism because they believe in Jehovah God. In itself, being part of the international canonical structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, including believers organized in different groups all over the world, which the Russian Supreme Court had not assessed or declared extremist, does not constitute a crime.\nIn his cassation appeal Yevgeniy Ivanov stressed the absurdity of the charges against him: \"The verdict and the appeal decision do not contain any extremist statements, especially those aimed at inciting enmity and hatred.\" His lawyer also noted: \"Yevgeniy was found guilty of a crime against the foundations of the state and state security, although Jehovah's Witnesses are politically neutral, and he is not a socially dangerous person.\" \"All the witnesses questioned in the case indicated that there were no signs of extremism in my words, actions and motives,\" added Sergey Klikunov.\nA recent decision of the European Court states that \"believers demonstrate their desire to adhere strictly to the teachings of the religion they profess, and their right to do so is guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention\" (§ 172).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-22T09:24:24+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_3c0d4534896a0783.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_180b1fd5d4a480c.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_dbbc13defc9f7b38.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/230924/image_hu_95f5a617465a94f1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/230924.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["cassation","mitigation","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","families","282.3-1"],"title":"The Court of Cassation Slightly Softened the Brutal Conviction of Four Jehovah's Witnesses From Astrakhan","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 21, 2022, Judge Daria Varkalevich of the Blagoveshchensk City Court of the Amur Region sentenced Sergey Afanasiyev to 6.5 years in prison, Sergey Kardakov to 6 years and 4 months in prison and Sergey Yermilov, Anton Olshevskiy and Adam Svarichevskiy to 6 years and 3 months in prison. They were taken into custody in the courtroom.\nThe persecution of believers in Blagoveshchensk began back in 2017. Many of them were under covert surveillance. Later, their homes were searched. In October 2019, FSB Investigator Obukhov initiated a criminal case against Anton Olshevskiy and Sergey Yermilov, and he charged Svarichevskiy, Afanasiyev and Kardakov within a year. All five were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and Afanasiyev was also accused of financing it. The essence of the actions that the court considered criminal came down to reading the Bible, praying, singing religious songs and discussing Christian teachings.\nReligious persecution also affected the wives of two believers—Valentina Yermilova and Yekaterina Olshevskaya. Since July 2021, they have been charged in a different criminal case, which is also being investigated by Investigator Obukhov.\nIn September 2021, the case went to trial. During the hearings, it became obvious that there were no victims in the case, and there is no proof of any illegal actions on the part of those accused. All five defendants pleaded not guilty and stated to the court that the only reason they are being prosecuted is their faith in God.\nIn his closing statement, Sergey Afanasiyev said: “Whom have I harmed? I didn't see a single victim. For one reason: there aren't any. If I was not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I would not be on trial.” Anton Olshevskiy expressed a similar thought: “I am sure that the criminal case against me is nothing less than persecution for my faith and an attempt to force me to renounce my convictions.” Sergey Yermilov said: “I believe that accusing me of involvement in extremist activities is either a gross error of the investigation or a deliberate distortion of facts in order to discredit the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.” Adam Svarichevskiy, whose parents were exiled to Stalin's labor camps because of their faith in Jehovah, also emphasized: “I am convinced that I did nothing unlawful against God’s standards or against the government.” Sergey Kardakov pointed out: “During the judicial investigation, not a single piece of evidence was presented to indicate that my life and my worship to God in any way undermine the security of the state. The prosecutor's office has been trying to prove for a year that I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I have never denied it.”\nYermilov, Olshevskiy, Svarichevskiy, Afanasiyev and Kardakov had been under a recognizance agreement for 2 to 3 years, until the verdict was announced. It has not yet entered into force and can be appealed. The criminal case materials against these five believers from Blagoveshchensk were separated from the case of Aleksey Berchuk and Dmitriy Golik, who are already serving long sentences in prison. In total, criminal cases were initiated against 23 people in the Amur Region because of their faith as Jehovah's Witnesses.\nIn August 2022, the European Court of Human Rights unequivocally sided with Russian Jehovah's Witnesses. “Both the applicants’ religious activities and the content of their publications appear to have been peaceful in line with their professed doctrine of non-violence. […] Not one of the banned publications was found to contain calls or incitement to violence or any insulting, slanderous or discriminatory statements against members of other faiths.” (§ 157)\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-21T14:23:04+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_f00c0086965f1caa.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_22a7cfb27dfe84df.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_7652ee300109329c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/211423/image_hu_2a92c1f0bda4c12e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/211423.html","regions":["amur"],"subtitle":"Religious Meetings and Talks Are Viewed as a Crime","tags":["282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","sentence","families","282.3-1","descendants-repressed"],"title":"A Court in Blagoveshchensk Sentenced Five of Jehovah's Witnesses to More Than 6 Years in prison.","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 19, 2022, Judge Yana Vladimirova of the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region rendered the following harsh sentences because of religion—Dmitriy Zagulin received 3.5 years in prison, Alam Aliyev recieved 6.5 years in prison, and Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger received 7 years in prison for supposedly organizing and financing extremist activity.\nThe investigation and trial lasted an unprecedented 4.5 years. The trial itself lasted over 2 years. The prosecutor requested that the believers be punished with 4 to 9 years in prison.\nOn May 17, 2018, a large-scale operation code-named \"Judgment Day\" was conducted by 150 security officials in Birobidzhan. During this raid, Alam Aliyev was detained. A criminal case was initiated against him because of his religion, and he spent 8 days in a pre-trial detention center. Later, three more believers were included in Aliyev's case.\nDmitriy Zagulin recalled: “After the searches that took place in our city, at first it was difficult to get used to the idea that we now live in a different reality.” On November 2021, Dmitriy was fired from his job because of the trial.\nSergey Shulyarenko talked about his family's reaction to the criminal case against him: \"My relatives believe that the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is some kind of misunderstanding.\" He also noted that despite the persecution, believers \"try to come to the courthouse in order to support each other, to assure those who have hearings on that day of their love.\"\nAlam Aliev compared the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in modern Russia with their persecution in the Soviet Union. “If I am considered an extremist, then how many years will I have to wait to be rehabilitated?” the believer asked the court.\nDuring the closing statement, Valeriy Kriger emphasized: “I am determined to continue to do good deeds and to display impartiality to all people, regardless of their nationality, social status and religious affiliation.”\nUpdate. After the verdict was announced, the believers were taken into custody: they were handcuffed and taken in prison vans to a temporary detention center, where they are awaiting an appeal hearing. In total, 23 Jehovah's Witnesses in the region have already been prosecuted for their beliefs. Among them are the wife of Alam Aliyev—Svetlana Monis;the wife of Valery Krieger—Nataliya Krieger; and the wife of Dmitriy Zagulin—Tatyana Zagulina.\nIn its judgment of June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights fully justified Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, stating: “The Court reiterates that only religious statements and actions involving or calling for violence, hatred or discrimination may warrant suppression as being 'extremist' […] The courts did not identify any word, deed or action by the applicants which would be motivated or tainted by violence, hatred or discrimination against others.” (§ 271).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-12-19T09:47:15+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_5bc278dbbcb0dfe9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_3a2e48b6ccefae50.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_e131708b749740f0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/12/190947/image_hu_636414b4a5616332.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/12/190947.html","regions":["jewish"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","liberty-deprivation","sentence","work-restrictions","families","282.3-1"],"title":"Four Believers From Birobidzhan Received From 3.5 to 7 Years in Prison for Reading and Discussing the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"During his next visit to the lawyer, Sergey said that the investigator opened a new criminal case against him under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing the activities of an extremist organization).\nNow Sergey is being held with 7 other prisoners in an 8-bed cell. During two recent court hearings, Sergey saw his wife and daughter, which he was very happy about. He is also strengthened by letters of support from family and friends.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Gromov in Kazan","date":"2022-12-15T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kazan3/index.html#20221215","regions":["tatarstan"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","sizo"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 30, 2022, Sergey Polyakov's sentence ended and he was released. The believer served the full term of imprisonment - 3 years, of which he actually spent about 1.5 years in the penal colony.\nIn November 2020, a district court found Polyakov guilty of extremism because of his religion. After an appeal confirmed the verdict in May 2021, Sergey was transferred to Valdai, which is 3,000 kilometers from his hometown. The journey took almost 2 months, and in August he arrived at penal colony No. 4 in the city of Valdai.\nIn the colony Sergey had the opportunity to work as a contractor. He had good relations with both the prisoners and the administration—he was respected as a prisoner for his faith, there were no conflicts.\nThanks to the onsite library, Polyakov received a Bible. He was greatly supported by letters from friends and relatives. He says that he received more letters a day than the entire colony (about 250 people). Sergey was visited by his wife several times.\nOn June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights fully acquitted Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and ruled to stop persecuting them for their faith.\n","category":"sentence","date":"2022-11-30T16:13:16+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_e5183260910eeff3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_8b9e47a6d656caca.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_508f102814e07174.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/301613/image_hu_3e8a41f91457b8a7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/301613.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":"He Served a Sentence of Three Years in a Penal Colony","tags":["release","letters","282.2-1","282.3-1","families","life-in-prison"],"title":"Sergey Polyakov, One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Omsk, Was Released.","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 25, 2022, Judge Amir Amirov of the Kirovskiy District Court of Makhachkala gave Arsen Abdullaev, Marat Abdulgalimov and Anton Dergalev 6.5-year suspended sentences and gave Mariya Karpova a 6-year suspended sentence. The court considered participation in worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremism.\nIn June 2019, the investigative department of the FSB of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan conducted searches of the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Kizlyar, and Derbent. According to eyewitnesses, brochures on the list of extremist materials were planted in one apartment. The searches were based on a criminal case initiated in May 2019. Law enforcement officers accused Abdullaev, Dergalev, Abdulgalimov and Karpova of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Additionally, the men were charged with financing a banned organization, and Mariya was charged with involving others in the organization's activity. All four Jehovah's Witnesses were included on the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists, and their bank accounts were frozen. For some time they could not visit public places or use the telephone.\nThe believers spent around 1 year in a pre-trial detention center and another 2.5 years—until the verdict was rendered—under house arrest. While Mariya Karpova was in custody, her father died; he was seriously ill. She was not allowed to attend the funeral. Thousands of letters from Russia and from 30 other countries helped those imprisoned for their faith in pre-trial detention centers to cope with the injustice. Mariya says: “I especially liked letters with photographs. I never felt lonely.\"\nIn January 2021, after more than a year and a half of investigation, the case went to court. “Hundreds of people came to the court,” recalls Marat Abdulgalimov, “Many people came from neighboring cities and republics.” Arsen Abdullaev added: “Some traveled 300-400 km just to shake hands with us, hug us and say a few words of encouragement ... I am so proud of my wife, Suat. When we saw each other in court, she did show how hard this was for her.\nThe prosecutor requested a prison sentence of 7.5 years for Arsen, Marat and Anton and 6.5 years for Mariya, but the court gave only suspended sentences. In addition, the court excluded the charge of involving others in extremist activities from Mariya Karpova's verdict.\nThe court verdict against the four Makhachkala residents has not yet entered into force. The believers pleaded not guilty to the crimes and have the right to file appeals.\nIn a July 7, 2022 ruling, the European Court of Human Rights called the criminal persecution of believers in Russia illegal: \"The forced liquidation of all religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation... revealed signs of a policy of intolerance on the part of the Russian authorities to force Jehovah's Witnesses to abandon their faith and to prevent others from joining it\" (§ 254).\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-11-25T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_bc7b581f544e571f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_7aa99a784defba74.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_b3fa4c7e79d96641.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/11/280921/image_hu_5ad8ab7fdf4bafc5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/11/280921.html","regions":["dagestan"],"subtitle":"They Prayed and Discussed the Bible","tags":["suspended","sentence","282.3-1","282.2-1.1","282.2-1","families","rosfinmonitoring"],"title":"A Court in Dagestan Gave Suspended Sentences to Four of Jehovah's Witnesses for \"Extremism.\"","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 4, 2022, the Kirov Regional Court, chaired by Aleksandr Kulguskin, denied the appeal of six local believers. The verdict of the first instance — 2.5 to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment — came into force.\nAndrzej Oniszczuk, Yevgeniy and Andrey Suvorkov, Maksim Khalturin, Vladimir Korobeynikov and Vladimir Vasilyev insist on their innocence because they practiced their religion legally. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.\nSpeaking with his last word in the Court of Appeal, Andrzej Oniszczuk noted that he had been a Jehovah's Witness for more than 30 years and lived according to Biblical principles. He said: \"As a believer, I never even thought about extremism ... Inner convictions do not allow me to oppose the state system.\" Vladimir Vasilyev also noted: “I profess religious views that are not prohibited by law. I have never had anything to do with extremism.\"\nVladimir Korobeynikov said: “I love my family very much and take care of them. My wife and daughter, who lives with us, have disability of I and II degree. My relations with neighbors are friendly, and they know me as a person who is always ready to help. There is also a characteristic in the case file confirming this. Do extremists have such qualities?”\nMaksim Khalturin emphasized: “My parents, due to their age and illnesses, depend on my help, which is unrealistic for social services to provide. They have no other relatives who can help them. Therefore, if I am deprived of their liberty, they will be put on the brink of survival and will not last long.”\nThe peace-loving views of Andrey and Yevgeniy Suvorkov (stepson and stepfather) had prompted them to do alternative civilian service instead of military service, but in court they were forced to prove that they were not extremists.\nEarlier, four other of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kirov were convicted. For practicing their peaceful religion, they received fines ranging from 200 to 500 thousand rubles.\nDespite the fact that the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a ruling in defense of the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses to hold worship services and joint religious rites and ceremonies, the persecution of believers in the country does not stop.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_87ce803a516d1bc1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_ea9ff580be5037bc.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_8b0abd816dd75bd4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/10/060947/image_hu_3eac32f83fd18de8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/10/060947.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended","families"],"title":"Appeal in Kirov Upheld the Verdict Against 6 of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 2, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan, chaired by Judge Olga Migunova, upheld the verdict against Vladimir Myakushin, Konstantin Matrashov, Ilham Karimov and Aydar Yulmetyev, but at the request of the prosecutor imposed a number of restrictions on believers.\nFor their peaceful beliefs, four believers will serve suspended sentences: Vladimir Myakushin—3 years and 1 month, Aydar Yulmetyev—2 years and 9 months, and Konstantin Matrashov and Ilham Karimov—2.5 years each. All of them were also placed on probation for 2 years. The judicial board of the appellate instance fully satisfied the appeal presentation of the prosecution and added the following restrictions to the main punishment: “do not change the permanent place of residence without notifying the specialized state body that monitors the behavior of probationers, appear once a month for registration.” All four still insist on their innocence and can appeal the verdict on cassation.\nFor the first time, believers were persecuted for their faith back in 2018. After a series of searches, they were arrested, each had to spend almost six months in a pre-trial detention center and from 2 to 3 months under house arrest.\nAt the appeal hearing, Ilham Karimov said: “I did not engage in extremist or other illegal activities. I lead a peaceful way of life, respect authority and keep the law, because I am a believer. The manifestation of hatred, enmity and violence is incompatible with my views.” A similar thought was expressed by Vladimir Myakushin: \"I did not do anything for which I would be ashamed and for which I could be held criminally liable.\" Aydar Yulmetiev drew the attention of the court to the fact that because of his peace-loving views, he used the right to alternative civilian service. And Konstantin Matrashov noted that the interrogated witnesses did not confirm a single accusation against him.\nThe Soviet and Russian religious scholar, Doctor of Philosophy Sergey Ivanenko commented on the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia: “Jehovah’s Witnesses . . . are quite consistently pursuing a line so as not to destroy social foundations . . . This is their conscious choice, and in this sense I would not blame them for any extremist encroachments.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-09-02T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/09/051623/image_hu_1268c4d8fce1c3fa.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/09/051623/image_hu_37686797f990842d.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/09/051623/image_hu_32e45c688f6bd1b4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/09/051623/image_hu_f2966970b4cb09bb.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/09/051623.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"A Tatarstan Appeal Upheld Suspended Sentences for Four Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"The criminal case against Nikolay Merinov is separated from the case of other believers in Irkutsk.\n","caseTitle":"Merinov's case in Irkutsk","date":"2022-08-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/irkutsk2/index.html#20220811","regions":["irkutsk"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August 5, 2022, the Stavropol Regional Court, chaired by Judge Andrey Shever, partially granted the appeal and commuted the sentence, replacing Konstantin Samsonov with 7.5 years in prison for a fine. The believer is expected to be released on August 8.\nAccording to preliminary information the court also partially satisfied the prosecutor's appeal, increasing the amount of fines for other defendants in the case—Aleksandr Akopov and Shamil Sultanov. Taking into account the period of detention in a pre-trial detention center, all three believers were fined, payable: Sultanov and Akopov—250,000 rubles each, and Samsonov—400,000 rubles.\nUpdate. It became known that the court imposed a fine of 1,400,000 rubles on Konstantin Samsonov and 1,000,000 rubles on Aleksandr Akopov and Shamil Sultanov. However, given the long period pre-trial detention, the punishment was reduced to fines of 400,000 rubles for Samsonov and 250,000 rubles each for Akopov and Sultanov. On April 19, 2022, the judge of the Neftekumskiy District Court Maksim Mazikin considered the conversations of three believers about God to be extremism. Of these, Konstantin Samsonov, the leading systems engineer at the Neftekumsk Central District Hospital, received the most severe sentence for his faith.\nThe process was held with violations, the prosecution did not provide evidence of crimes on the part of believers, as witnesses the prosecutor involved repeatedly convicted persons, including those who did not know the defendants, and the secret prosecution witness “Agafonov” admitted that the believers did not cause any harm to him or anyone or otherwise.