The last word of the defendant Sergey Logunov in Orenburg

 Russia

 

The last word of the defendant Sergey Logunov in Orenburg

July 26, 2023

Orenburg region

In his last word, the believer drew attention to the fact that he was being tried not for some extremist actions, but for believing in God, and that the prosecution throughout the whole process proved not the fact of committing some crime, but that he professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Transcript of the court session in the Industrial District Court of Orenburg dated 26.07.2023 on the case 1-1/2023 (1-2/2022; 1-139/2021; 1-62/2020; 1-501/2019) on the accusation of Sergey Viktorovich Logunov and others . in committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Logunov Sergey Viktorovich:

So the trial of such an unusual case for this area is coming to an end. Why unusual? Because the trial of Jehovah's Witnesses is here for the first time. I would like to thank everyone who took part in it.

Your Honor, I want to thank you first of all for listening patiently to me and my lawyer throughout our long trial; for treating us with respect despite the fact that I am accused of such a terrible crime as extremism. Thank you, dear State Prosecutor, for the fact that, although you have to accuse me of extremism, throughout the entire trial you remained not belligerent, but at times even compliant and smiling. I thank the secretary of the court session for his hard work, modesty and friendly attitude towards us.

Thanks to our lawyers for the appointment. Throughout the whole process, you tried to understand a fundamentally unusual case for you. Why is it fundamentally unusual? Because they are not being tried for deception, theft or murder, but for faith in God Jehovah, and you will not often meet with this in the courtroom. This happened in dark periods of history, and you have found it.

I want to thank the bailiffs for their respectful attitude and trust in us. One of them even said: "Why are you being judged for so long? Invite us and we will tell you everything about you." I think they didn't see any danger or propensity for violence in us either, otherwise they would have spoken to us differently.

I would especially like to thank my lawyer for the agreement. Throughout the whole process, you spared no effort, time and health to protect me and my friends, making convincing arguments in favor of the fact that we are not criminals. Thank you for believing in us and being convinced that we are not criminals. It was evident from the way you defended us with conviction.

I am also grateful to my friends for their support, which was expressed in their presence both in the courtroom and outside its walls, as well as in kind words reflecting love and care. They shared our experiences with us.

Of course I am grateful to my dear half. All this time — from the first day of the search to the present day — Larochka was there not just as a wife, but as a devoted friend. Such friends are referred to in the Bible as those who love more than a brother, and they are called real friends. I am sure that whatever decision is made, she will continue to remain my faithful friend and wife.

Dear court, as I have already noticed, this is an unusual case, since we are being tried not for continuing the prohibited activities of the legal entity of the Local religious Organization "Tsentralnaya, Orenburg", but for the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses. This was especially noticeable during the interrogation of witnesses, for example, specialist Efimenko Marina Nikolaevna. This specialist drew attention to the fact that the participants of the meeting constantly mentioned the name of God, Jehovah, and also used "explicit quotations of Sacred texts from the Holy Scriptures." To the question of the public prosecutor, which creed is referred to in these transcripts, the specialist replied: "On the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses." This and much more shows that they are not being tried for the continuation of the prohibited activities of the legal entity of the Jehovah's Witnesses MRO "Tsentralnaya, Orenburg", but for the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Is it any wonder that the investigating authorities are trying in every possible way to replace the concept of a non-prohibited confessional religious group with a legal entity? For me and my friends, this is not something new or unexpected. This has been the case with Jehovah's Witnesses at almost all times. While on earth, Jesus warned about this, saying: "People will persecute you... bring you to trial... throw you into prisons. Because of my name, you will be led to kings and rulers" (Luke 21:12). He also added, "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). As you can see, we have known about this for a long time, but not because we committed a crime, but because it was predicted in advance.

Despite the fact that Jesus did many good deeds, he was brutally executed. Responding to Pilate's assertion that he found no fault in him, the Jews and their religious leaders declared: "He called God his father, making himself equal to God" (John 5:18). Isn't this persecution for faith?

And what kind of persecution have Jehovah's Witnesses faced in the past century? In the 1930s, their brutal persecution began in some countries, especially in Nazi Germany. Houses were searched, bans followed, thousands were thrown into concentration camps. The Nazis believed that the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses were hostile and "hindered the construction of National Socialism." Jehovah's Witnesses firmly adhered to the position of neutrality, they did not vote for Hitler and did not utter the greeting "Heil Hitler!".

