The last word of the defendant Maxim Morozov in the Taiga

 Russia

 

The last word of the defendant Maxim Morozov in the Taiga

August 15 , 2023

Kemerovo region

In his speech, the believer noted that the persecution of faith is not new, and drew attention to the persecution of Christ and his disciples. "In our case, of course, we are not talking about the death penalty. But all the same, why should religious people serve time in prison just because they worship God?"

Transcript of the court session in the Taiginsky City Court of the Kemerovo Region dated 08/15/2023 in the case 1-2/2023 (1-35/2022) on charges of Maxim Evgenievich Morozov and Yuri Alexandrovich Usanov of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Morozov Maxim Evgenievich:

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who took part in this court case in one way or another. To the judge, because you always gave us the opportunity to express our arguments; to the secretary, because we always received written notifications about our next court session; to the prosecutor, who petitioned the court to change part of article 282.2 from the 1st to the 2nd; to the convoy that regularly brought us to court; to our defenders after all, they made efforts to defend our legitimate rights. And of course, thanks to our dear friends who regularly came to court sessions to support us.

Today we are in the dock because we are accused of taking part in the activities of a religious group that was allegedly part of a religious organization that was banned in connection with extremist activities. Therefore, I am, in fact, accused of extremism.

But what is extremism? The Wikipedia encyclopedia says the following: "Extremism — from the Latin extremus (extreme, excessive) — is a commitment to extreme and radical views, methods and actions." But, as can be seen from the decree that was handed to us, our meetings are based on the Holy Scriptures, the Bible.

And what does the Bible encourage? It calls us to balance and peace. For example, in the Bible, in a Letter to Titus, it says that mature Christians should exercise moderation, be sensible, serious, and love others. They should not resort to violence, but on the contrary should be prudent, avoid quarrels. Thus, we see that the advice for Christians that is written in the Bible is, in fact, anti-extremist. Therefore, my actions — the fact that I met with friends and studied the Bible — were not only peaceful, but also contributed to the anti-extremist direction, and in no case the continuation of extremist activities.

Judging people who gathered together to study the Bible and thereby satisfy their spiritual needs, in my opinion, is the same as judging a paralyzed person who does not get out of bed for crossing the street in the wrong place. Or judge a person who does not know how to drive a car and does not have one, and condemn him for crossing a double solid. Your Honor, don't you think it looks like some kind of "Eralash" [Soviet and Russian humorous newsreel. — Ed.]? To judge people for extremism, and at the same time not properly establish what specific socially dangerous actions were committed by believers and what is their significance for the continuation or resumption of the activities of an extremist organization?

The resolution handed to us by the prosecution says that we continued "our criminal actions, expressed in spreading the faith." Also during the trial, you and I heard the testimony of some witnesses in the criminal case, who mentioned that Jehovah's Witnesses go home and preach. I wanted to explain to the court what personally motivates me to go and talk to strangers about the Bible.

In the Gospel, in the glad tidings from Matthew, it is told how Jesus sends his disciples to preach. In the 10th chapter, in the 7th verse, it is said what the followers of Christ should preach about. Jesus says, "As you go, preach, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!""Jesus encourages you to talk about the heavenly kingdom, the heavenly government that will solve all the problems of humanity. Then Jesus tells us where to preach. In the 11th and 12th verses of the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, it says: "In whatever city or village you come, look for those who are worthy of your message, and stay with them until you leave. Entering the house, greet those who are in it." So Jesus sends His disciples to preach in the cities, in the villages and at home.

After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he gave direct guidance to his followers, which is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, the 28th chapter, from the 18th verse. It says the following: "Jesus came up to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and prepare disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded." Following this commandment, the followers of Christ in the first century did so, and every day in the temple and at home they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news.

I consider myself a Christian and therefore also follow the guidance of Jesus Christ, and imitate the example of Christians of the first century. That's why I preach, share the good news with all people. It wasn't the charter of some organization, it wasn't some people who encouraged me to do this. No! The Word of God, the Bible, motivates me to preach. Just as Christians did it in the I century, true Christians do it in the XXI century. The guidance for the followers of Jesus Christ remains the same: "Go and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you."