\nAddressing the court at the appeal hearing, Samsonov emphasized that extremism was alien to him. He added: “I not only implemented federal programs for the digitalization of healthcare, but also participated in subbotniks to improve the city, did not lead an immoral lifestyle, raised a responsible son . . . I myself chose the Christian path. This is not extremism!”\nSamsonov, Akopov and Sultanov spent a year behind bars. Due to the imposed restrictions for more than two years, they were forced to wear special sensors that record their movements.\nOn June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights ruled to end the persecution of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses on religious grounds and to release all believers illegally imprisoned.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-08-05T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/08/081523/image_hu_79894e1a49e6621d.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/08/081523/image_hu_22c9692d5c34cc9c.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/08/081523/image_hu_7c0dabacaa65c43a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/08/081523/image_hu_79946088556ad6ce.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/08/081523.html","regions":["stavropol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.3-1","fine","mitigation","secret-witness"],"title":"Appeal in Stavropol Replaced Seven and a Half Years in Prison for Konstantin Samsonov With a Fine","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 1, 2022, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court, presided over by Judge Olga Yaroshenko, upheld the sentence handed down to one of Jehovah's Witnesses Kirill Yevstigneev, 42—3 years' suspended imprisonment for his belief in Jehovah God.\nAddressing the court, the believer emphasized: \"I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and therefore I will never plan to commit extremist actions, as well as approve or support other people who commit similar criminal acts. These are my religious and life beliefs.\"\nThe verdict has entered into force. Kirill Yevstigneev still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.\nIn July 2019, mass searches were carried out in the homes of local believers in Nizhny Novgorod. In total, 31 families suffered from the actions of the security forces in the region, including Kirill and his wife. In September of the same year, a criminal case was opened against Yevstigneev on charges of financing the activities of an extremist organization.\nThe accusation was based on the fact that in April 2019, Kirill Yevstigneev was at a party in a rented room, where they acted out scenes based on the plots of Soviet films, danced, listened to secular music and played games. For this \"crime\" the prosecutor requested 6 years of real imprisonment.\nOn June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights declared the accusations against Russian Jehovah's Witnesses groundless and awarded them millions of euros in compensation for unfair criminal prosecution.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-08-01T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/08/020835/image_hu_dda71952d32fec93.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/08/020835/image_hu_3e221c8d82581cbb.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/08/020835/image_hu_99c7fe2bdd28c594.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/08/020835/image_hu_850cb8588f368ff9.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/08/020835.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.3-1","suspended"],"title":"Appeal in Nizhny Novgorod Approved the Conviction of Kirill Yevstigneev for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"The Eighth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Kemerovo upholds the sentence of Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, as well as Gaukhar Bektemirova and Dinara Dyusekeyeva.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2022-06-23T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20220623","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["cassation","282.2-2","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 3, 2022, Timur Yusupov, judge of the Pervomaisky District Court of Kirov, convicted six believers and sentenced them to 2.5 to 6.5 years of suspended imprisonment, considering reading and discussing the Bible together extremism. Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk, 53, was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months; 29-year-old Andrey and 44-year-old Evgeniy Suvorkov got 6 years and 3 months each; Maksim Khalturin, 47, - 6 years and 2 months; Vladimir Korobeynikov, 69, was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months, and Vladimir Vasilyev, 65, — to 2 years and 6 months. Yuriy Geraskov, who died during the investigation, was also found guilty of extremism, but the criminal case was dismissed due to the death of the defendant. Earlier, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a prison sentence on everyone except Vladimir Vasilyev, while Vasilyev was to be fined 900,000 rubles.\nThe criminal prosecution of civilians in Kirov began with mass searches in 2018. The Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kirov Region opened a criminal case on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, participating in it and financing it. According to the prosecution, the believers “organized meetings of followers and members of this association [Jehovah’s Witnesses] in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs, improving the skills of carrying out missionary activities, and studying religious literature.”\nThe residents of Kirov was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent from 3 to 11 months. After 70 days of imprisonment in solitary confinement, the court placed Vladimir Korobeinikov under house arrest, since his wife is seriously ill, and his daughter Nina is not able to provide her with the necessary support, since she herself is a group I disabled person. The rest of the believers were also under house arrest for 6 to 9 months after imprisonment.\nThe investigation lasted over 2 years. A week before the start of the hearing, Yuriy Geraskov died due to a long illness, aggravated by the stress of the criminal prosecution.\nTraditionally for such trials, there were no victims in the case. Vladimir Korobeynikov, in his last word in court, said: “My convictions are exclusively peaceful, therefore there are no victims in this case. For me, the humiliation of human dignity, the undermining of the foundations of the constitutional order, the incitement of religious or racial hatred are unacceptable. And the prosecution during the entire trial did not provide a single piece of evidence to the contrary!” Andrzej Oniszczuk, in turn, emphasized: “Biblical principles and inner convictions do not allow me to oppose the state system and cause harm and pain to someone.” Vladimir Vasilyev, addressing the court, was perplexed: “Like other disciples of Jesus Christ, by reading everything that is written in the Bible, I am learning to live as Jesus commanded. Can this be called a crime? According to Yevgeniy Suvorkov, \"It is clear that Jehovah's Witnesses are being tried only for their faith, and not for any crime.\" Andrey Suvorkov added: “All our actions were dictated only by love for God and neighbor!” Maksim Khalturin, in whose care the elderly parents are, urged the court: “Please do not bring me to criminal liability for following the commandments of Christ.”\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-06-03T16:27:01+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_315fd7889ab9eccd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_b35d51d65b7b5443.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_6112e07320b7c9e4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/06/031626/image_hu_83adeec7efe88f09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/06/031626.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","elderly","died","sentence","suspended"],"title":"Six Jehovah's Witnesses in Kirov, Including a Polish Citizen, Received Suspended Sentences for Reading the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 19, 2022, the collegium of the Court of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Area-Yugra overturned the sentence of Andrey Sazonov and sent the case for a new trial to the Uray City Court by a differently constituted bench.\nTwo months earlier, Judge Ilnur Gilmanov of the Uray City Court found Andrey Sazonov guilty of organizing and financing extremist activities, despite the fact that the testimony of witnesses and the results of the examination refuted the charge. The believer was fined 500,000 rubles.\nSazonov holds the position of head of one of the departments at the Urayteploenergia enterprise. He was awarded diplomas from the city administration, as well as from the management of the enterprise, where he has been working for many years.\nThe Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area-Yugra Court granted the convict's petition, removing the appointed lawyer from the courtroom, therefore, as in the city court, Andrey Sazonov defended himself. Addressing the Court of Appeal, he emphasized: “I exercise my constitutional right to believe in Jehovah God and live in accordance with my religious beliefs. And it's not a crime. Therefore, finding me guilty only for my religious beliefs is evidence of discrimination.”\nInternational and Russian human rights activists and public organizations condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. In November 2021, the public committee “Freedom of Conscience” stated: “The decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia must be implemented in judicial practice. The state must admit its mistake, and law enforcement agencies and courts must stop the repressions against Jehovah's Witnesses. The state should apologize to believers.”\n","category":"trial","date":"2022-05-23T16:29:02+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/231629/image_hu_28acfc78cd2a4e98.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/231629/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/231629/image_hu_919c1edadd055520.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/231629/image_hu_e89f8ce63bea5f05.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/231629.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","retrial","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"An Appeal Filed in Khanty-Mansiysk Reversed Andrey Sazonov's Sentence and Ordered the Case to Be Retried","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 12, 2022, Viktor Ushakov, judge of the Leninskiy District Court of Nizhny Novgorod, found 42-year-old Kirill Yevstigneev guilty of financing the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 3 years of suspended sentence. The believer can appeal the verdict.\n“I am in the dock not because I committed some real crime and therefore dangerous to society. I am being prosecuted just for being a Christian, for being a Jehovah's Witness. Do we live during the medieval Inquisition, when people were persecuted just because they read the Bible?” — asked the defendant rhetorically, addressing the court with the last word.\nYevstigneev resolutely denied the guilt of extremism and asked the court to justify his good name, but the judge delivered a guilty verdict, although he did not satisfy the prosecutor's request to send the believer to a colony for 6 years.\nIn the summer of 2019, in Nizhny Novgorod and the nearby town of Pavlovo, houses of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched extensively. After them, law enforcement officers began one after another to initiate criminal cases against believers. Now there are already 9 criminal cases against 16 Jehovah's Witnesses in the region. The Yevstigneev case is one of them.\nKirill Yevstigneev was included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring. All his bank accounts were blocked, and his travel ban limited his ability to move.\nThe believer was accused of “financing an extremist organization,” because, according to the investigation, he “signed a lease agreement for non-residential premises . . . and made payment under this agreement in the amount of 7,500 rubles.” The believers rented this room for friendly events, the video of one of them was later shown in court. The footage shows how during the 6-hour meeting people communicated, performed musical performances, including those based on plots from well-known and loved by many Soviet films, sang songs and danced to secular music. How these actions are connected with extremism, a crime against the foundations of security and the constitutional order, neither the investigation nor the prosecutor explained.\nThe ECtHR, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are just some of the organizations condemning the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-05-12T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/05/130847/image_hu_680204da680d0574.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/05/130847/image_hu_70c400f043312baa.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/05/130847/image_hu_edaf4a225b36873c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/05/130847/image_hu_a4fcfcbc81162db6.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/05/130847.html","regions":["nizhegorod"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["rosfinmonitoring","282.3-1","sentence","suspended"],"title":"A Nizhny Novgorod Court Handed Kirill Yevstigneyev a Three-Year Suspended Sentence for Believing in God","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 19, 2022, Maksim Mazikin, judge of the Neftekumsk District Court of the Stavropol Territory, sentenced Konstantin Samsonov to 7.5 years in prison, he was arrested in the courthouse. Aleksandr Akopov and Shamil Sultanov each received a fine of 500,000 rubles, which has already been paid off on account of the time served in the pre-trial detention center. A written undertaking not to leave was taken from them.\nThe judge began to announce the verdict for the three believers on April 15. This process took three sessions, each of which lasted many hours, during which the defendants and listeners had to stand. Dozens of those who are not indifferent came to support believers from different cities of Stavropol Territory, as well as from Elista and Moscow. The prosecutor asked the court to sentence Samsonov to 9 years in prison, Akopov and Sultanov to 8 years each, but the court sentenced only Konstantin to prison. Believers consider the verdict unfair, it has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nEven before the initiation of a criminal case, Neftekumsk believers faced an armed raid during a friendly meeting, surveillance and repeated searches. In December 2018, Samsonov, Akopov and Sultanov ended up in a pre-trial detention center. A. V. Astakhov, senior investigator of the FSB department of the Stavropol Territory, accused them of extremism (part 1 of article 282.2 and part 1 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nAfter a year of imprisonment, the court replaced their arrest with a ban on certain actions. For more than two years, due to the restrictions imposed, they have been forced to wear special sensors that record their movements. Akopov could not receive the medical care he needed, and Samsonov could not work in his specialty (his family lives off the savings made before his arrest).\nAll the time the men were in jail, they were helped in every possible way by fellow believers. They financially and emotionally supported not only the prisoners themselves, but also their families, provided housing for the duration of court hearings in Stavropol. While behind bars, Samsonov, Akopov and Sultanov received letters from more than 28 countries. Shamil Sultanov recalls: \"On one occasion they brought me about 70 letters at once.\" Konstantin Samsonov says: \"Everyone in the pre-trial detention center was amazed at how many letters came to me from Russia and other countries.\" He read some passages aloud at the request of his cellmates.\nThe ECtHR, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are just some of the organizations condemning the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-04-19T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/04/200905/image_hu_879427cc47ab3219.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/04/200905/image_hu_5339953d079cbbfe.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/04/200905/image_hu_b9bf138f1550c7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/04/200905/image_hu_1d75936dfbc92393.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/04/200905.html","regions":["stavropol"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","fine","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Neftekumsk-Based Jehovah's Witnesses Convicted for Reading the Bible: One Received a Seven-and-a-Half Year Prison Sentence, the Other Two Received Hefty Fines","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 14, 2022, the Astrakhan Regional Court, by an appeal decision, approved the sentence of Anna Safronova, 56,—6 years of real imprisonment. The panel of judges, chaired by Nikolay Marevskiy, considered the discussion of the Bible and the collection of funds to help fellow believers extremism.\nThus, the record-breaking sentence for female Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia came into force. The believer still insists on her innocence. She has the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.\nAnna Safronova drew attention of the security forces in June 2020: she was brought in as a witness in a case against four fellow believers. A year later, a criminal case was opened against Anna herself, a search was conducted in her house, after which the believer was taken away for interrogation and placed in a temporary detention facility for a day. The next day, the court placed Anna under house arrest. After the guilty verdict was announced, she spent 80 days in a detention center waiting for an appeal.\nThe judge of the first instance repeatedly and grossly violated the right to defense and a fair trial in relation to the believer: he interrupted the hearings, did not allow the defense side to file petitions; gave the lawyer one week to familiarize himself with the 27 volumes of the case. At the same time, witnesses for the prosecution pointed out that there was no extremism in the actions of Anna Safronova.\nIn the Astrakhan region, eight believers have already been subjected to criminal prosecution. Four of them were also severely punished simply for not refusing to practice the peaceful religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, commented: “In Russia, a criminal can get even a shorter sentence for killing or rape. Justice officials put harmless talk of the Bible on a par with heinous crimes.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-04-14T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/04/180926/image_hu_d776d57acf00206f.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/04/180926/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/04/180926/image_hu_7c23a2ec18654c43.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/04/180926/image_hu_380d5f7eac675d5d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/04/180926.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"Astrakhan Regional Court Affirms an Unprecedented Six-Year Prison Sentence for Anna Safronova — One of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 18, 2022, the Volgograd Regional Court upheld the conviction of Valeriy Rogozin, Igor Egozaryan, Denis Peresunko and Sergey Melnik. They will get jailed for their faith in Jehovah God.\nIn September 2021, the court of first instance sentenced Rogozin to 6 years and 5 months in a penal colony, Peresunko to 6 years and 3 months, and Melnik and Egozaryan to 6 years in a penal colony. The verdict has entered into force, but believers can appeal it in cassation.\nWhen the criminal prosecution began, the wife of Denis Peresunko died of COVID-19, and the believer himself was placed in a pre-trial detention center for 5 months. He is on disability and the resulting stress has exacerbated his condition. A long stay in the pre-trial detention center also seriously undermined the health of Valeriy Rogozin. Egozaryan and Melnik are raising their underage sons.\nIn 2019, law enforcement officers arrested four believers and accused them of organizing extremist activities, and later two of them — Peresunko and Rogozin — also of financing it. At the same time, recordings of religious meetings of Volgograd Jehovah's Witnesses, at which they discuss Bibles, sing songs and pray to God, were used as material evidence of their “guilt.”\nIn court, the prosecution interrogated classified witnesses. One of them kept a covert record of worship and stated that the unlawful activities of the defendants consisted in the fact that they \"obey God.\" Another secret witness said that he had never heard threats, calls for violence or the overthrowing of power from the defendants. Some witnesses openly stated that their testimony had been falsified by the investigator.\nThe scheme, according to which Volgograd residents were convicted, is used by law enforcement agencies throughout Russia against peaceful believers. As in the Rogozin case, the indictments mention “propaganda of the cult of religious superiority of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses” as evidence of extremism. However, human rights activists in Russia and abroad consider this approach to be erroneous and unconstitutional. In particular, back in 2017, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a member of the Presidential Council of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society and human rights, noted with concern: “What believer does not consider his faith to be true? Jehovah's Witnesses is a church that has branches in many countries. They everywhere freely profess their faith and nowhere are they considered extremists. And we have Jehovah's Witnesses, as sincerely believing people, very exemplary citizens: hard-working, honestly treating their families, their children.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-03-18T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/210919/image_hu_6d28dbf2de06dac.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/210919/image_hu_db91ef1e7ce556ab.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/210919/image_hu_e5116b508ffc0d2d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/210919/image_hu_37f94eaf12c37cfe.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/210919.html","regions":["volgograd"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.3-1","disability","minors","health-risk","fabrications","secret-witness","surveillance","elderly"],"title":"An Appeal in Volgograd Upholds the Sentence of Four Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"The investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice N. A. Berg, charges Konstantin Zotov in a new edition.\nThe believer is prosecuted under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2, Part 1 of Article 282.3 and Part 3 of Article 33. At the same time, criminal prosecution under Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 (involvement) is terminated for lack of corpus delicti.\nZotov is accused of \"carrying out pastoral work, personally holding meetings of participants, including using video conferencing technology, at which, together with other members of the local religious cell, he memorized religious texts ... was actively engaged in missionary work.\"\n","caseTitle":"The case of Zotov and others in Berezovsky","date":"2022-03-17T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/beryozovsky3/index.html#20220317","regions":["sverdlovsk"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On March 3, 2022, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld the harsh sentence for Jehovah's Witnesses: 8 years in prison for Yevgeniy Ivanov, Rustam Diarov and Sergey Klikunov, and 3.5 years in prison for Ivanov's wife, Olga.\nFour believers were detained and placed in a temporary detention center in June 2020 during mass searches. After that, the men were imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center. Olga Ivanova spent about a year and a half under house arrest, and then waited 4 months for an appeal decision while in a pre-trial detention center.