Jehovah's Witnesses did not end up in concentration camps because they were criminals. So, for example, if someone from the authorities wanted to be shaved, the razor was trusted only to the Witness, because they knew that he would never use it to cause harm. When in the Auschwitz death camp the SS needed someone to clean their house or look after their children, they again chose Witnesses, knowing that they would not try to escape or poison the children. When the Sachsenhausen camp was evacuated at the end of the war, the guards ordered that the cart with their trophies be in the middle of the column of Witnesses. Why? Because they knew that the Witnesses wouldn't steal anything.

Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned for their faith. They were repeatedly promised that they would be released from the concentration camp if they only signed a renunciation of their beliefs. Did the persecution of this religious group stop when the Hitler regime fell? Not at all! Jehovah's Witnesses faced brutal attacks on the territory of the Soviet Union. For example, in April 1951, by Stalin's decree, 9,793 followers of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion and their family members were sent to Siberia and lost their homes. It was the largest confessional deportation in the USSR. The forcible eviction of Jehovah's Witnesses from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine and Estonia was called "Operation North". Men, women, old people and children were deported to Siberia under unbearable conditions under escort and forced to hard labor. The question arises: did any of the Jehovah's Witnesses have the opportunity to stay at home and avoid repression? Yes, if they signed a document of renunciation of faith.

Why have the authorities persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses at all times, if they have always led a respectable lifestyle and treated the authorities with respect?

To find the answer to this question, you can read the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Bible: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14). Jehovah's Witnesses, like their Teacher, Jesus, have always remained politically neutral — they respected the authorities, did not oppose them and did not force others to do so. Along with this, they did not take up arms and did not participate in politics. This uncompromising position caused dissatisfaction with the authorities.

Also, the Bible clearly shows who rules the world. In 1 John 5:19 it is written: "The whole world is in the power of the Devil." Is it any wonder that this fierce opponent of the truth does not want the news of Jehovah and his Kingdom to resound throughout the earth? The Bible and fulfilled prophecies show that the days of his reign are numbered, so he is in a great rage.

But the time came, and the USSR collapsed. Has anything changed in the attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses? Today's trial shows that no. As already noted, we continue to be judged for our faith in God and for the fact that we manifest this faith in deeds. Here we heard the state prosecutor say: "If they believed at home, then there would be no criminal case." It turns out that we are told: "Stay at home and believe in yourself in a rag," in which case we will not be prosecuted.

But who has more power: the representatives of the authorities in our country or God and Jesus Christ? For example, about God in Revelation 4:11 it is said: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, honor and power, for you created everything, and everything exists and was created according to your will." And Jesus himself said about himself: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and teach all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

But now judge for yourself, who should I obey — you, that is, representatives of the state, or Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ? Who has more power? It is obvious to me that God has absolute power, and for people it is relative. And my faith in this authority does not allow me to renounce it or disobey its instructions set forth in the Bible.

The very name "Jehovah" means "I will become whatever I wish to become." This means that there is not a single obstacle in front of him that would interfere with his plan. Job 11:10 declares about God: "If he puts someone in custody and calls a court, who can stop him?" And he said of himself, "Then who can resist me? Who gave me something first to owe him? Everything under heaven is mine" (Job 41:11).

And now the apostle Paul, authorized by the authority of Jesus, commanded: "Follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14a). What example? Jesus preached and taught about his Father and his Kingdom. In prayer to the Father , he said: "I have glorified You on earth… I have revealed your name to people"; and more: "I must preach the glad tidings of the kingdom of God" (John 17:4, 6; Luke 4:43). Yes, Jesus revealed the name of Jehovah to people and told them about the Kingdom of God. And before going to heaven, Jesus left a task for his followers: "Go, teach all nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20). And I take this assignment seriously, and I'm being judged for it today.

Jesus regularly visited synagogues and the temple in Jerusalem. For Jehovah God, this is so important that he contributed to the fact that the law of gathering together was written in the Bible: "Let us not forsake our congregation" (Hebrews 10:25). I also appreciate such services of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I was not even physically present at any of the 3 services for which I am being judged, since I was physically in the area at my place of residence and work these days.