One of the proofs of our guilt in the criminal case is the recording of our joint meetings where we worshipped our Creator, where we studied the Bible, where we sang spiritual songs and prayed to Jehovah the Creator. But today millions of believers of different religions are also coming together — in fact, doing the same thing — and they are not persecuted.

For example, today many Christians, believers, know the prayer "Our Father". Some people learn it by heart, someone buys it written on a separate piece of paper, and someone just reads it from the Bible itself. This prayer begins with the words: "Our heavenly Father, may your name be hallowed. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." And so millions of believers pray about this day after day, year after year, asking God that the Kingdom of Heaven will come to us, that God's will be fulfilled on earth, and this is not a criminal offense.

Then why can't Jehovah's Witnesses come together to discuss the same thing, to discuss the main theme of the Bible — the heavenly Kingdom? Why is the fact that we have gathered to study the Bible a continuation of extremist activity?

We gathered with co-religionists and discussed issues related to the heavenly Kingdom, for example, such as: who has God appointed as the King of the heavenly Kingdom? when was it installed in the sky? How many people has God chosen for the heavenly kingdom? when will it begin to rule over the whole earth? what will be the conditions on earth under his rule? and what requirements does God impose on people who will live under the rule of this Kingdom? Your Honor, they say that this is a continuation of extremist activity, but it's just not entirely clear why.

Maybe it's all about the lifestyle of a Jehovah's Witness? The standards by which Jehovah's Witnesses live are the standards that God sets for all people who want to live on earth under the rule of the heavenly Kingdom. They are recorded in the Bible, in the 1st Letter to the Corinthians, the 6th chapter, the 9th and 10th verses. It says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake: neither libertines, nor idolaters, nor those who violate marital fidelity, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor greedy, nor drunkards, nor those who slander others, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God." These are the requirements of God for all people who today want to please the Creator, Jehovah, and also in the future to live under his rule on earth. Jehovah's Witnesses live by these standards, and what's wrong with that?

Your Honor, if people get together, study the Bible to learn about the norms of Jehovah God, and do not do everything that the Creator does not like, is it really bad? Are the foundations of the constitutional order being undermined when husbands stop cheating on their wives, and wives stop cheating on their husbands; when people stop abusing alcohol, which means being drunkards; when people stop stealing or dishonestly earning a living? How can this threaten the security of the State?

I have been in prison for two years now, and during this time I have often been asked the question: "What are you being tried for?" To which I replied that from the point of view of legislation, I do not know why we are being tried. Throughout the trial, we reviewed many different materials and physical evidence, witness statements, video and audio recordings. And what did we see in all this? Only that a group of believers gathered together to study the Bible and thus worship Jehovah God.

It was clearly seen at the trials that there was no extremism in the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses gathered together to worship Jehovah God. So, from the point of view of the law, I don't understand why we are being tried. But from the point of view of the Bible, it is clear to me why this is happening.

In the Gospel, in the Glad Tidings from Luke, the prophecy of Jesus Christ is recorded that the reign of the Kingdom of God will soon be on the whole earth. He told about the events that will take place on a global scale so that everyone can see a sign of the last days of this world. So, in the 21st chapter, in the 10th and 11th verses, it says: "Then he said, 'People will attack people, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be strong earthquakes and famines and epidemics in various places. People will see terrible events, as well as great signs from heaven."

And then Jesus just talks about why we are being judged and why such trials take place. Verses 12 and 13 say, "But before all this happens, people will persecute you, they will grab you, bring us from the synagogue and throw us into prisons. Because of my name, you will be led to kings and rulers. This will give you the opportunity to preach." Thus, Jesus warned his followers about the difficulties they would face, that they would be persecuted, judged and imprisoned.

But in the end, Jesus explains that all this makes it possible to preach so that the good news of the Kingdom is spread among all people. Your Honor, I do not know what the sentence will be, how severe or mild it will be. But I know for sure that the words of Jesus are being fulfilled before our eyes. And this once again convinces that everything else that is written in the Bible will surely come true: there will be a new world under the rule of the heavenly government — the Kingdom of God, where righteousness will dwell, where people will turn their swords into plows and spears into sickles. The nations will not go at each other with the ball and will no longer learn to fight.