\nAt the hearings in the first instance - the Trusovsky District Court of Astrakhan - dozens of defense witnesses indicated that extremism was alien to the defendants. The prosecutor, in turn, refused to question 20 prosecution witnesses, which limited the right of believers to a full and objective study of the circumstances of the case.\nThe prosecution strategy was reduced to proving that the defendants belonged to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. At the same time, as stated by the Russia’s Government, religion itself is not prohibited. In reality, the security forces do not distinguish between the constitutional right to freedom of religion and participation in the activities of an organization banned by the court. The believers insist on their innocence and intend to appeal the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nAnna Safronova from Astrakhan, who had previously been involved in the case of Ivanov and others as a witness, was also sent to jail in January 2022 by a harsh court decision only for peaceful religious beliefs — she was sentenced to 6 years in prison.\nThe persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia causes great resonance in the legal community. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the ECHR, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are just some of the organizations condemning the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2022-03-04T16:54:03+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_8692188b2f7f9d42.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/03/041654/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_98d685eeb22d8ef7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/03/041654/image_hu_ee98bf6f06023f1e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/03/041654.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"title":"An Appeal in the City Astrakhan Upheld Prison Sentences for Four Jehovah's Witnesses, Including a Woman","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 16, 2022, the Kemerovo Regional Court rejected the appeal of Aleksandr Bondarchuk and Sergey Yavushkin, leaving the sentence unchanged - 4 years of suspended imprisonment.\nIn the summer of 2021, the Zavodskoy District Court of Kemerovo found Bondarchuk and Yavushkin guilty of extremism. The prosecution presented prayers and the rental of a pool for the rite of Christian baptism as a \"crime\". The position of the prosecutor's office was based mainly on the testimony of a witness who was covertly filming the services. At one of the hearings, Yavushkin drew the court's attention to the fact that most of the witness' testimonies were false and contradicted each other. The verdict was appealed.\nAfter the decision of the court of first instance, the believers were under house arrest. Prior to that, they spent 700 days under house arrest. Thus, at the time of the appeal decision, their movements had been restricted in total for more than 2.5 years. During the criminal prosecution, Yavushkin suffered a stroke, and his wife was hospitalized with nervous and emotional strain.\nThe believers vehemently reject the accusations of crimes and can appeal against the decisions of the courts in cassation and international instances. At one of the court hearings, Aleksandr Bondarchuk quoted the words of Russian President Putin: “You can’t force people to go against their faith, their traditions, family pedigree, in the end against truth, justice and just common sense!”\nThe groundlessness of the criminal prosecution of Yavushkin and Bondarchuk in May 2020 was confirmed by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In its decision No. 10/2020, it was noted that criminal cases were initiated “only because [the accused] peacefully professed their religious beliefs, including having religious texts and Bibles with them, gathering together for worship with fellow believers.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-02-17T07:18:57+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/02/170718/image_hu_1bf92e30c2875dc1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/02/170718/image_hu_2211160873ddde25.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/02/170718/image_hu_f70c48692f80b5a2.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/02/170718/image_hu_b272360fdf5f21e2.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/02/170718.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"An Appeal in Kemerovo Upheld Aleksandr Bondarchuk's and Sergey Yavushkin's Sentence - Both Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On January 25, 2022, Aleksandr Lepsky, a judge of the Trusovskiy District Court of Astrakhan, considered Anna Safronova’s participation in Bible discussions extremism and sentenced her to 6 years in a penal colony, as requested by the prosecutor. After the verdict was announced, the believer was taken into custody.\nIn her last speech, Safronova said: “A conscience taught by the Bible does not allow me to harm the state and the people living in it. I have nothing to do with extremism. I am actually accused of believing in Jehovah God, praying to him, talking to others about the Bible and remaining a Jehovah's Witness, that is, enjoying the right guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution.” As in other \"extremist\" cases against Jehovah's Witnesses, in Safronova's case there are no victims or damage caused to anyone or anything. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nAnna Safronova is a 56-year-old widow. She takes care of her mother, who is already over 80. The women had to go through searches twice. The first one took place in the summer of 2020, when a raid took place in the homes of 26 more families of believers. Then Anna was a witness in the case of other Astrakhan believers accused of extremism. A year later, Anna and her mother's apartment was searched again. This time, Safronova was already a suspect. She was interrogated and sent to the detention center for 1 day.\nOn May 28, 2021, the investigator for especially important cases of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region, Nikolay Banko, opened a criminal case against Anna Safronova under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 and part 1 of Art. 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, accusing her of participating in worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses and financing extremist activities. Among the evidence of Anna's “criminal intent” is a discussion of the Bible with fellow believers via video link and the singing of songs and prayers to Jehovah God. The investigation considers the financing of extremism to be the fact that Safronova helped collect voluntary donations for the common needs of believers. For example, to pay for the ZOOM program, video cameras and microphones to communicate with fellow believers. Almost immediately after the initiation of the criminal case, Anna was included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, due to which her bank accounts were blocked.\nAnna Safronova became the first woman, Jehovah's Witness, in Russia to be sentenced to such a long prison term. In addition to her, after the guilty verdict, two more believers are currently behind bars: Olga Ivanova from Astrakhan (sentence - 3.5 years) and Valentina Baranovskaya from Abakan (2 years). In addition, Olga Ponomareva and Anna Yermak from the Krasnodar village of Kholmskaya were sentenced in absentia to 5 and 4.5 years in prison, respectively. Another woman, Tatyana Velizhanina from Sochi, is awaiting a court decision in a pre-trial detention center.\nAccording to the decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of October 28, 2021, “the divine services of Jehovah’s Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2022-01-26T08:38:12+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2022/01/260838/image_hu_951a4d6991667a91.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2022/01/260838/image_hu_8ad68d24cf37d6ea.jpg","webp":"/news/2022/01/260838/image_hu_b47971d7218fc338.webp","webp2x":"/news/2022/01/260838/image_hu_d1d7294c5943c300.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2022/01/260838.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"For the First Time in Russia, a Court Sentenced a Woman to a Six-Year Prison Sentence for Adhering to Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 24, 2021, the judge of the Uray City Court of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, Ilnur Gilmanov, found 41-year-old Andrey Sazonov guilty of organizing and financing the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to a fine of 500 thousand Russian rubles (about 6800 US dollars).\nThe verdict to Andrey Sazonov has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence. Although there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a penalty of 1.5 million rubles on the believer. The court reduced the requested amount by three times.\nA criminal case against Andrey Sazonov was initiated by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra on January 31, 2019. On February 6, 2019, searches were carried out in Uray in 8 homes of citizens whom the authorities considered Jehovah's Witnesses. The security forces detained Andrey Sazonov, interrogated him and sent him to a temporary detention center.\nThe believer recalls: “When I realized that after being interrogated by the investigator I would not return home, of course, I was very worried. The unknown was frightening. The most difficult, probably, was to understand that now you will find yourself in separation from loved ones. The realization that there is nothing you can do to help them ... Yes, and before that we had never parted with my wife for more than two days.” Sazonov temporarily lost the opportunity to provide for his family and take care of the needs of his wife Viktoriya and two minor children. The believer was included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, and all his accounts were blocked.\nDuring the 20 days that Sazonov spent in custody, he was transported three times from one place of detention to another. The journeys took several days. He said: “I was taken to a compartment called a ‘glass.’ There is enough space in it to just sit down. Your knees, shoulders, and back press against walls from all sides. It's difficult even to move. I was being transported in this position for about 6 hours. It was very cold that day, about 40 degrees below zero. I remember when we arrived at the Khanty-Mansiysk temporary detention facility, I already had a strong inner tremor because I could not get warm.” The “glass” does not exceed 50 by 80 cm in size and, in essence, is a metal cabinet with a door that has either one hole or many small ones — for negotiations and air intake.\nAfter 20 days of imprisonment, the court placed Andrey Sazonov under house arrest, under which he spent about 7 months with a bracelet on his leg.\nThe investigation of the criminal case lasted more than a year, after which on April 30, 2020, the case was transferred to the court. The charge was based on audio and video recordings of worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, which were made by one of the witnesses at the request of the police. These records, as well as prosecution witnesses, did not confirm the facts of extremist actions or statements on Sazonov's part. The experts also pointed to the absence of extremism in the case materials sent for examination.\nSazonov holds a responsible position of the first deputy general director at the utility enterprise “Urayteploenergia.” He was awarded with diplomas from the city administration, as well as from the management of the enterprise, where he has been working for many years. Employees at work described Sazonov in court as a conscientious, kind and non-conflict person, a responsible employee and a good supervisor who is always ready to help.\nIn the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, the court is also considering a case against 19 Jehovah's Witnesses from Surgut and one person mistakenly considered by the investigation as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Some of the believers reported that they were tortured during interrogations.\nOn December 8, 2021, Andrey Babushkin, member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, sent an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the ongoing persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Noting the importance of the clarifications given on October 28, 2021 by the Plenum of the Supreme Court on the constitutional right of believers to continue to practice their religion, the human rights activist expressed regret over the actions of the judicial system. Babushkin notes: “The investigative authorities and courts by inertia continue to sanction searches and arrests of believers and pass convictions on them ... At the same time, people are being tried for what, according to the position of the RF Supreme Court, is not a crime.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-12-24T15:44:33+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/12/241544/image_hu_4f97d78b2c0a5919.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/12/241544/image_hu_3b1e459696e3b68d.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/12/241544/image_hu_a4d0c9dc357dd871.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/12/241544/image_hu_45df364373cfe863.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/12/241544.html","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","fine"],"title":"First Sentence in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area: Father of Two, Andrey Sazonov, Convicted for Discussing the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 16, 2021, the judge of the Naberezhnye Chelny City Court of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Khakimov found Ilham Karimov, Aydar Yulmetyev, Konstantin Matrashov and Vladimir Myakushin guilty of extremism only because of their faith in Jehovah God and gave them suspended sentence.\nThe court sentenced 34-year-old Myakushin to 3 years and 1 month of suspended sentence, 33-year-old Matrashov and 40-year-old Karimov — to 2.5 years of suspended sentence, and 28-year-old Yulmetyev — to 2 years and 9 months of suspended sentence. All believers are also assigned a probationary period of 2 years. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. All four of them insist on their complete innocence.\nAddressing the court with the last word, Ilham Karimov said: “The accusations against me of extremist motives are not only unfounded, invented, not based on facts, but also blasphemous, offending my religious feelings, as well as contrary to common sense and violating my right to honest name\". Konstantin Matrashov noted: \"I have no shame because I didn’t do something bad.\" Aydar Yulmetyev emphasized: \"I am not guilty of what I am accused of, in these terrible crimes.\" Vladimir Myakushin explained to the court: \"Jehovah's Witnesses are absolutely peaceful people, and I try to do the same.\"\nThere is not a single victim in the case. However, the prosecutor requested 7 to 8 years in prison for them.\nAll four are law-abiding, peaceful citizens. Matrashov graduated from the University of Management and worked as a mechanic at a factory, financially supporting his mother. Karimov at various times worked as a glassblower, carpenter, assembler, electrician. Myakushin is a leading engineer at a plant for the production of electrical equipment for cars. Yulmetyev grew up in a family of builders and took over professional skills from them, he also studied as an auto mechanic and worked in both specialties.\nOn the evening of May 27, 2018, officers of the Investigative Committee and the FSB came to the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Naberezhnye Chelny and conducted searches until late at night. The security forces seized electronic devices, mobile phones, and passports from believers, among whom were elderly women and a child. Karimov, Myakushin and Matrashov were arrested. Two days after the raids, Yulmetyev was also detained. Later, they were charged with organizing and financing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nThe Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Republic of Tatarstan has been investigating the case for about 2.5 years. In November 2019, hearings were to begin in the Naberezhnye Chelny City Court of the Republic of Tatarstan, but the court returned the case to the prosecutor's office, pointing out significant violations of the law committed at the investigation stage, as well as unfounded accusations by the investigator and the prosecutor. Nevertheless, a year later, the court began to consider the case, which lasted almost a year.\nSince the moment of detention, each of those arrested spent six months in a pre-trial detention center, then from 2 to 3 months under house arrest, and since the end of April 2019 they have been under recognizance agreement. Believers were also included in the Federal List of Extremists of Rosfinmonitoring. Because of this, men could neither fully take care of their relatives, nor get a job, or even insure a car.\nBelievers said that it was especially difficult to endure separation from loved ones. For a long time they were not allowed to meet and talk on the phone. Detention centre officials pressured and warned that if they did not stop sharing their faith with other prisoners, this could further aggravate their situation.\nIn the Republic of Tatarstan, due to the actions of the authorities, 7 more Jehovah's Witnesses suffered. Konstantin Sannikov has been in custody for about a year and a half, and all this time he has been denied visits with his wife.\nOn December 8, 2021, member of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights Andrey Babushkin sent an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the ongoing persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Noting the importance of the clarifications undertaken on October 28, 2021 by the Plenum of the Supreme Court on the constitutional right of believers to continue to practice their religion, the human rights activist expressed regret over the actions of the judicial system. Babushkin writes: \"By inertia, the investigating authorities and courts continue to authorize searches, arrest believers and pass convictions on them . . . At the same time, people are being tried for what, according to the position of the RF Supreme Court, is not a crime.\"\nOn behalf of the members of the Council under the President of Russia for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, the human rights activist asks Vladimir Putin “to draw the attention of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Director of the Federal Security Service, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation to an explanation of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on this issue and give them an order urgently and carefully check the expediency of keeping dozens of arrested Jehovah's Witnesses in custody awaiting trial, as well as “examining previously passed sentences with a view to overturning them.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-12-16T15:33:17+02:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/12/161533/image_hu_92a5af391ae51afa.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/12/161533/image_hu_9b8d11c0481c4fd4.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/12/161533/image_hu_74ff2c9ac62dc112.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/12/161533/image_hu_ea2221b8033a92b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/12/161533.html","regions":["tatarstan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"First Sentence for Faith in Tatarstan: Court Gave From 2.5 to 3 Years of Suspended Sentence to Four Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 25, 2021, the Trusovsky District Court of Astrakhan sentenced Rustam Diarov, Sergey Klikunov and Yevgeniy Ivanov to 8 years, and Yevgeny's wife, Olga, to 3.5 years in prison. These are the longest sentences that Russian courts have imposed on Jehovah's Witnesses for their religious beliefs in recent years.\n“Eight years - in Russia, a criminal can get even less sentence for murder or rape. Officials called upon to ensure justice put harmless talk about the Bible on a par with horrible crimes,— said Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses.— Earlier, only one believer, Aleksey Berchuk,, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for his faith. If we talk about sentences to women, then the current verdict against Olga Ivanova is a record one. Before her, only 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya, who barely survived these events, was sent to prison under such an article”.\nBelievers in Astrakhan insist on their complete innocence. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed in the appellate instance. If protection cannot be achieved in Russia, lawsuits to international structures are possible.\nYevgeniy Ivanov, a shipbuilder by profession, and his wife Olga, a linguist, were deprived of the opportunity to provide for themselves and take care of their elderly mothers due to criminal prosecution for their faith. Olga's mother recently lost her husband. She underwent two operations and needed medical attention, but her daughter was under house arrest and therefore could not help her receive qualified medical care. The criminal prosecution of the welder Sergey Klikunov deprived his wife and daughter of their only breadwinner. Rustam, a puppet theater actor, also lost his favorite job due to his arrest.\nYevgeniy Ivanov, Rustam Diarov and Sergey Klikunov spent more than 500 days in a pre-trial detention center, while Olga Ivanova was under house arrest. She says: “Your apartment becomes a 'camera' with more comfortable conditions ... without the right to leave the house without the permission of the investigator or the court. To control my movements, an electronic bracelet was put on me. For the first two months, I was generally forbidden to leave my apartment. At the same time, I was not allowed to use the telephone, except for calling emergency services. A ban was imposed on the use of the Internet, as well as receiving and sending letters by mail. For the next 8 months I was allowed two-hour walks, but only in the courtyard of my house and at a strictly defined time. \" With the permission of the investigator, her mother moved to Olga from another city. “It was a huge support for me,” Olga continues. “Friends helped my mother buy groceries. To transfer the necessary things for Yevgeniy to the pre-trial detention center, they arrived early in the morning and stood in line even before it opened. \"\nOn June 9, 2020, mass searches took place in at least 27 families of local believers. More than a hundred of law enforcement officials of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region and regional FSB and Ministry of Internal Affairs took part in the raid. A day earlier, Nikolay Banko, an investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region, opened a criminal case against Sergey Klikunov, Rustam Diarov, Yevgeniy and Olga Ivanova. On May 31, 2021, the case was transferred to the Trusovskiy District Court of Astrakhan.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to appoint the believers from 4 to 8.5 years in prison. In passing the verdict, Judge Aleksey Semin changed these terms slightly.\nJehovah's Witnesses around the world are renowned for their peaceful worship practices. Believers in Astrakhan also gathered to pray and discuss the Bible with fellow believers, but the authorities groundlessly considered this a threat to the security of society and the state.\nHuman rights activists of the Sova Information and Analytical Center state: “We believe that this decision [of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017], which entailed mass persecution of believers under anti-extremist articles of the Criminal Code, had no legal basis, and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination \".