The last word of the defendant Dmitry Ravnushkin in Petrozavodsk

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The last word of the defendant Dmitry Ravnushkin in Petrozavodsk

July 24, 2023

Karelia

The believer told the court about how the Bible changed his life for the better, but because of his faith he ended up in the dock. He summed up: "This criminal prosecution has ruined my reputation… But I still believe that justice will be restored and my name will be cleared of shame."

Transcript of the court session in the Petrozavodsk City Court of the Republic of Karelia dated 07/24/2023 on the case 1-34/2023 (1-223/2022; 1-1110/2021) on the accusation of Dmitry Vasilyevich Ravnushkin , etc . in committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Ravnushkin Dmitry Vasilyevich:

Dear court and all participants in the process! This criminal prosecution and everything connected with it — the search, the interrogations, the undermining of my reputation through the media — divided my life into before and after. This terrible dream has been going on for 4 years and will not end in any way. Although my wife and daughter try to support me and take care of the home, I know it's not easy for them.

Rosfinmonitoring has blocked my accounts, and they don't want to hire me when they find out that I am being tried for extremism. And although I don't have a stable job right now, I am very grateful to my family for our friendly, strong and happy relationship. I am very glad that my backs are reliable, my family always loves me and waits for me.

Despite the new circumstances, there is something that, fortunately, has remained unchanged in me — this is my conscience. She was pure before God and people before this persecution began, and I still consider myself absolutely innocent of extremism and undermining the constitutional order. The false accusations didn't embitter me. I still believe that good will definitely defeat evil, and justice will prevail. The criminal prosecution did not affect what is very valuable to me — my relationship with Jehovah God, whom I love.

There were a lot of things in my life that strongly influenced me. Let me tell you a little about myself and how I was influenced by my faith, for which I am being judged.

I was born and raised in a simple, non-religious family. My father worked as a car mechanic, and my mother worked as a salesman. The youth years fell on the difficult 1990s. This has left its mark on my lifestyle. Those with whom I communicated at that time ended badly, someone served several prison terms, and someone is no longer alive. That social circle and lifestyle didn't teach me anything good.

At that difficult time, I had various questions that did not give me peace of mind. Why do people get sick, get old and die? Why does lawlessness flourish? If we are the fruit of evolution, why does adultery cause pain? I also asked myself other questions: about the meaning of life, about good and evil.

When I began to study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, everything began to change in me again. I became convinced that the Bible can be fully trusted, that all the problems of humanity are due to Adam's sin, that is, because of disobedience. The Bible says: "This is the essence of all that has been said: fear the true God and keep his commandments. This is the most important thing in a person's life." The Bible has become my main guide in life.

How did she change me? She began to "purify" me. For example, it says: "So, dear brothers, since we have been given such promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that defiles the body and spirit, and let us strive for even greater holiness." Although it was not easy for me, God helped me to break with bad habits. I don't smoke, swear, or abuse alcohol. I have become cleaner in every way and continue to work on myself to be kind, patient and calm in dealing with a variety of people.

The Bible has made me morally purer. My wife, Alyona, and I met at a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. We live by the same biblical norms. We have been happily married for 26 years and are absolutely confident in each other. The Bible helped us to become good parents for our daughter. You could see the positive aspects of this upbringing from the gratitude sheets and certificates received from the school where Nastya studied. I am glad that you, Your Honor, were able to observe our relatives for yourself and see with your own eyes how the Bible affects our family relations.

Jehovah has made me purer spiritually. I try to be faithful to God in everything. I try to be an obedient disciple of Christ. He said to his disciples, "Go and prepare disciples in all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." I try to live in accordance with this commandment.

To sum up, there were a lot of things in my life that influenced me. The nineties and bad friends taught me how to drink and smoke. My life could have gone downhill after my friends. Fortunately, I began to study the Bible with Witnesses and now have clean habits, a clean conscience and a clean and happy family relationship. Jehovah teaches me good, not evil.

This criminal prosecution has ruined my reputation, physical and emotional health, but thanks to my God Jehovah, I have not become angry and disappointed in people. I still believe that justice will be restored and my name will be cleared of shame.

Thank you, dear court, for showing us respect. I hope that what you heard and saw during the trial will help you restore true justice. Please excuse me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Karelia

Locality:

Petrozavodsk

What is suspected of:

According to investigators, they united in an organized group with the aim of organizing the activities of a local subdivision of the banned religious organization "Management Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" on the territory of the city of Petrozavodsk of the Republic of Karelia, including by organizing meetings and involving new members in its activities.

Criminal case number:

11907860001000022

Case initiated:

July 22, 2019

The current stage of the case:

Appeal

is being investigated by:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Karelia

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

№ 1-34/2023 (1-223/2022; 1-1110/2021)

Court:

Petrozavodsk City Court of the Republic of Karelia

Referee:

Stepan Sergeev