Jesus loved God's Word very much. This is evident from the fact that he quoted it at every opportunity. And he even declared, "Your word is the truth" (John 17:17). He considered God's Word to be the truth. I also think so, and therefore in telephone conversations I often quoted the Bible from my memory.

Jesus left an example of love for his neighbor and taught this to his disciples. He even sacrificed his perfect life for our well-being, so he could say: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). He even said how the followers of Jesus could be identified: "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves" (John 13:35). How did Christians imitate their Teacher? The ancient Romans noted that the love of Christians is special. Tertullian, a man versed in Roman law, quoted the Romans saying about Christians: "Look how they love each other and how they are ready to die for each other."

So, having figured out how to imitate the Creator, I decided to become a Jehovah's Witness. After all, God himself said: "You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God."

I became convinced that Jehovah's Witnesses try to be as close as possible to God and Jesus, and for this Jehovah God approves of them. There is real, genuine love among the Witnesses, and we show it not only to our brotherhood, but also to others. For example, we talk about the hope that God has given to people and what needs to be done to make this hope come true. It is for the hope of living forever, for believing in it, that my friends and I are being judged, and not for continuing prohibited activities, as the investigative authorities and the state prosecutor present it.

Interestingly, about 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul was judged for this hope. Standing in judgment before King Agrippa, he said, "Now I stand in judgment for the hope of the promise made by God" (Acts 26:6). As the Apostle Paul, so my friends and I have not committed the crime for which we are represented as criminals. There is not a single victim, we have not called for the overthrow of the constitutional order, and even more so for the manifestation of violence against anyone. This is not visible in any of my conversations. Vladimir and I did not even have a hint to continue the prohibited activities of a legal entity, and Lekontsev, Zhugin and Kolbanov were never members of the Central, Orenburg MRO at all.

It would seem that we need to get discouraged or depressed for judging our faith, but this is not the case. Why? The answer is found in the words of Jesus Christ: "You are happy when, because of me, you are... persecuted and slandered. Rejoice and rejoice, because a great reward awaits you" (Matthew 5:11, 12). What does this mean for me? God's approval, and his approval gives hope, and reasonable hope does not lead to disappointment. Understanding that we endure these trials for imitating Jehovah and his Son Jesus Christ helps us to have that peace in our hearts that only the Creator, Jehovah, can give.

Throughout the entire time, while the judicial investigation was going on, a lot of evidence was provided that my friends and I had not the slightest intention to continue the prohibited activities of the legal entity MRO "Tsentralnaya, Orenburg" and never once did such a desire sound anywhere, but only used our right to profess our faith, both personally and together with others. No one has the right to deprive us of this opportunity, enshrined in Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Your Honor faces a difficult task. On the one hand — to recognize us innocent, on the other — to condemn.

In this regard, I recall an incident that happened to the apostles in the first century. When they were brought to court to be condemned for preaching about Jesus, one of the judges, Gamaliel, a law teacher respected by everyone in Israel, made a very important statement to the members of the court: "I tell you: step away from these people and leave them alone. For if the enterprise is a matter of people, then it will fail. If it is from God, then you will not be able to stop them, and it may happen that you will fight against God." What did the court do? They took his advice and let them go, thereby revealing their prudence (Acts 5:38-40). Historical facts and today's time show that no matter how many persecutions of Jehovah's Witnesses, they not only have not ceased to exist, but on the contrary are increasing in number and spiritually flourishing. This is a direct proof that God himself is on the side of Jehovah's Witnesses, and he continues to protect his people. As for the oppressions, Jehovah takes them personally, as can be seen from his own words: "For he who touches you touches the apple of his eye" (Zechariah 2:8).

Your Honor, I can say with all confidence that neither I nor my friends have committed any illegal actions. We are pure before God, before the state and before the law. Therefore, I ask you to fully justify us with the right to rehabilitation!

Summary of the case

Region:

Orenburg region

Locality:

Orenburg

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, he conducted divine services together with others, which is interpreted as "organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization"

Criminal case number:

11802530021000017

Initiated:

May 14, 2018

Current stage of the case:

The Appeal

is Investigating:

SU of the RF IC for the Orenburg region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-1/2023 (1-2/2022; 1-139/2021; 1-62/2020; 1-501/2019)

Court:

Industrial District Court of Orenburg

Judge:

Diana Sudorgina