\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-10-25T10:50:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_e956aa4a8314c600.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_d45096ba71537356.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_377a74dff7b8b6db.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/10/261050/image_hu_d9262728eed85765.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/10/261050.html","regions":["astrakhan"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","families"],"title":"Unprecedented Verdict in Astrakhan: Three Jehovah's Witnesses Got 8 Years Each, One More Believer - 3.5 years in prison","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 23, 2021, the Traktorozavodsky district court of Volgograd sentenced Valeriy Rogozin, Igor Yegozaryan, Sergey Melnik, and Denis Peresunko to long prison terms for praying and discussing the Bible with fellow believers. They were taken into custody and will be kept in pre-trial detention until the sentence comes into force.\nOnly the defendants and one family member each were allowed into the courtroom. Their numerous friends who were waiting outside saw a paddy wagon and a convoy with dogs approaching the court building and it was clear that the sentence would involve actual imprisonment. So during the lunch break, the defendants said goodbye to their relatives and friends.\nJudge Iryna Struk sentenced Valeriy Rogozin to 6 years and 5 months in a penal colony, Denis Peresunko to 6 years and 3 months in a penal colony, Sergey Melnik to 6 years in a penal colony, and Igor Yegorzaryan to 6 years in a penal colony. Earlier, assistant prosecutor Anna Myagkova asked for 9 years in a penal colony for Rogozin and Peresunko, and 7 years for Igor Yegorzaryan and Sergey Melnik.\nWhile the investigation was going on, Valeriy Rogozin, Sergey Melnik, and Igor Egozaryan have already spent more than 7 months behind bars. This seriously undermined Rogozin\u0026#39;s health, and he had to undergo prolonged treatment. Denis Peresunko was in pre-trial detention for more than 5 months. At the same time, there are no victims in the case. The believers insist on their complete innocence.\nValeriy Rogozin, 59, is a former military pilot, who served in the army for 12 years. For many years he worked as a design engineer. Together with his wife, they raised two sons. Igor Yegozaryan, a 56-year-old construction electrician, is raising an underage son. Sergey Melnik, 49, a slinger and roofer by profession, helps his wife take care of their sick relatives. The spouses are raising three sons together, one of whom is underage. Denis Peresunko, 43, is on disability. The stress of his wife\u0026#39;s death and criminal prosecution have aggravated his condition.\nOn November 22, 2019, the charges against the believers were toughened—now the investigation considered them not participants, but organizers of an extremist community. Two of them, Rogozin and Peresunko, were also charged under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of an extremist organization). These articles carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.\nThe case against Valeriy Rogozin and three other believers was initiated on May 13, 2019. It was investigated for about 8 months by the Investigative Committee of the Volgograd region. The case went to the Traktorozavodsky district court of Volgograd on January 9, 2020.\nTo prove the guilt of peaceful believers in court, the prosecution questioned classified witnesses. One of them secretly recorded the worship services and stated that the unlawful activity of the defendants was to \u0026quot;obey God. Another secret witness accused the believers of \u0026quot;spiritual terrorism,\u0026quot; although there is no such term. The witnesses were interrogated incognito because of the alleged danger to their lives and the health of declassifying their identities, but no confirmation of this was given. One undercover witness said he never heard the defendants threaten, call for violence, or overthrow the government.\nIn May 2020, the UN Human Rights Council\u0026#39;s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled the criminal cases against 18 believers in Russia, including Valeriy Rogozin and Igor Yegozaryan, illegal.\nLawyers for the believers repeatedly alleged numerous violations during the preliminary investigation. Prosecution witnesses who appeared in court—mostly elderly—said that their testimony was falsified and their preliminary testimony contained words they had not said. One of them explicitly stated that the investigator had \u0026quot;made up and edited\u0026quot; her testimony. The defendants drew the court\u0026#39;s attention to the fact that the prosecution deliberately focuses on questioning elderly witnesses because it is easier to confuse them and get them to testify for the investigation.\nSpeaking in court with his last plea, Valeriy Rogozin emphasized: \u0026quot;Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses are peaceful, politically neutral people. We do not participate in protest rallies, strikes, or support any of the conflicting parties. We do not participate in military conflicts. We learned from the Bible that only God can deal with all of humanity\u0026#39;s problems. Sergey Melnyk emphasized in his address to the court: \u0026quot;I have never done anything that goes against the laws of God. Moreover, I have tried to do good, to show love and justice, to take care of people. Denis Peresunko noted: \u0026quot;Jesus was tried and killed for bringing truth to people. I am being judged because I learned the truth that is in the Bible and discussed it with my friends. Igor Yegozarian said in his final remarks: \u0026quot;The whole world says that Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses cannot be extremists, that they are pacifists, that they do not take up arms and never speak against the state, they do not interfere in politics. The whole history of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses is proof of that.\u0026quot;\n\u0026quot;Officially, the Russian authorities—President Vladimir Putin, the government, the Foreign Ministry—emphasize that it is not forbidden in the country to practice the religion of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses. But courts in the regions keep putting peaceful people behind bars for long terms,\u0026quot; says Yaroslav Sivulskiy commenting on the situation. \u0026quot;April 2021 marked the 70th anniversary of Operation \u0026#39;North\u0026#39;. when thousands of Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses were \u0026#39;designated\u0026#39; as criminals and deported under very similar charges of harming the state and society. Decades later, these charges were found to be criminal, and the victims of the repression were rehabilitated and compensated by the state. Today, accusations of extremism against the Witnesses resound like clear echoes. Dozens of ongoing and past trials of believers prove that there is not a single instance of actual harm to the state and society. The law enforcement facilities view it as extremism that people continue to pray and discuss the Bible peacefully together, just as they did in Soviet times\u0026quot;.\nThe prosecution consistently confused the concepts of a religious assembly and a local religious organization (LRO). The defense emphasized that no one could be held criminally liable for participating in a worship service. The position of the prosecution, as in many other cases against Russian believers, is at odds with that of the Russian Supreme Court, which has not banned Jehovah\u0026#39;s Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-09-23T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/09/240821/image_hu_2d95a16a538b8de6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/09/240821/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/09/240821/image_hu_98ff256177469804.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/09/240821/image_hu_66def27fcc9a37c8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/09/240821.html","regions":["volgograd"],"subtitle":"Court in Volgograd Sentenced Four Jehovah's Witnesses","tags":["sizo","sentence","282.2-1","282.3-1","health-risk","fabrications"],"title":"From 6 years to 6 years and 5 months in prison for the faith.","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 23, 2021, the Perm Regional Court rejected the appeal of five Jehovah's Witnesses. Boris Burylov, Viktor Kuchkov, Alexandr Inozemtsev and Yuriy Vaag were found guilty of participation, and Igor Turik was found guilty of organizing and financing extremist activities. The sentence imposed by the court of first instance has not changed.\nIn May 2021, the judge of the Industrial District Court of Perm, Viktor Podyniglazov, sentenced Igor Turik to 7 years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of 4 years; Boris Burylov, Viktor Kuchkov, Alexandr Inozemtsev and Yuriy Vaag received 2.5 years of probation with a probation period of 3 years. Believers still insist on their innocence. They have the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.\nBoris Burylov is already over 80. He is a respected person who has almost half a century of work experience, he has been repeatedly awarded for conscientious work. 52-year-old Igor Turik is raising two children. Alexandr Inozemtsev is 48 years old, he also has a child who is still a minor. For 45-year-old Yuriy Vaag, the criminal case was a continuation of the tragic history of the family: during the Soviet era, his parents were exiled to Siberia on a national basis.\nOn September 17, 2018, in Perm and other cities of the Perm Territory, searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers. FSB officers threatened them with lengthy prison terms. As it turned out, the special services tapped the phones of Turik, Kuchkov and Burylov and conducted covert surveillance behind them.\nIgor Turik and Viktor Kuchkov spent 3 days in the temporary detention facility, 101 days under house arrest, and more than 2 years under recognizance agreement. Alexandr Inozemtsev, Yuriy Vaag and Boris Burylov were under recognizance agreement for more than 2.5 years. According to Alexandr Inozemtsev, due to being included in the federal list of Rosfinmonitoring, at first, their family faced serious financial difficulties: “I had to borrow money, since we live in a rented apartment, and the bank account was blocked.”\nThe believers were helped by the support of relatives, friends and fellow believers from different countries. Igor Turik recalls: “I received a lot of letters and postcards, [friends] gave money and food. There were calls and letters from Poland, Germany, Spain, Austria, USA, Japan... For example, it was very touching to learn that fellow believers in the distant country of Gabon pray for us by name. During this time, we never once needed, although there was no income and we had to pay for a rented apartment.\"\nThis is the third verdict that came into force on believers from the Perm Territory. In September 2019, the court upheld the sentence to Alexandr Solovyev, who was fined 300,000 rubles for his faith in Jehovah God. In April 2021, a court in Chelyabinsk approved a fine of 350 thousand rubles to Alexey Metzger.\nDespite the fact that there is not a single victim in the criminal case against Turik, Inozemtsev, Burylov, Kuchkov and Vaag, and the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is not prohibited, believers have had to defend their innocence in courts for almost three years. The prosecution was able to prove only the fact that the men are Jehovah's Witnesses, although they never hid it.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-08-23T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/08/241019/image_hu_25c2efeef1d6e960.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/08/241019/image_hu_f4fab255d634d9c6.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/08/241019/image_hu_339f5536a1ae690f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/08/241019/image_hu_324aaa08c36b42cf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/08/241019.html","regions":["perm"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","suspended","282.2-2","282.2-1","282.3-1","elderly","descendants-repressed"],"title":"The Court of Appeal in Perm Upheld the Verdict Against 5 Believers. Conditional Terms From 2.5 to 7 Years Were Approved","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 2, 2021, the judge of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Olga Borokhova, found 42-year-old Andrey Okhrimchuk guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 4 years of suspended sentence, as well as 1 year of restriction of freedom - this punishment was requested by the prosecutor.\nThe believer has not pleaded guilty and can appeal the verdict. According to him, crime of any kind is incompatible with his beliefs. \"At the beginning of my Christian journey, I received an offer to earn money. I began to cooperate with an acquaintance. He said that you can earn more if you steal some of the material. I refused, choosing to serve God and have a clear conscience,\" said Andriy Okhrimchuk.\n\"I did not think that I would ever be a defendant and speak before a court, especially those accused of extremism, because I never even thought of harming anyone. I have always treated extreme views negatively, because people suffer from it. At one time, I participated in a counter-terrorist operation in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, ensuring the security of the state and its citizens. I also served in the peacekeeping forces. Later my life changed, I began to study the Bible. Then I was a peacemaker with weapons in my hands, but now I decided to become a peacemaker with the Bible in my hands, \"said the believer, speaking with the last word.\nOn October 29, 2020, the investigator for especially important cases, Major I. A. Kalnitsky, opened a criminal case against Andrey Okhrimchuk. The investigation was conducted by the First Investigation Department (located in Rostov-on-Don) of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.\nAndrey was accused of \"taking part in an illegal religious meeting\", which was also attended by Alexander Parkov. By illegal religious gathering, the investigation refers to the usual worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are legally held in approximately 240 countries and territories. The investigation also established that money transfers were made from Andrey Okhrimchuk's bank card to the cards of Semyon Baibak, who had already been sentenced to 3.5 years of probation, as well as Arsen Avanesov. On July 29, 2021, three believers, Park, Arsen and Vilen Avanesov from Rostov-on-Don, received from 6 to 6.5 years in prison.\nIn May 2019, the security forces searched the believer's home and car, after which he was interrogated at the CPE. Andrey and his wife are raising a school-age daughter. The search in their house had a strong impact on the condition of Andrey's wife, Ekaterina: she had to seek help from a specialist and undergo treatment for several months. Andrey is worried about how what is happening will affect the health of his parents, since his father has a heart condition.\n\"After the searches, I was in shock for several weeks, could not eat normally, lost 5 kilograms. I sat like furniture, I didn't realize what was happening,\" the believer said.\nFor about 9 months, since November 2, 2020, Andriy Okhrimchuk has been under recognizance agreement. And on November 27, 2020, the believer was added to the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, his bank accounts were blocked.\nAlready 16 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Rostov region have been prosecuted for their faith. Eight of them have already been sentenced by the courts.\nRussian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Among them is Jean-Marie Delarue , a member of the French Council of State. He explains: \"A Russian judge should take into account that if the fact of violation of public order is not proven, then Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted for completely different reasons - they are persecuted as a religion. In this case, we ignore the fundamental freedom enshrined in the most important international laws.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-08-03T08:20:53+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/08/030820/image_hu_f79ab8b19d634607.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/08/030820/image_hu_8447e7060e73ffe7.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/08/030820/image_hu_ac91195c2211dcf9.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/08/030820/image_hu_37f3c51c15dc445e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/08/030820.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1","rosfinmonitoring","minors"],"title":"A Court in Rostov-on-Don Sentenced Andrey Okhrimchuk to 4 Years Suspended for Believing in Jehovah God","type":"news"},{"body":"On July 29, judge of the Leninskiy District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Vladimir Khudaverdyan, found three local believers guilty and sentenced Alexandr Parkov and Arsen Avanesov to 6.5 years, and Vilen Avanesov to 6 years of actual imprisonment. The court considered it a crime of extremist orientation to discuss the Bible and Christian teachings.\nThe believers de jure have already served about half of their term, since they were in a pre-trial detention center for more than 2 years, while the investigation and the trial lasted.\nVilen, Arsen and Alexandr do not admit their guilt in extremism. Speaking in court with the last word, Vilen Avanesov said that after the ban on legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia in April 2017, he did not stop professing the faith, and this right is enshrined in the country's Constitution: “Why am I here, in the dock? Despite all this, I have not lost my faith in God and people, my conscience is clear. \"\nArsen Avanesov, in turn, emphasized: “A person must overcome any craving for violence and rebellion in himself if he wants to become Jehovah's Witness. And this fact makes the accusation of extremism on Jehovah's Witnesses simply absurd.\"\nAlexandr Parkov told the court that the Bible-based beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses encourage them to create, not destroy. \"The Bible helps to correct the negative aspects of a person,\" he said.\nThe criminal case against the believers was initiated on May 20, 2019. On the same day, security officials conducted searches in 15 houses of Rostovites, who were suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In some cases, riot policemen, breaking into apartments, used force. Father and son Avanesovs, as well as Alexandr Parkov, ended up behind bars on the same day.\nDuring the trial, it became clear that the accusations of extremism were groundless. There was not a single victim in the case. During the court interrogations, several witnesses stated that the investigator Chaikin had fabricated their testimony. Nevertheless, the prosecutor asked the court to appoint the believers from 7 to 7.5 years in a general regime colony.\nThe litigation and imprisonment have dramatically affected the lives of the three families. Arsen Avanesov was the main breadwinner. Since he and his 68-year-old father ended up behind bars, Arsen's mother was left without due care.\nAfter the searches and arrest of Alexandr Parkov, his eldest daughter, who at that time was expecting a child, began to experience complications due to stress. And the believer himself was diagnosed with an immune disease.\nIn January 2021, the wife of Alexandr Parkov, Galina, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months of suspended sentence — the case was initiated at the same time as the case against her husband, but he was later separated into a separate proceeding. After the verdict, she told what she had to endure: “There was a shock. The injustice towards me and my husband was acutely felt. The first months were spent fighting the fear. The interrogations were difficult (I attended 8 interrogations). The investigator often shouted, pressed and wanted to hear what suited him. After each interrogation, I recovered for several days.\"\nHowever, the most difficult thing, in her words, is to cope with the absence of a loved one nearby. “My husband means a lot to me. I can't imagine life without him. We have always done everything and always together. And he was taken away, and millions of decisions from day to day had to be taken by herself. Alexandr’s condition worried most of all. Conditions in the pre-trial detention center are not very good, and he often had stomach aches. Longing for her husband tormented every day,” — said Galina.\nThe persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Russian authorities is groundless, since the Supreme Court did not prohibit professing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses individually or in community with others. The ban applies exclusively to legal entities, but not to the faith itself.\nTatyana Moskalkova, Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, referring to the growing number of criminal cases against believers, said in her report to the President of Russia: “These events make one think about the existence of a conflict between the constitutional right to profess one’s religion individually or jointly with others and signs of extremist activity, specified in article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. […] Vague criteria for classifying religious materials as extremist are unacceptable, when virtually any federal judge at his own discretion can prohibit any book, image, video or audio recording.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-29T17:51:50+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_78ce21270a19cf80.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_d5fe1ac6c526ac59.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_d8e86e601fea90b3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/291751/image_hu_f467abd3f8e11abf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/291751.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","families","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"In Rostov-on-Don, Three of Jehovah's Witnesses Receive From Six to Six and a Half Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible","type":"news"},{"body":"In Yalta, 33-year-old Petr Zhiltsov, who was previously involved as a witness in the case of Taras Kuzio, is detained. Senior Investigator of the Second Investigation Department (for the investigation of cybercrimes and crimes in the field of high technologies) of the First Investigation Department of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Senior Lieutenant of Justice V.A. Novikov initiates a criminal case against the believer under Part 1 of Article 282.3 and accuses him of \"committing intentional grave crimes of an extremist nature, for which there is a maximum penalty of imprisonment of up to 10 years.\" The investigation charges the believer with \"financing an extremist organization\" and \"organizing the activities of an extremist organization.\"\nIn addition, Novikov initiates a criminal case against Zhiltsov, as well as Daria Kuzo, the wife of Taras Kuzo, Sergey Lyulin and Tadevos Manukyan, under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In relation to Daria, a preventive measure is chosen in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kuzo and others in Yalta","date":"2021-07-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/yalta2/index.html#20210729","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","282.2-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On July 23, 2021, the Novosibirsk Regional Court upheld the verdict of the first instance court. Vitaliy Popov, 54, was found guilty of participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing.\nThe verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.\nOn May 21, 2021, Nataliya Devyatko, a judge of the Lenin District Court of Novosibirsk, found Vitaliy Popov guilty of a crime under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 and part 1 of Art. 