In his prophecy, Jesus pointed out another reason why we are being judged. He said, "Because of my name, you will be led to kings and rulers." That is, in fact, Jesus said: "For your faith, for your religious beliefs, you will be judged." Is this really the case? In the 1990s, in Russia, Jehovah's Witnesses were rehabilitated as victims of political repression, according to the RSFSR Law No. 1761 of 18.10.1991 "On the rehabilitation of victims of political repression". But what exactly were they persecuted for?

The document from the criminal case explicitly states that during the Soviet era, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for their religious beliefs. This once again confirms the truth of the words of Jesus, who said that his followers would be persecuted for their religious beliefs.

When Jehovah's Witnesses were exiled to Siberia in 1951, they were accused under Article 58 of the RSFSR Criminal Code of anti-Soviet propaganda and saw them as enemies of the people. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses are being tried under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as extremists. But did they really commit what they were tried for in the Soviet Union? No, because 40 years later, in the 1990s, they were rehabilitated as victims of political repression. If they were real criminals, they wouldn't be rehabilitated.

And what about today? Are Jehovah's Witnesses really doing what they are being judged for? Do you and I also have to wait decades to understand that we are not extremists and that our joint meetings are not a continuation of extremist activity, but a confession of our faith based on the Bible?

At the end of my speech, I would like to draw attention to one trial that took place about 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ was judged. Charges were brought against him that he calls the people to revolt, forbids paying taxes to Caesar and says that he is the Christ, the king. What Jesus Christ was accused of then could be called extremism today. But what did Pilate, who acted as a judge, answer to all the accusations against Jesus? In the Gospel of Luke, the 23rd chapter, the 14th verse, his answer is recorded. It says: "You brought this man to me and claim that he incites the people to revolt. I interrogated him in front of you and saw that he is innocent of what you accuse him of."

So Pilate realized that Jesus was being falsely accused and there was no basis for the accusations that were being made against him. That Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Christ, was true. But the fact that he forbade paying taxes was an absolute lie. Jesus preached the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God and brought people the wonderful hope that the heavenly government would solve all the problems of humanity. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, resurrected the dead, and thereby showed all people that there are no problems that the Kingdom of God cannot solve. And Jesus never called for rebellion.

Today the situation is very similar. Who is being judged today? Believers, but not all, but only those who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. I am a Jehovah's Witness, and I don't deny it. But what are we being judged for? Allegedly for inciting religious discord, hatred and enmity, for extremism. But this is not true. It is not true. I believe that my worship of Jehovah God is correct because it is based on the Bible, but at the same time I do not condemn others if they worship God as they see fit.

If we go back to the trial of Jesus, what sentence was passed on him? In the 23rd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, starting from verse 20, it says: "However, Pilate wanted to free Jesus and therefore turned to them again: [...] "For what? What evil has this man done? […] But they began to shout at the top of their voices and demanded his execution. They shouted so much that Pilate agreed to fulfill their demand." And they did what they wanted with Jesus. Yes, Pilate did not acquit Jesus. What influenced his decision? An influential group of people who turned the people against Jesus influenced Pilate, who wanted to let Jesus go. Not some physical evidence, not some evidence, but the opinion of people who disliked Jesus, the Son of God. Your Honor, do you think it is possible to call such a court impartial and fair?

Today there is a trial of us, Jehovah's Witnesses. In our case, of course, we are not talking about the death penalty, as it was with Jesus. But all the same, why should believers serve time in prison just because they worship Jehovah God and in the way the Bible teaches?

Your Honor, I really want the court to make its decision objectively, without prejudice, not under the influence of the opinions of some people, but fairly, based on evidence and facts.

Summary of the case

Region:

Kemerovo region

Locality:

Taiga

What is suspected:

"committed organizational actions aimed at continuing and resuming the illegal activities of the banned organization "Management Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" in the form of convocations of meetings with the participation of residents of the city of Taiga"

Criminal case number:

12102320014000015

Initiated:

April 1, 2021

The current stage of the case:

the appeal

is being investigated by:

The Investigative Department for the city of Taiga of the SU IC of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo region — Kuzbass

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-2/2023 (1-35/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Taiginsky City Court of the Kemerovo region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Tatiana Kovaleva