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing). He was sentenced to 3 years of suspended sentence. In the court of the first instance, the prosecutor requested 6 years of actual imprisonment in a general regime colony.\nProsecution witnesses at the hearings emphasized that they know Vitaliy as \"a peaceful, hardworking person who is always ready to help.\" One of the witnesses said: “Good person with a capital letter ‘Good’. There are simply no such ones, in fact. Without any falsity. A kind man.\"\nVitaliy himself drew attention to the fact that he had always been a simple, peaceful, and hard-working person. “Many in the school [his last workplace] knew that I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and had deep respect for my views, because I am a conflict-free person and I try to see positive qualities in people without any prejudice.”\n“For many years I tried to be an exemplary citizen of my country, I have always been a law-abiding citizen, I paid taxes honestly, always did my job in good faith, my employers always spoke positively about me, and suddenly the prosecution proposes to declare me an extremist. For what?—he asked in the court debate and himself offered the answer:—For the fact that I discussed biblical thoughts in the circle of my family and friends that encourage love and good deeds.”\nDue to criminal prosecution, Vitaliy lost his job, and his recognizance agreement restricted his right to move freely for more than a year.\nIn passing the verdict, the court of the first instance took into account the opinion of “specialist” Oleg Zayev, who has no religious education and who did not hide his hostility towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Equally surprising is the fact that Popov did not even attend the religious meetings presented to the court as evidence of his guilt.\nVitaliy Popov became the second resident of Novosibirsk convicted for his faith. Earlier, 67-year-old Yuri Savelyev was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime colony.\nRussian and foreign organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. For example, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for an end to the persecution.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-07-23T14:47:08+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/07/231447/image_hu_ceb6108071a97f9b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/07/231447/image_hu_f188e21179d817ee.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/07/231447/image_hu_b1d726af24ea7e41.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/07/231447/image_hu_f3adcf16f6d8afa8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/07/231447.html","regions":["novosibirsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended"],"title":"The Appeal in Novosibirsk Upheld the Verdict Against Vitaliy Popov for Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"On June 22, 2021, Vera Ulyanyuk, the judge of the Zavodskiy District Court of Kemerovo, sentenced the believers. 60-year-old Sergey Yavushkin and 46-year-old Aleksandr Bondarchuk were sentenced to 4 years suspended.\nBefore the verdict was pronounced, Sergey Yavushkin addressed the court with the last word: “I did not incite hatred or enmity and, of course, did not humiliate the dignity of anyone. Even the prosecution witnesses spoke about this ... What is my crime? After all, following the guidance from the Bible, I quit smoking, although before that I had smoked for more than 20 years, stopped using foul language, became more restrained and calm. As I continue to work honestly and lead a peaceful, balanced life, I have also changed the way I respond to insults or grudges. All these years I did not violate the law of the Russian Federation, and for 25 years I professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, but for some reason now suddenly, in an instant, I turned into a criminal and an extremist. \"\nNevertheless, the judge issued a conviction, which turned out to be milder than the prosecutor demanded, requesting 5 years of imprisonment in a colony for each defendant. The court decision has not entered into force and can be appealed.\nActive criminal prosecution of believers began after the search on June 23, 2018. A year later, the security forces came to them again. A few days earlier, on July 19, 2019, a criminal case was opened against Sergey and Aleksandr. After their arrest, Sergey Yavushkin and Aleksandr Bondarchuk spent 2 days in the pretrial detention facility, and then were placed under house arrest. They have not been able to leave their home for over a year and a half. Their property was seized despite the fact that the appellate instance overturned this judgment.\nThe case of the believers was investigated by the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Kemerovo Region for over 8 months. The accusation is mainly based on the testimony of a witness who for a long time conducted secret filming of religious meetings. According to the expert V. V. Shiller, who was involved in the trial, the witness also passed distorted information to the investigation, \"having no precise knowledge of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nRecently, Aleksandr Bondarchuk worked as a refractory worker at a coke-chemical plant, where he was considered an indispensable specialist in the repair of coke ovens. Sergey Yavushkin worked for 40 years at state enterprises, until recently - as a high-grade electric and gas welder. The criminal prosecution seriously affected the physical and emotional health of Sergey and his wife. Soon after the search and arrest, the believer suffered a stroke, the consequences of which he still feels - due to a lack of coordination of movement, he can hardly perform short housework, needs outside help and medical supervision.\nBack in May 2020, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention claimed that 18 believers, including Aleksandr Bondarchuk and Sergey Yavushkin, were arbitrarily detained and detained “just for the fact that they peacefully professed their religion, including themselves religious texts and Bibles, gathered together for services with fellow believers. \" But despite the fact that the court attached this document to the case, it was not taken into account.\nApril 1, 2021 at the press conference “70th Anniversary of Operation North”. Lessons of repression \"religious scholar Sergey Ivanenko emphacized:\" The policy of forceful suppression of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has been carried out in the Russian Federation since 2017, is futile. This is evidenced by the lessons of Operation North and the analysis of the current situation, including the steadfastness of Jehovah's Witnesses in upholding their beliefs. It seems expedient, from the point of view of the state interests of Russia, to implement a set of measures for the return of Jehovah's Witnesses to the legal field.\"\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-06-22T17:04:13+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/221704/image_hu_94c95a59db04be16.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/221704/image_hu_28ef4dcc4bb66c4.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/221704/image_hu_b2dab55d3c1f9cb1.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/221704/image_hu_9f51257593e3a786.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/221704.html","regions":["kemerovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"A Verdict for Religion Was Announced in Kemerovo. Sergey Yavushkin and Aleksandr Bondarchuk Got 4 Years Suspended","type":"news"},{"body":"N. P. Banko, Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region, initiates a criminal case against 55-year-old Anna Safronova under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3. Among other things, she is charged with participating in divine services together with Yevgeny Ivanov and other believers.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Ivanov and Others in Astrakhan","date":"2021-05-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/astrakhan/index.html#20210528","regions":["astrakhan"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Nikolay Banko, an investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region, initiates a criminal case against 55-year-old Anna Safronova under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. She is suspected of financing extremist activities and participating in worship services together with other believers, the case against whom was initiated a year earlier.\nAccording to investigators, the woman, \"realizing her criminal intent,\" participated in online religious meetings held with the performance of songs and prayers to Jehovah God. The investigator also believes that the believer \"controlled the receipt of funds in the form of donations from participants and parishioners of the congregation.\"\nAnna Safronova is included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, which means blocking all her bank accounts.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Safronova in Astrakhan","date":"2021-05-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/astrakhan2/index.html#20210528","regions":["astrakhan"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","282.3-1","rosfinmonitoring"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"An appeal hearing is being held in the Omsk Regional Court. The judicial collegium upholds the verdict of the lower court. In their final statement, the believers again explain that they are not being judged for a crime, but for their faith in Jehovah God.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2021-05-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20210528","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-2","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On May 28, 2021, the Omsk Regional Court upheld the verdict of Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, Gaukhar Bektemirova and Dinara Dyusekeyeva. The court found it extremist that they were meeting to discuss the Bible.\nOn November 30, 2020, the judge of the Pervomaisky District Court Denis Pershukevich found Sergey Polyakov guilty under Art. 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced to 3 years in a general regime colony. Three more women were sentenced by the court under Art. 282.2 (2) in the form of imprisonment conditionally: Anastasiya Polyakova for a term of 2 years and 6 months, Gaukhar Bektemirova - 2 years and 3 months, Dinara Dyusekeyeva - 2 years.\nThe prosecutor requested 6 and a half years of real imprisonment for Sergey Polyakov. The state prosecutor asked Anastasiya Polyakova, Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova to be sentenced to 2 years of suspended imprisonment.\nThe couple spent 5 months in solitary confinement and 3 months under house arrest. Dinara and Gaukhar have been under recognizance not to leave for more than a year and a half.\nAnastasiya Polyakova became the first woman - Jehovah's Witness in the history of modern Russia, who found herself behind bars for her faith.\nSergey and Anastasiya Polyakovs were detained during searches on July 4, 2018. During the arrest, Sergey was beaten and then forced to wipe the blood off the floor. Over the next two days, the couple did not get in touch, the door to their apartment was found broken open. Simultaneous searches were carried out in at least 4 homes of believers. During the search, the attesting witnesses actively helped law enforcement officers, prompted and even tried to interrogate believers. Veterinarian Dinara Dyusekeyeva and her friend Gaukhar Bektemirova came under investigation about a year after the Polyakovs. In the summer of 2019, a criminal case was also initiated against them, which was connected with the case of Anastasiya and Sergey.\nIn the summer of 2018, the Investigative Committee opened a similar criminal case against Igor Zhukov in Omsk.\nThe court found the believers guilty only because they participated with their fellow believers in peaceful worship and talked with other people about the Bible. In reality, these actions are not prohibited by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. On the contrary, they are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation as fundamental human rights and freedoms.\nThe entire logic of the accusation is based on the speculative thesis that faith in God is \"a continuation of the activities of an extremist organization.\" Among the proofs of the \"guilt\" of the Polyakovs, Bektemirova and Dyusekeyeva - 20 biblical cartoons, which were reproduced at court hearings, and the Bible in different languages.\nThe defendants themselves explained in their testimony that they were exercising their constitutional right to disseminate their religious beliefs, since \"Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation applies to all believers.\" They categorically denied their involvement in extremism and during the appeal hearings tried to explain the essence of their faith to the court. The chairman of the board of the court, Aleksandr Bondarenko, repeatedly interrupted the defendants' speeches with the last word. Without allowing Sergey Polyakov to finish, the panel of judges retired to the deliberation room, after which they announced the decision: in terms of punishment, to leave the sentence in force. Thus, the court equated peaceful believers with dangerous criminals. Convicted persons have the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation, as well as in international instances.\nThe European Union is deeply concerned about the situation surrounding Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia: “As we have already stated many times, all people, including Jehovah's Witnesses, should be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, without discrimination, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia's commitments within the OSCE and international commitments”.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-05-28T00:00:00Z","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/05/311337/image_hu_1e87c853a57ea5a2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/05/311337/image_hu_9a84e29e1c81fba0.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/05/311337/image_hu_bc61f13464eb69c0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/05/311337/image_hu_d5fd05ee2b85aed3.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/311337.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-2","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"The Court of Appeal in Omsk Upheld the Convictions of Four Jehovah's Witnesses. One of Them Will Go to Prison","type":"news"},{"body":"Selyunin, a senior investigator for the Department of Internal Affairs of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Novosibirsk Region, initiates a new criminal case against Marina Chaplykina under the article on financing extremism. After a few days, it is connected to the current one.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Maletskov and Chaplykina in Novosibirsk","date":"2021-05-26T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/novosibirsk2/index.html#20210526","regions":["novosibirsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On May 21, 2021, Natalya Devyatko, a judge of the Lenin District Court of Novosibirsk, found Vitaliy Popov guilty under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 and part 1 of Art. 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation and financing of the activities of an extremist organization). He was sentenced to 3 years of suspended sentence.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer insists on his complete innocence.\nAlthough there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor recommended to the court that Vitaliy Popov be sentenced to 6 years in prison in a general regime colony.\nOn June 27, 2019, a criminal case was initiated against him, which was investigated by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Novosibirsk Region. Vitaliy Popov spent 2 days in the temporary detention facility, then was under recognizance agreement.\nDue to criminal prosecution, the believer lost his job in an educational institution. According to Vitaliy's wife, former colleagues took his dismissal painfully. The believer says: “They set up an economic blockade for me, blocking my account on the card and adding me to the list of extremists. Then, two months later, they called at my workplace and forced my employer to fire me of my own free will, although the director clearly did not want to let me go. As a result, I lost my job and cannot get a job because of a criminal case. At first I tried to earn extra money, but when the trials began about twice a week, I could no longer take care of the material needs of my family.”\nVitaliy Popov in the courtroom on the day of the verdict Vitaliy Popov with his wife near the courthouse Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk It took almost a year to collect evidence of the believer's “guilt”. During this time, he faced psychological pressure: during a four-hour interrogation, the investigator for especially important cases A. Bryuzgin tried to force him to incriminate himself. “The investigator constantly pressed on me, rushed me so that I could read 22 volumes in a week [about 5000 pages], provoked me to self-incrimination,” Vitaliy recalls. Through the efforts of the same investigator, another resident of Novosibirsk, 67-year-old Yuriy Savelyev, was sentenced to six years in prison for his faith.\nOn June 18, 2020, the case against Vitaliy Popov was transferred to the court for consideration by judge Irina Tsygankova. On August 13, the state prosecutor challenged her on the grounds that earlier, under her chairmanship, court decisions had been taken in the criminal case of Yuriy Savelyev. The court agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and granted the motion to challenge Tsygankova. The case was referred to Judge Natalya Devyatko.\nVitaliy Popov, even during the investigation, stated that he did not plead guilty and considered the criminal case against him as repressions for his faith, since his religion was the only reason for the persecution.\n“Your Honor, I cannot understand what is my fault?” said the believer in his last word. “The fact that I love to read the Bible together with my fellow believers and live according to it, share with others what I learned from it—this is my constitutional right, and I just practiced this right. Someone may agree or disagree with Jehovah's Witnesses’ beliefs, but that is another matter. The Russian Federation is a multi-confessional country, and many religions are taught in different ways and May contradict each other, but this is not a reason to consider them extremists.”\nThe same opinion was expressed by Russian and foreign human rights activists. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses “do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.”\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-05-21T13:36:58+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/05/211336/image_hu_2c1036b80d837275.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/05/211336/image_hu_6300d4228d71e917.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/05/211336/image_hu_76f600f621c2fcde.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/05/211336/image_hu_796aee5a9b21de58.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/211336.html","regions":["novosibirsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"54-year-old Vitaliy Popov Received 3 Years of Suspended Sentence. The Second Resident of Novosibirsk Suffered for Faith in Jehovah","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 12, 2021 the Industrial District Court of Perm found Igor Turik, Boris Burylov, Aleksandr Inozemtsev, Viktor Kuchkov and Yuriy Vaag guilty of extremist activity. Igor Turik was sentenced to seven years of suspended imprisonment; the other four received 2.5 years of suspended imprisonment each.\nAlthough there were no victims in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence them to 4 to 9 years in a penal colony. They were accused of crimes under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of extremist activity), Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in an extremist community) and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code (financing of extremist activities). Judge Viktor Podyniglazov reclassified the charges against Boris Burylov and Viktor Kuchkov to a milder article, Article 282.2 part 2 of the Criminal Code.\nThe verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believers insist on their complete innocence.\nIgor Turik and Viktor Kuchkov spent 3 days in the temporary detention facility in Perm, 101 days under house arrest, and also more than 2 years under recognizance not to leave. Alexandr Inozemtsev, Yuriy Vaag and Boris Burylov were under recognizance not to leave for more than two and a half years. The case of Turik and others in Perm was investigated by the Investigative Department of the Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Perm Territory. On December 4, 2020, it was transferred to the Industrial District Court of Perm.\nBefore the criminal prosecution, a native of the Tver region, 52-year-old Igor Turik successfully worked as a photographer and architectural designer. He is a loving husband and father of two minor children. He notes: “The Perm news TV channels were reporting on the FSB special operation from the courtroom as well. This news had a negative impact on my employers. I lost my main customers, and, accordingly, my earnings ... I could not get insurance for a car, I could not use bank cards. To get a package for my family from Germany, I had to call the FSB, Rosfinmonitoring, customs. \"\nIn his last word, Igor said: “My children, whom I have always taught to be good, to be honest, to respect the views of other people who are growing up as wonderful citizens, treat their parents and society with deep respect, wonder why now they want to be separated from their father. You would know what I was 25 years ago, before I became Jehovah's Witness. That's when I needed to be held accountable. I have completely changed because of my relationship with God. Previously, in my hometown, neighbors were shocked only when they saw me. Until recently, they were shocked that the truth can change a person for the better. And now they are shocked that I am facing such a monstrous term. \"\nThe total length of service of the oldest of the 5 defendants in the case - 80-year-old Boris Burylov - is 45 years, during which he was repeatedly awarded certificates of honor and gratitude. In his last speech, the believer noted: “I did not bring about any destabilization in society. I did not undermine the foundations of the constitutional system and state security by any actions. All this magnificent bouquet of unreliable and unconfirmed accusations was collected in different years from unknown sources, and not only the city of Perm, but also other cities of Russia, in which I have never been. […] Jehovah's Witnesses, including myself, are benevolent, hardworking, God-fearing, peace-loving people. We treat all state authorities with respect. \"\n48-year-old Aleksandr Inozemtsev, together with his wife, is raising a minor daughter. Speaking with the last word, he drew the court's attention to how important the divine services were for him, the attendance of which was imputed to him: “This is my need. Communication with fellow believers helps me become even better and show such qualities as love, kindness, compassion, the ability to show self-control, tact towards others. Therefore, they speak of me as a polite and tactful person, which is confirmed by the characteristics provided to the court and attached to the case materials. \"\nThe wife and daughter of 53-year-old Viktor Kuchkov do not share his religious views, but they fully support the head of the family, shocked by the absurdity of the charges against him. In his last word to the court, the believer emphasized: “Reading the Bible and praying to strengthen your relationship with God is not bad. Meeting with fellow believers to discuss the wonderful qualities of our Creator and further imitate him is not extremism. Sharing knowledge of our heavenly Father with others is not a crime, but a realization of the constitutional right to freedom of religion. ”\nThe son of parents exiled on ethnic grounds - a 45-year-old husband and father of 2 adult children, Yuriy Vaag - met in Siberia with Jehovah's Witnesses, who were also sent into exile for their faith and later rehabilitated. “These are people who have kept the faith despite the persecution they faced,” the believer noted in his last speech. “I was struck by their faith, despite the harsh conditions, they helped others to survive. […] I am glad that I have become a believer, because it benefits both me and others. \"\nIn total, 10 Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted for their faith in the Perm Territory. All of them did not stop practicing their religion after the decision of the Supreme Court of April 20, 2017, for which they faced severe persecution and religious discrimination. Meanwhile, Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation allows one to freely choose and practice any religion, both independently and jointly with others.\nThe Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually.\" In February 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the groundlessness of the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-05-12T15:52:09+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/05/121552/image_hu_9053b470be62e4a3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/05/121552/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/05/121552/image_hu_5ffd24a0805d3da8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/05/121552/image_hu_49413a51dbc4b8f4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/05/121552.html","regions":["perm"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","elderly","descendants-repressed"],"title":"A Sentence Was Announced for Five Jehovah's Witnesses in Perm. Believers Received From 2.5 to 7 Years of Suspended Imprisonment for Believing in God","type":"news"},{"body":"On March 29, 2021, the Rostov Regional Court confirmed the sentence to Semyon Baybak in the form of 3.5 years of suspended sentence. The Rostov resident was found guilty of extremism for peaceful religious beliefs. The verdict entered into force, but it can be appealed in cassation and in international instances.\nSemyon Baybak, who since childhood has professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, was detained in June 2019. After a day in a temporary detention center, the court sent him to house arrest for more than a year and a half.\nSemyon was accused of collecting funds to rent premises for religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. In this, the investigator Kalnitsky saw \"financing of an extremist organization.\" The prosecution witness, who has known the believer for more than 13 years, explained to the court that the donated funds were used not to finance a prohibited legal entity, but to help fellow believers. According to him, the investigator falsified the materials of the case, adding wording at his own discretion into the testimony.\nOn December 21, 2020, Vladimir Barvin, judge of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, found Semyon Baybak guilty under Articles 282.2 (2) and 282.3 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The court assigned him a conditional imprisonment with a probationary period of 4.5 years and 1 year of restriction of liberty. The prosecutor demanded 4 years of suspended imprisonment for the believer with a probationary period of 5 years. Semyon Baybak pleaded not guilty and appealed the sentence, since his beliefs are incompatible with violence, incitement to hatred and other forms of extremism. As a teenager, he even refused to take up arms and, instead of serving in the army, did alternative civilian service in the children's clinical hospital.\nAt the moment, 16 peaceful believers have been prosecuted in the region. Sentences have already been passed against three of them.\nRussian and foreign public figures and organizations condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. In January 2021, at a meeting with the Human Rights Council, President Putin re-ordered the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to deal with violations of the legislation on freedom of conscience.\nThe conflict between law and law enforcement practice in Russia, according to the European Court of Human Rights, occurs due to a number of myths around Jehovah's Witnesses. The ECHR gave this a legal interpretation.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2021-03-29T15:57:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/03/19/image_hu_d467e92519c2220c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/03/19/image_hu_8dcd982b815a1cbb.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/03/19/image_hu_550112ac95c21741.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/03/19/image_hu_77ad59d4a6289475.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/03/19.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-2","282.3-1","suspended"],"title":"Appeal in Rostov-on-Don Upheld the Verdict of Semyon Baybak, Convicted of Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator E. M. Skuridina initiates a second criminal case against Atatoly Lyamo. This time, under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, he is suspected of financing extremist activities \"by collecting cash in the 'general treasury'.\" According to the investigation, these funds were \"deliberately intended to support the activities of an extremist organization.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Vasichkin and Others in Teykovo","date":"2021-03-16T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/teykovo/index.html#20210316","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator V. S. Obukhov charges Olshevsky, Kardakov, Afanasyev and Yermilov under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of extremist organization activities). Sergey Afanasyev is also charged under Part 3 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing the activities of an extremist organization).\nAccording to the investigation, Olshevsky \"committed deliberate actions of an organizational nature. [...] I was looking for a place for religious events, renting a hall in a café ... and together with Sergey Kardakov ... and Alexei Berchuk held a religious meeting.\" In addition, the believer is charged with coordinating and carrying out preaching activities.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Olshevskiy and Others in Blagoveshchensk","date":"2021-03-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/blagoveshchensk/index.html#20210312","regions":["amur"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On March 11, 2021, one more series of searches took place in Yalta in at least 9 homes of Jehovah's Witnesses. Four people were detained for interrogation, one of them was taken by the security forces to Simferopol.\nUpdate. At least five people were interrogated in Yalta on March 11. Taras Kuzio was sent to the temporary detention facility in the city of Bakhchysarai. The court should soon choose a measure of restraint for the believer. During the search, all electronic equipment and a large amount of money were seized from 42-year-old Taras Kuzio. The security officials did not wait for the believer to open the door and broke it open. Previously, he had already been searched twice.. Then the security forces sought connections with Artyom Gerasimov, one of Jehovah's Witness, who was later sentenced to 6 years in prison for his faith.\nAccording to preliminary data, the reason for the raid was a new criminal case \"on the financing of an extremist organization.\" The searches were sanctioned by Viktor Krapko, judge of the Kievskiy district court of Simferopol. Details are being clarified.\nAs follows from the materials of hundreds of criminal cases initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, the security forces consider peaceful gatherings of believers to be a crime when they jointly study the Bible, listen to biblical speeches and participate in joint chants and prayers. Investigators automatically interpret this religion as a continuation of the activities of the liquidated organizations. The criminal prosecution continues, despite repeated assurances from the Russian authorities that the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2021-03-11T17:50:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/03/7/image_hu_bb99be8a891e4bf9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/03/7/image_hu_e6725abec819635e.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/03/7/image_hu_fd66507be1f9a401.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/03/7/image_hu_b2cd1c54fd14612c.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/03/7.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","new-case","ivs","interrogation","282.3-1"],"title":"A wave of searches in homes of believers in Yalta. A new criminal case was initiated","type":"news"},{"body":"V. A. Novikov, Senior Investigator of the First Investigation Department of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, initiates a criminal case against Taras Kuzyo.\nBecause of his belief in Jehovah God, the believer is accused of \"committing a deliberate grave crime of an extremist nature, for which a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to 8 years is provided.\" The investigation charges the believer with \"financing an extremist organization\" (part 1 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Kuzo and others in Yalta","date":"2021-03-04T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/yalta2/index.html#20210304","regions":["crimea"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior investigator-criminalist Antonov D.V. brings a new charge against Sergey Yerkin under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of 282.3. In his actions, the investigation also sees \"grave crimes against the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the state.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20210210","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator D. Antonov prosecutes Yevgeny Zyablov as a defendant under Part 1 of the Criminal Code. 282.2 (1) and Article 282.2 (1) 282.3 (organization and financing of extremist activities, respectively).\nAccording to the indictment, Zyablov \"entered into a preliminary criminal conspiracy\" with Puida, Petrov and Yerkin and committed actions \"aimed at continuing the illegal extremist activities of the Organization on the basis of the remaining religious group.\" In addition, the defendant \"publicly delivered a speech in which he called for the adoption of the canons of religion in the doctrinal version of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses, which is banned in Russia.\"\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2021-02-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20210208","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The believer is formally charged with committing crimes under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Okhrimchuk in Rostov-on-Don","date":"2021-01-25T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/rostov-on-don9/index.html#20210125","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A conscientious objector, whose faith does not allow him to take up arms, was convicted under \"extremist\" articles 282.2 and 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Barvin, a Leninskiy District Court judge, issued the verdict on December 21, 2020. Several days earlier, the same court handed down a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence to another Jehovah's Witness, Ruslan Alyyev.\nSemyon Baybak was sentenced to 3.5 years suspended imprisonment with a probation period of 4.5 years, 1-year restriction of freedom, namely: it is forbidden to leave home from 22:00 to 6:00, it is forbidden to visit institutions where alcoholic drinks are sold, it is forbidden to leave Rostov-on-Don, change the place of residence and work, it is ordered to come twice a month to a supervisory body for registration. The believer was immediately released from the measure of restraint in the form of house arrest.\nAnother 14 law-abiding residents of Rostov-on-Don are currently prosecuted under a similar scheme. The investigation interprets the unprohibited observance of religious rules — reading the Bible, praying, singing, and Biblical conversations — as participation in the activities of an organization banned by a court in Moscow in 2017.\nOn December 18, 2020, addressing the court with his last word, Semyon Baibak said: \"I am not the first Jehovah's Witness in this court and, unfortunately, not the last. My other co-religionists will be here for some time yet... Jehovah's Witnesses in general, as a religion, are absolutely alien to extremism in all its manifestations. Let me give you an example from history. Bergen-Belsen, Bohr, Buchenwald, Wevelsburg, Gros Rosen, Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Lichtenburg, Majdanek, Mauthausen, Mittelbau-Dora, Niederhagen, Neuengamm, Oswiecim, Ravensbrück, Stutthof, Esterwegen... These are all names of Nazi concentration camps. The Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of people marked with a purple triangle patch on their uniforms, were held . . . in each of them. Sent to these terrible places for their religious beliefs, for refusing to say \"Heil Hitler!\" and for refusing to participate in that war. So why did they refuse? The Bible calls, \"As far as possible on your part, be at peace with all men.\" For Jehovah's Witnesses, these are not just words. It is a directive from God that we honor sacredly.\"\nSemyon Baibak did not admit his guilt of participating in an extremist organization. He considers his criminal case to be nothing but religious persecution. At the same time, he told the court: \"I don't feel depressed or hate that such things touched me as well. But I intend to prove my innocence to the very end. I would like to end with a passage from the Bible that I like very much: \"We are constrained in every way, but not driven into a corner; we are confused, but our situation is not hopeless; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; subverted, but not destroyed.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-12-22T18:29:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/12/8/image_hu_6762db9cfce68be2.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/12/8/image_hu_8c09ab7371274c24.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/12/8/image_hu_eea9b00288f1cb0a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/12/8/image_hu_f00b1423fef2f32b.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/12/8.html","regions":["rostov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","suspended","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"Another verdict for practicing faith: a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence for the 23-year-old Rostov-on-Don-based Semyon Baybak","type":"news"},{"body":"On November 30, 2020 Pervomaiskiy District Court of Omsk sentenced Sergey Polyakov to 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony, he was taken into custody. Another 3 women were given a suspended sentence by the court: Anastasia Polyakova 2 years 6 months, Gaukhar Bektemirova 2 years and 3 months, Dinara Dyusekeeva 2 years.\nThe verdict has not entered into force, believers will appeal against it. Sergey Polyakov will wait for the appeal while in jail.\nSergey Polyakov and his wife Anastasia, a radiophysicist and lawyer, led a usual life until June 2018, when a criminal case was initiated against them. About two weeks later, in July, their house was searched, during which Sergei was severely beaten. The spouses were later sent to a detention center where they spent 154 days in solitary confinement - Anastasia was the first woman Jehovah's Witness in the history of modern Russia to be imprisoned for her faith. The couple spent another 91 days under house arrest. On July 13, 2018, they filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights.\nThe veterinary doctor Dinara Dyusekeeva and her friend Gaukhar Bektemirova were under investigation about a year after the Polyakovs. In the summer of 2019, a case was also filed against them, which was connected to the case of Anastasia and Sergei, and the believers were under obligation to appear.\nThe women were charged with involvement, while Sergei Polyakov was charged with organizing and financing a banned religious organization. This is how the investigator qualified the fact that the believers talked to others about God and gathered for religious service together.\nDuring the trial, none of the interviewed witnesses confirmed that the defendants had caused them any harm or made threats, although some witnesses criticized the religious views of believers.\nAmong the evidence of their \"guilt\" were 20 biblical cartoons and the Bible in different languages. As in other cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, there are no victims in criminal cases against the Polyakovs, Dyusekeeva or Bektemirova.\nThe defendants themselves, testifying, explained that they \"exercised their constitutional right to spread their religious beliefs\" because \"Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation applies to all believers. They categorically rejected their involvement in extremism.\nAs Sergey Polyakov stated in his last word, the history of Jehovah's Witnesses persecution in the Soviet Union proved that believers do not threaten society and respect the authorities. His wife Anastasia brought arguments to the judge proving that she and her husband and fellow believers are judged solely for their faith in Jehovah, not for crimes.\n\"My desire for peace is connected not only with my non-participation in military conflicts, but also with my rejection of violence against other people,\" Gauhar Bektemirova said. \"I am confident in my rightness. My position is shared by many reasonable people around the world,\" Dinara Dyusekeeva noted in her testimony. On November 10, the believer made a last word in the process, emphasizing: \"Neither I nor my friends have committed any crime.\nJudge Denis Pershukevich ignored inconsistencies in the case and the arguments of the believers, admitting all 4 defendants guilty of extremism. Sergey Polyakov will have to go to the colony for his faith. The court decided to include 5 months of believer's stay in the pre-trial detention center and 3 months under house arrest as the time served. The sentence did not come into force, the believers will appeal against it.\nRussian human rights organizations, as well as the international community, consider the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be illegitimate.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-11-30T19:22:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_44c83bdba91ae661.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_47b9c37fa528caf0.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_d4789da9a42df955.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/11/12/image_hu_170b8fb513ea6966.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/11/12.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"title":"An Omsk court sentenced a 48-year-old Jehovah's Witness to a three-year sentence in a correctional facility. His wife and two other women received a suspended sentence","type":"news"},{"body":"Judge of the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk Denis Pershukevich sentences Sergey Polyakov to 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. At the same time, the court decides to include 5 months of the believer's stay in a pre-trial detention center and 3 months under house arrest in the served term. The court sentenced Anastasia Polyakova to 2 years and 6 months of probation. Gaukhar Bektemirova and Dinara Dyusekeyeva also receive suspended sentences of 2 years and 3 months, as well as 2 years, respectively. Believers do not agree with the guilty verdict and will appeal against it.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2020-11-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20201130","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Judge Denis Pershukevich in the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk begins, but does not finish, read out the verdict in the case. The announcement of the verdict will continue on Monday, November 30.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2020-11-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20201127","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","suspended","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The case of Loginov and others is separated into a separate proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut","date":"2020-11-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut/index.html#20201120","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"V. A. Zhuravlev, an investigator of the second department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Trans-Baikal Territory, from the criminal case of Ermolaev and others in Chita, identifies materials against Vadim Kutsenko, Aleksey Loskutov, Pavel Mamalimov and at least 12 other believers to verify their involvement in the commission of other crimes: participation in the activities of a religious association banned by the court, involvement of other persons in it and financing of extremist activities.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Ermolaev and Others in Chita","date":"2020-11-11T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/chita/index.html#20201111","regions":["zabaykalsky"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-1.1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The investigator for especially important cases, Major I. A. Kalnitsky, initiates a criminal case against Andrey Okhrimchuk under two articles - participation in the activities of a banned organization and its financing - respectively Article 282.2 (2) and Article 282.3 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The believer is accused of \"taking part in an illegal religious meeting ... including under the leadership of A.M. Parkov, in respect of whom a criminal case was [initiated].\" The investigation also found that money transfers were made from Okhrimchuk's bank card to the cards of Semyon Baibak and Arsen Avanesov. According to the investigator, the funds were intended to pay for the rent of the premises, the purchase of computer equipment, as well as stationery and household supplies \"to ensure the activities of an extremist organization.\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Okhrimchuk in Rostov-on-Don","date":"2020-10-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/rostov-on-don9/index.html#20201029","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 28 Bryansk regional court upheld the conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses from Novozybkov. Vladimir Khokhlov, Eduard Zhinzhikov, Tatyana Shamsheva and Olga Silaeva remain free because they have already served their sentences in investigatory isolators. They do not admit guilt in extremism.\nCriminal proceedings against four Novozybkov residents began in June 2019. After a series of raids, Tatiana Shamsheva and Olga Silaeva were the first to be imprisoned. Four months later, criminal proceedings were instituted against Vladimir Khokhlov and Eduard Zhinzhikov. Tatyana and Olga spent 8 months in detention; Vladimir and Eduard were in detention for almost a year. In September, a court sentenced the believers to imprisonment, but since they had already served their sentence, they were released in the courtroom.\nThe defense appealed the court decision because the believers had not committed any crime. The prosecutor's office, although initially asking for an increase in prison sentences, agreed to the verdict. The Judicial Collegium of the Bryansk Regional Court consisting of Alexander Sidorenko, Andrey Rossolov and Alexander Ryabukhin upheld the verdict of the previous court.\nOlga Silaeva, Tatyana Shamsheva, Vladimir Khokhlov and Eduard Zhinzhikov in the courtroom. Bryansk. 28 October 2020 Speaking at the appeal hearing on October 28 believers insisted on their innocence and noted that decision of Novozybkovsky court was a manifestation of discrimination on religious grounds.\n\"The court considered it a crime that I watched different religious videos, listened to religious songs, discussed religious topics\", - Olga Silayeva stated. But when examining these materials in court it was clearly seen that all this encourages only to show love, compassion for people [...] and love is completely opposite to extremism\".\n\"The error of the investigation is that the concepts of 'Jehovah's Witnesses' and 'Jehovah's Witnesses Management Center in Russia' are not different,\" Tatiana Shamsheva said, stressing that the court banned legal entities, but not religion. - After the coming into force of the court decision of April 20, 2017 should I stop being one of Jehovah's Witness? Should I stop reading the Bible, pray, talk to others about your beliefs, change your lifestyle? If I don't pray, read the Word of God, what kind of a believer am I?\"\nThe international community, Russian human rights activists believe that the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is nothing more than religious persecution. According to the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-10-28T17:14:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/10/16/image_hu_f1d97a42a6bf0247.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/10/16/image_hu_747abf88be0f5b1f.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/10/16/image_hu_61786d387c38acee.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/10/16/image_hu_67d4aa360fe44c67.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/10/16.html","regions":["bryansk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","282.2-1","282.2-2","liberty-deprivation","282.3-1"],"title":"The Bryansk Court Confirmed the Conviction of 4 Jehovah's Witnesses From Novozybkov, But the Believers Will Remain Free","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 3, 2020, the Novozybkov City Court sentenced Vladimir Khokhlov and Eduard Zhinzhikov to 1 year and 3 months of imprisonment and 1 year of restraint, and Tatyana Shamsheva and Olga Silaeva to 1 year of imprisonment and 6 months of restraint. But, since they have already served their time in a pre-trial detention center, they were released.\nNone of the believers pleaded guilty to extremism. One of them, Vladimir Khokhlov, addressing the court with the last word, said: “I am accused of committing crimes against the foundations of the constitutional order and state security. I consider this to be unfounded statements, since it is directly opposite to everything I believe in and how I act” (the full text of the speeches with the last words of Eduard Zhinzhikov,Tatiana Shamsheva, and Olga Silaeva is also available).\nThe criminal prosecution of four civilians from Novozybkov began in June 2019. After a series of raids, 42-year-old Tatiana Shamsheva and 31-year-old Olga Silaeva were the first to be imprisoned. They were accused of “spreading the ideology of the religious organization“ Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia ”by conducting conversations with residents of Novozybkov and Klimovo” (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nFour months later, in October 2019, a criminal case was opened against the 42-year-old father of a minor child, Vladimir Khokhlov, and 47-year-old Eduard Zhinzhikov. They gathered to pray and discuss the Bible with their fellow believers, which the security officials considered a threat to the security of society and the state (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Homes of Vladimir and Eduard were searched again, and the believers themselves were detained and later sent to a pre-trial detention center.\n\u0026ldquo;The accusation of Yahweh worshippers has already been finalized\u0026rdquo;—speech of the lawyer Tatyana and Olga spent 8 months in custody and in February 2020 were released from the detention center under the recognizance agreement. Vladimir and Eduard were imprisoned for almost a year—until the recent court verdict.\n“Courts unreasonably send believers to prison. The sentence to four Jehovah's Witnesses from Novozybkov seems mild, but it is nevertheless an accusatory one. People spent many months behind bars on the basis of fictitious accusations,” Yaroslav Sivulsky, a representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, commented on the court's decision.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-09-04T13:41:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/09/3/image_hu_c0942dd1237c4f2b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/09/3/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/09/3/image_hu_6033e9656b4261de.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/09/3/image_hu_d65e84463c2bd329.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/09/3.html","regions":["bryansk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"Novozybkov Court Sentenced 4 Jehovah's Witnesses to Jail, But Released Them Because They Have Already Served Their Time","type":"news"},{"body":"The Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Nizhny Novgorod Region initiates a criminal case against Kirill Yevstigneev, accusing him of financing extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\n","caseTitle":"The case of Yevstigneev in Nizhny Novgorod","date":"2020-09-02T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/nizhniy-novgorod6/index.html#20200902","regions":["nizhegorod"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Captain of Justice D. V. Antonov, senior investigator-criminalist of the investigation department of the FSB Directorate for the Magadan Region, initiates another criminal case against Yevgeny Zyablov under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremism). The new case is assigned a 12007440001000020 number. It is combined with the 11807440001000013 case into one proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Puyda and Others in Magadan","date":"2020-08-09T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/magadan/index.html#20200809","regions":["magadan"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","families"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On August, 3, 2020, the appeal court commuted the sentence imposed on a 61-year-old believer by the Pskov City Court, replacing 6.5 years of imprisonment with a suspended sentence. A few hours after the verdict was pronounced, Gennady was released from the pre-trial detention center.\nThe news is being updated\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-08-03T21:49:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/08/1/image_hu_d1ed4925abeeb45a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/08/1/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/08/1/image_hu_35100e51907ac683.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/08/1/image_hu_6062f5b46d91d19a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/08/1.html","regions":["pskov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["appeal","liberty-deprivation","mitigation","suspended","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"The Pskov Regional Court replaced Gennadiy Shpakovskiy's prison sentence with a suspended sentence. The believer has already been released.","type":"news"},{"body":"Investigator Astakhov decides to separate the criminal case against Aleksey Shcherbich into a separate proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Shcherbich in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-07-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk3/index.html#20200730","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Senior investigator for the Department of Internal Affairs of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Stavropol Territory, Major of Justice A. Astakhov attracts Konstantin Samsonov as a defendant in committing crimes under Articles 282.2 (1) and 282.3 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This means that the criminal case initiated against the believers on June 5 has been joined in the proceedings with this criminal case.\nAccording to the investigation, \"using his authority as a spiritual leader of the followers of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses,\" Samsonov in 2017-2018 \"organized collective worship services consisting of singing songs, praying to God and studying articles of religious content.\"\nFrom the decision it becomes known that the funds that law enforcement officers seized on December 9, 2018, according to the investigation, were intended for the needs of an allegedly extremist organization.\nAleksandr Akopov and Shamil Sultanov receive similar orders to prosecute. They are also accused of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, Akopov, Samsonov and Sultanov, \"acting according to criminal roles ... managed the property of the banned LRO ... held meetings... organized a fundraiser to finance the LRO.\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Samsonov and Others in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-07-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk/index.html#20200729","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Cases involving the organization and financing of the activities of an extremist organization are combined into one criminal proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Shcherbich in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-07-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk3/index.html#20200729","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Aleksey Shcherbich is involved as a defendant.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Shcherbich in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-07-28T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk3/index.html#20200728","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Guselnikov, investigator for particularly important cases of the First Investigation Department of the Fourth Investigative Directorate located in Yekaterinburg of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, issued a decision to initiate a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code against Aminzhanov, Boronos, Burenescu, Gargalyk, Zhukov, Kayryak, Kim, Kobotov, Kozak, Loginov, Petrov, Plekhov, Romashov, Rysikov, Trifonov and Fefilov. The case is combined into one proceeding with the one initiated earlier under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut","date":"2020-07-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut/index.html#20200708","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Guselnikov, investigator for particularly important cases of the First Investigation Department of the Fourth Investigative Directorate located in Yekaterinburg of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, issued a decision to initiate a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code against Aminzhanov, Boronos, Burenescu, Gargalyk, Zhukov, Kayryak, Kim, Kobotov, Kozak, Loginov, Petrov, Plekhov, Romashov, Rysikov, Trifonov and Fefilov. The case is combined into one proceeding with the one initiated earlier under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Khorikov and Others in Surgut","date":"2020-07-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/surgut2/index.html#20200708","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 9, 2020, Judge of the Pskov City Court Galina Belik sentenced 61-year-old Pskov resident Gennadiy Shpakovskiy to six and a half years in a penal colony, despite the absence of real crimes. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. His only “crime” is to discuss the Bible with friends.\nThe court found Gennadiy Shpakovskiy guilty of organizing the activities of the extremist organization and its financing, considering that religious meetings with believers are not the exercise of the private right to freedom of religion, but the continuation of the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses legal entities liquidated by court\nGennadiy Shpakovskiy completely denied any involvement in extremism. In his final address to the judge, he recalled that during Soviet times millions of citizens were repressed on false charges. Among them were Jehovah's Witnesses, who were later rehabilitated by the authorities. \"Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Today, the same thing is being done to me and my fellow believers. They accuse me of a monstrous crime, which not only does not conform to my Christian beliefs, but also does not fit into the consciousness of a sane person,\" said the believer.\n\"The evidence in the case includes only information that I confess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, including meeting to watch religious videos with believers, singing songs with them, praying to God Jehovah and discussing my beliefs with others,\" said Gennadiy Shpakovskiy and explained that none of these actions is mentioned in the law on countering extremist activities.\nThe believer referred to the Russian government's explanation of the injunction against 396 Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"does not evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine, nor does it contain any restriction or prohibition on the individual practice of the aforementioned doctrine.\nThe court did not take into account Shpakovskiy's arguments and sentenced him to 6 years and 6 months in prison. Although the prosecutor had requested 7.5 years in prison, this verdict is the toughest of those imposed on Jehovah's Witnesses in modern Russia.\n\"Paradoxically, at one of the last sessions Judge Belik personally stressed that the practice of religion, joint meetings and prayers is not a crime, but a right of a Russian citizen, enshrined in Article 28 of the Constitution of Russia,\" said Arli Chimirov, the lawyer for Shpakovskiy.\nEarlier, Judge Belik's questions to Shpakovsky revealed that she was under the influence of prejudice. Addressing the defendant, the judge explained how she understood his actions: \"You say: (...) \" They will send papers from Brooklyn, I will gather everyone, and we will again learn the Bible the way they want. Not as the state calling itself the Russian Federation wants, but as the state calling itself the United States of America wants\" (In fact, the believer only enjoys the inalienable right to freedom of religion, which is guaranteed to everyone by the Constitution of the Russian Federation).\n[i18n] Learn more The last word of Gennadiy Shpakovsky Shpakovskiy's verdict, as well as the decision of the Crimean Supreme Court in the case of another believer, Artyom Gerasimov, were issued in defiance of repeated demands of the UN Working Group and other international structures to stop criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. \"The decisions of the courts are getting tougher. In terms of international law, the court's verdict is an arbitrary deprivation of liberty for the peaceful practice of religion,\" said representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses Yaroslav Sivulskiy.\nGennadiy Shpakovskiy became the 11th member of Jehovah's Witnesses, sent to prison for the faith. A criminal case against the believer was initiated in early 2018. Before that, special services had been watching the believer for several months. On June 3, 2018, he was detained in the apartment of friends while they were peacefully discussing the Bible. Armed FSB officers, with the participation of riot police, broke down the door and searched the home for six hours, after which they interrogated the believers for several hours at the law enforcement unit. Some members were persuaded to self-incrimination by threats of a 10-year prison term, dismissal from employment and other problems.\n","category":"verdict","date":"2020-06-09T11:36:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/06/6/image_hu_a2a0968b573269bc.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/06/6/image_hu_96bea25068e03c24.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/06/6/image_hu_4a7ac5dd8c2655b3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/06/6/image_hu_6bcca8265e6cb563.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/06/6.html","regions":["pskov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["sentence","liberty-deprivation","282.2-1","282.3-1","elderly"],"title":"61-year-old Gennadiy Shpakovskiy Sentenced to a Record Six and a Half Years in Prison for His Faith","type":"news"},{"body":"Senior Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the Investigation Department of the FSB of Russia in the Stavropol Territory, Major of Justice Astakhov A.V. initiates a new criminal case against Konstantin Samsonov, Alexander Akopov, Shamil Sultanov and Alexei Shcherbich. All of them are charged under Part 1 of Article 282.3 (collection of funds for the needs of an extremist organization).\nAccording to the ruling, the defendants \"were aware that the money would be intended as to support the activities of an extremist organization.\"\nThis new criminal case has been separated into a separate proceeding.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Samsonov and Others in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-06-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk/index.html#20200605","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator A. Astakhov initiates a new criminal case under the article on financing the activities of an extremist organization against Shcherbich, Samsonov, Akopov and Sultanov.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Shcherbich in Neftekumsk","date":"2020-06-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/neftekumsk3/index.html#20200605","regions":["stavropol"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On June 1, 2020, 61-year-old Gennadiy Shpakovskiy, speaking at the last word in Pskov City Court, did not plead guilty to extremism and stressed that he is under the trial purely for his faith. The prosecutor asked for 7.5 years in a general regime colony and 1.5 years of freedom restrictions.\nReferring to repeated decisions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council demanding a halt to repression against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Gennadiy Shpakovskiy filed an application with the prosecutor's office and the court to stop the criminal case. Judge Galina Belik did not find it necessary to take this into account.\n[i18n] Learn more The last word of Gennadiy Shpakovsky At the court hearing, the prosecutor asked for Gennadiy's longest term, which was announced in the courts during the religious persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in modern Russia - 7.5 years in a general regime colony with subsequent restriction of liberty of 1.5 years.\nAfter the debate, the prosecutor's and Gennadiy Shpakovskiy's closing remarks, judge Belik left to deliver the verdict, which is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on June 8, 2020.\nUpdate. On June 8, Judge Belik postponed the announcement of the verdict to 9:00 on June 9. Gennadiy Shpakovskiy is charged with organizing and financing a banned organization (article 282. 2 (1) и 282. 3 (1) OF THE CRIMINAL CODE). The initiation of criminal proceedings against him became known 2 years ago after humiliating mass searches of believers in Pskov. Before that, he had been followed for several months, collecting \"evidence\". - evidence that he continues to read the Bible with believers and speak to other residents about God.\n","category":"trial","date":"2020-06-03T17:04:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/06/4/image_hu_4024d5ea21cb9f9a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/06/4/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/06/4/image_hu_806c158f4767e9b6.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/06/4/image_hu_a5401c90f335a5f1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/06/4.html","regions":["pskov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["punishment-request","defense-arguments","282.2-1","282.3-1","elderly"],"title":"The Pskov Prosecutor Asked to Imprison Gennadiy Shpakovskiy for Record 7.5 Years for Faith in Jehovah. The Verdict Will Be Announced on June 8","type":"news"},{"body":"Ruslan Alyev and Semyon Baibak are charged with committing a crime (in the final version) - participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In addition, Semyon Baybak was also charged with financing an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\n","caseTitle":"Case of Alyev in Rostov-on-Don","date":"2020-05-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/rostov-on-don6/index.html#20200508","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The believers are charged in the final version. Maria Karpova is charged under Article 282.2 (1) and Article 282.2 (1.1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Anton Dergalev, Arsen Abdullaev and Marat Abdulgalimov were charged under Articles 282.2 (1) and 282.3 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Abdullaev and Others in Makhachkala","date":"2020-04-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/makhachkala/index.html#20200430","regions":["dagestan"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-1.1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Andrey Sazonov is charged with committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.1, Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Sazonov in Uray","date":"2020-03-30T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/uray/index.html#20200330","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Tatyana Shamsheva and Olga Silaeva were elected a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave and proper behavior. The defendants are charged in the final version: Tatyana Shamsheva and Olga Silaeva under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Eduard Zhinzhikov and Vladimir Khokhlov under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Khokhlov and Zhinzhikov in Novozybkov","date":"2020-03-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/novozybkov/index.html#20200305","regions":["bryansk"],"tags":["recognizance-agreement","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"R. Bogatyrev prosecutes Eduard Zhinzhikov and Vladimir Khokhlov as defendants under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (\"collection of funds knowingly intended to support the activities of an extremist organization\").\nThe investigation interprets everyday communication on religious topics as \"a criminal conspiracy to continue participating in the activities of the 'Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses.'\"\n","caseTitle":"Case of Khokhlov and Zhinzhikov in Novozybkov","date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/novozybkov/index.html#20200206","regions":["bryansk"],"tags":["282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Andrey Sazonov is charged with committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.1. The investigation adds another part 1 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Sazonov in Uray","date":"2020-01-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/uray/index.html#20200119","regions":["khanty-mansi"],"tags":["282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Rostov investigator of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Major Kalnitsky, opens another criminal case against 36-year-old Arsen Avanesov. The believer is accused of receiving donations to rent premises for meetings of fellow believers, which the investigator equates with financing extremist activities (part 1 of article 282.3). About two months ago, the same investigator opened a similar case against another Rostov resident, Semyon Baibak.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Avanesovs and Others in Rostov-on-Don","date":"2020-01-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/rostov-on-don7/index.html#20200114","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Investigator for especially important cases Nikitin initiates a new criminal case against Bondarchuk and Yavushkin under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activities). The joint criminal case retains the previous 11902320035000583 number.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Yavushkin and Bondarchuk in Kemerovo","date":"2020-01-13T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kemerovo/index.html#20200113","regions":["kemerovo"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 6, 2019, Anatoliy Tokarev, a resident of Kirov, was charged under two \"extremist\" articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organizing the activities of an extremist organization, part 1 of article 282.2, and its financing, part 1 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nThere are no victims in Tokarev's case, and the prosecution repeats word for word the wording previously used against other believers. For example, Georgy Malykh, an investigator for especially important cases who is investigating Tokarev's case, called him the \"spiritual leader\" of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kirov. Earlier, the same wording was used in the case against Sergey Klimov from Tomsk, who was recently sentenced to 6 years.\nTokarev faces real prison terms for the fact that at his home he conducted \"training sessions and meetings in the format of a collective worship service, consisting of the performance of songs ... and prayers to Jehovah God,\" as well as \"appointed readers to study the Bible\" and \"engaged in pastoral work.\" In addition, Tokarev is charged with the fact that he did not stop \"his personal involvement\", in other words, did not renounce his religious beliefs, to which he was legally entitled even after the entry into force of the Supreme Court decision regarding Jehovah's Witnesses. Andrzej Oniszczuk spent 330 days in the Kirov pre-trial detention center on similar charges.\nThe investigation claims that Tokarev collected funds (which were used to pay utility bills for electricity in an empty worship building and maintain it in technically proper condition). This is what the investigator considered to be the financing of an extremist organization.\nJehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism. Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation allows any citizen \"to freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.\" Perceiving law-abiding believers for talking about religion is a significant mistake by law enforcement agencies that distracts them from the fight against real crime.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-11-22T16:52:09+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/11/1391/tokarev2_hu_b39a23cf851cd7f1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/11/1391/tokarev2_hu_b58e68399a55399c.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/11/1391/tokarev2_hu_d0cd847438c0964b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/11/1391/tokarev2_hu_6e89fb79257a0dab.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/11/1391.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","elderly"],"title":"Anatoly Tokarev, a pensioner from Kirov, was charged under two articles at once","type":"news"},{"body":"The charges against Rogozin, Melnik, Egozaryan, Osipov have been toughened - now the investigation considers them to be the organizers of the extremist community. Volgograd residents face up to 10 years in prison.\nDenis Peresunko is being interrogated as a defendant under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Rogozin and Others in Volgograd","date":"2019-11-22T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/volgograd/index.html#20191122","regions":["volgograd"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","interrogation"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On November 12, 2019, a preliminary hearing was held in the Leninsky District Court of Omsk in the case of spouses Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, as well as Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova. These are civilians from Omsk, and the only basis for criminal prosecution is their religion as Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe case against the Polyakovs was initiated on June 20, 2018. A few days later, on July 4, searches were carried out in four houses of believers, Sergey and Anastasia were taken away for separate interrogations. During the arrest, Sergey was severely beaten by masked security forces, receiving several blows to the head and face. One of the blows was struck by the knee. Then he himself was forced to wipe his own blood off the floor. Anastasia was insulted during interrogations. After interrogation, Sergey was thrown into a pre-trial detention center, where he spent 154 days. He spent another 91 days under house arrest, and now he is under recognizance not to leave. Later, Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova were involved in the Polyakov case.\n47-year-old engineer-radiophysicist Sergey Polyakov is charged simultaneously under two articles of the Criminal Code - 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), respectively, the organization of extremist activities and its financing. Three women are charged under the milder article 282.2 (2) - participation in extremist activities.\nThe hearings are presided over by Judge Ivan Vladimirovich Kargapolov. On November 12, the defendants filed a motion to transfer the case to the Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk in connection with the territory of jurisdiction, it will be considered on November 20.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-11-13T14:04:16+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_87ddbbe4ddb39dc7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_cd61db79ed52136b.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_6b031f7e6e242dc8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/11/1358/polyakovy_bektemirova_dyusekeeva_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_2ebda51641f7a3f4.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/11/1358.html","regions":["omsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["families","282.2-1","282.3-1","282.2-2","to-court"],"title":"The trial of four believers has begun in Omsk. The Polyakovs' spouses, Dinara Dyusekeeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova are in the dock ","type":"news"},{"body":"Major Kalnitsky, Deputy Head of the First Investigation Department of the First Investigation Department of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia, is initiating another criminal case against 22-year-old Semyon Baybak under Part 1 of Article 282.3. Semyon is accused of collecting donations to rent a room for meetings of fellow believers. In this, the investigator sees the financing of an extremist organization banned by a court decision.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Baybak in Rostov-on-Don","date":"2019-11-05T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/rostov-on-don2/index.html#20191105","regions":["rostov"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 16, 2019, in the city of Novozybkov (Bryansk Region), a new criminal case was opened against 42-year-old believer Vladimir Khokhlov on suspicion of belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses. The investigation is being conducted by the Novozybkovsky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Bryansk Region.\nAccording to the case file, Khokhlov is accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, as well as financing it (respectively, Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The case is being investigated by Senior Lieutenant of Justice I. Postevoy. The decision to initiate a criminal case against Khokhlov can be appealed.\nThis is the second criminal case that has been initiated against peaceful believers in Novozybkov. Earlier, as a result of mass searches in the Bryansk region , they stopped communicating and later arrested 31-year-old Olga Silaeva and 42-year-old Tatyana Shamsheva. They have been languishing in the Bryansk pre-trial detention center for more than 4 months.\nReading the Bible and peaceful meetings of believers continue to be misinterpreted by law enforcement agencies as participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Because of this loose interpretation of the \"extremist\" articles of the Criminal Code, the number of people persecuted only for their adherence to their religious views is steadily growing.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-10-26T10:11:57+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1293/depositphotos_75905113_7_0_hu_a7e12beae6cb7bec.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1293/depositphotos_75905113_7_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1293/depositphotos_75905113_7_0_hu_d58f9b884b44bb7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1293/depositphotos_75905113_7_0_hu_eb91f4ca8be731ca.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1293.html","regions":["bryansk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"Another criminal case for faith opened in the Bryansk region","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 21 and 22, 2019, a new charge was brought against six believers from Orenburg, and the articles under which each of the believers is accused were changed (Articles 282.2, parts 1 and 2, as well as Article 282.3). The preliminary investigation of the case is coming to an end, followed by the stage of familiarization with the case materials.\nSergey Logunov, who is under recognizance not to leave, has now been charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Vladimir Kochnev, who spent 78 days in a pre-trial detention center and 70 days under house arrest and is now banned from certain actions, is charged under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). The same charge was brought against Nikolai Zhugin, Alexei Matveev and Pavel Lekontsev. Vladislav Kolbanov, in addition, is charged under Article 282.3 (financing of extremist activities). He spent 2 days in a temporary detention facility and 146 days under house arrest, and is currently prohibited from certain activities.\nThese peaceful Orenburg residents became accused after a major raid by security forces on May 16, 2018. Relatives and friends of believers are seriously concerned about what is happening, because these respectable citizens face real prison terms just because they studied the Bible. The support of loved ones helps them cope with this ordeal, and they all hope for a fair trial.\n","category":"trial","date":"2019-10-25T19:25:14+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1292/6_hu_3b7d0458ba732fc1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1292/6_hu_8bd969dd8c528d5f.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1292/6_hu_4e859077b78e3269.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1292/6_hu_f532348782f0fbca.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1292.html","regions":["orenburg"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"title":"In Orenburg, investigators re-indicted 6 believers","type":"news"},{"body":"Denis Peresunko is being prosecuted and interrogated as a defendant under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Rogozin and Others in Volgograd","date":"2019-08-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/volgograd/index.html#20190827","regions":["volgograd"],"tags":["interrogation","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Sergey Polyakov was charged under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2019-08-22T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20190822","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Another criminal case has been opened against Shpakovsky on the financing of an extremist organization. Allegedly, Shpakovsky collected donations for the needs of the liquidated organization. On the same day, the new business is merged with the old one.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Shpakovskiy in Pskov","date":"2019-08-21T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/pskov/index.html#20190821","regions":["pskov"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A criminal case was initiated by the investigator of the first department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Omsk Region D.V. Levchenko against A.V. Karimzhanov, S.V. Polyakov, and I.V. Zhukov under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Combining a criminal case initiated on 20.06.2018 with a new criminal case into one.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2019-08-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20190819","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A criminal case was initiated by the investigator of the first department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Omsk region Levchenko D.V. against Karimzhanov A.V., Polyakov S.V., and Zhukov I.V. under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"Case of the Polyakovs and Others in Omsk","date":"2019-08-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk2/index.html#20190819","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A. Ignatov, Senior Investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Volgograd Region, initiates a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code against Vyacheslav Osipov, Valery Rogozin and Denis Peresunko.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Rogozin and Others in Volgograd","date":"2019-08-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/volgograd/index.html#20190819","regions":["volgograd"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kirov Region initiates a criminal case for faith under Articles 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1); According to investigators, he \"organized ... including in his apartment... meetings of followers and participants of this meeting in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs ... study of religious literature, the so-called \"Holy Scripture\" (Bible), which is included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing the Doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.\" Innocent victims of law enforcement officers are: Tokarev Anatoly (born in 1958).\n","caseTitle":"Case of Tokarev in Kirov","date":"2019-05-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kirov/index.html#20190508","regions":["kirov"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Decision to prosecute D. Zagulin as a defendant under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan","date":"2019-03-25T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan10/index.html#20190325","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"Decision to bring Sergey Shulyarenko as an accused.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan","date":"2019-03-19T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan10/index.html#20190319","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for the Jewish Autonomous Region is initiating a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code against D.N. Zagulin. On the same day, a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was initiated against Sergey Shulyarenko. He is under investigation as part of the Aliyev case.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan","date":"2019-03-06T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan10/index.html#20190306","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"V.V. Bryantsev, Deputy Head of the Investigative Directorate of the FSB Directorate for the Jewish Autonomous Region, initiates a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.2, Part 1 of Article 282.3 against Valery Krieger. He is under investigation as part of the Alam Aliyev case.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan","date":"2018-11-08T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan10/index.html#20181108","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On October 9, 2018, searches were carried out in Kirov in the homes of citizens accused of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as relatives who do not share their beliefs. 5 people were detained, including a foreigner. According to investigators, the question of the further measure of restraint for them should be decided on October 10-11, 2018.\nThe list of detainees includes 50-year-old Andrzej Oniszczuk (a citizen of the Republic of Poland living in Russia), 65-year-old Vladimir Korobeynikov, 25-year-old Andrey Suvorkov, 40-year-old Yevgeny Suvorkov and 44-year-old Maxim Khalturin. During searches in their homes, all electronic devices were seized. The investigating authorities searched not only believers, but also their relatives who do not profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe case was initiated by investigators of the Investigative Committee under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of activities of an extremist community) and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activities). The official report of the investigation states that the citizens \"organized meetings of followers and participants of this association in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs, improving the skills of missionary activity, studying religious literature, the so-called \"Holy Scripture\" (Bible), which is included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing Doctrine Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nAs can be seen, this criminal case is a direct consequence of the decision of the Vyborg City Court to recognize as extremist material the translation of the Bible into modern Russian, which was seized at customs from Jehovah's Witnesses.\nAfter the Russian Supreme Court liquidated and declared all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"extremist\", law enforcement agencies throughout the country mistakenly interpret peaceful meetings of believers as \"extremist activity.\" Dozens of human rights activists, as well as the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation , express concern about the growing religious repression.\n","category":"org","date":"2018-10-10T15:31:08+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_dc77be40404d0772.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_b2617c89503029b0.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/10/486/depositphotos_21862193_1_hu_a991a9524848ca09.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/10/486.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","ivs","elderly","families","new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"title":"In Kirov, a new criminal case for faith and the arrest of 5 citizens, including a Polish citizen","type":"news"},{"body":"The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kirov Region initiates a criminal case for faith under Articles 282.2 (1), 282.2 (2), 282.3 (1); According to the investigation, \"they organized meetings of followers and members of the said association [of Jehovah's Witnesses] in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in the joint singing of biblical songs, improving the skills of missionary activity, studying religious literature, the so-called \"Holy Scripture\" (Bible), which is included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing the Doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.\" Innocent victims of law enforcement officers are: Andrzej Onischuk (born in 1968), Vladimir Korobeynikov (born in 1952), Andrey Suvorkov (born in 1993), Yevgeny Suvorkov (born in 1978), Maxim Khalturin (born in 1974), Yuri Geraskov (born in 1956), Vladimir Vasilyev (born in 1956).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Oniszczuk and Others in Kirov","date":"2018-10-03T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/kirov3/index.html#20181003","regions":["kirov"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"A criminal case is being initiated against Dmitry Mikhailov's wife, Yelena, as well as Svetlana Ryzhkova and Svetlana Shishina under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activities). Women are interrogated as suspects and signed recognizances. The investigator is also interrogating Aleksey Arkhipov.\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Mikhaylovs and Others in Shuya","date":"2018-06-27T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/shuya/index.html#20180627","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["new-case","282.3-1","recognizance-agreement","interrogation"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Omsk Region initiates a criminal case for faith under Articles 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1); Innocent victims of law enforcement officers are: Igor Zhukov (born in 1986).\n","caseTitle":"Case of Zhukov in Omsk","date":"2018-06-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk/index.html#20180620","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["282.2-1","282.3-1","new-case"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Omsk Region initiates a criminal case under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Article 282.3 (1) of the Criminal Code against unidentified persons.\n","caseTitle":"Case of Zhukov in Omsk","date":"2018-06-20T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/omsk/index.html#20180620","regions":["omsk"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"On May 29, 2018, Dmitry Mikhailov, a 40-year-old resident of Shuya (Ivanovo region), who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, was taken into custody. Earlier, on April 20, 2018, he was recognized as a suspect in participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\nAt the time of his arrest, Mikhailov was told that he was now suspected of \"financing\" extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Law enforcers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in an extremist organization.\n","category":"restriction","date":"2018-06-01T16:24:13+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/06/336/mihaylov_dmitriy4875_hu_cb8bbc79fc28e15e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/06/336/mihaylov_dmitriy4875.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/06/336/mihaylov_dmitriy4875_hu_7df984e635d864c2.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/06/336/mihaylov_dmitriy4875_hu_9b4e644f4360b76d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/06/336.html","regions":["ivanovo"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["ivs","282.3-1","new-case"],"title":"A 40-year-old believer was arrested in Ivanovo region ","type":"news"},{"body":"Dmitry Mikhailov was taken into custody. A case is also being opened against him on charges of \"financing\" extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of the Mikhaylovs and Others in Shuya","date":"2018-05-29T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/shuya/index.html#20180529","regions":["ivanovo"],"tags":["sizo","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region is initiating a criminal case for faith under Articles 282.2 (1), 282.2 (2), 282.3 (1) against Alam Aliyev, Valery Krieger, Sergey Shulyarenko, Dmitry Zagulin and Konstantin Guzev. According to the investigation, together with others, they held worship services, which is interpreted as \"organizing the activities of an extremist organization\" (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to liquidate all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses).\n","caseTitle":"The Case of Aliyev and Others in Birobidzhan","date":"2018-05-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan10/index.html#20180514","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"},{"body":"The Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region initiates a criminal case for faith under Articles 282.2 (1), 282.2 (2), 282.3 (1) against local believers. According to the investigation, together with others, they held worship services, which is interpreted as \"organizing the activities of an extremist organization\" (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to liquidate all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses).\n","caseTitle":"Case of Guzev in Birobidzhan","date":"2018-05-14T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/cases/birobidzhan11/index.html#20180514","regions":["jewish"],"tags":["new-case","282.2-1","282.2-2","282.3-1"],"type":"timeline"}]