The last word of the defendant Vladimir Timoshkin in Solikamsk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Vladimir Timoshkin in Solikamsk

August 14 , 2023

Perm Region

Addressing the court, the believer expresses his firm conviction that he is being prosecuted solely because of his religion: "I am sure that I did not commit any crime, because I acted exactly as it is written in the Bible, without violating the laws of the state."

Transcript of the court session in Solikamsk City Court of Perm Krai dated 08/14/2023 in case 1-180/2023 on charges of Timoshkin Vladimir Valentinovich and others. in committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Timoshkin Vladimir Valentinovich:

First of all, I sincerely want to thank my beloved wife and daughter, who have always been there for me, supported, comforted, helped. You can't imagine how hard it was for me to sit under house arrest while they were harvesting alone in the garden, and I, a healthy man, had to stay at home at that time. They are carrying part of the harvest, and the car is idle in the garage at this time. And now, when considering the case on the merits, they have not missed a single meeting. Thank you.

I also want to sincerely thank the co—religionists who supported us financially during this difficult period - three months of house arrest. All the money was confiscated in the house, the accounts were blocked, although they knew well that I was the only one in the family who works and has an income. The investigation deprived three people of their means of livelihood, and you helped and supported them in word and deed, despite the difficult times.

And, of course, I cannot ignore our respected lawyers, all three of them, who tried very hard during the court sessions, worried with us. They told us what to say and when, how to draw up documents correctly, listened to phonograms with us, noticed things that we ourselves would never have paid attention to. Alexey Yurievich always met me halfway, and if there was something to discuss, to get advice, he did it even after hours for him. Thank you very much.

For our lawyers, this case was certainly very difficult, because just a few months ago, they could only hear out of the corner of their ears about who Jehovah's Witnesses are, what kind of people they are, what they believe in. Moreover, for sure, in many ways their opinion could be formed from the flow of negative information that is unreasonably splashed out on us in the media and on the Internet. I really hope that from getting to know us, close interaction, and also seeing how the co-religionists who come to the courtroom support us, they will never consider us religious fanatics, destroying families, refusing medical care. They will not consider us short-sighted, uneducated people, and most importantly, regardless of the verdict, they will never consider us extremists acting out of religious hatred. The fact that we are not extremists at all, but just believers, worthy people, is clearly noticeable when we personally meet and communicate.

Even the investigator, after some time, having learned more about us, expressed this thought: "I myself wonder how this case will end. It is after such cases that some investigators pay off their work." In the investigation bodies, the prosecutor's office, the court, mostly good people work. They just do their job and the orders of their superiors. But after all, they are first of all people who value honesty and see injustice.

If today I was tried for driving through a red traffic light, then the proof would be a photo that clearly should have shown where the car is at the moment of the red traffic light signal. Tell me, could such a photo serve as proof, where I just drive and don't break anything? No.Then why in this criminal case, where the punishment is much more serious than for driving on a forbidding traffic light signal, according to the investigation and the prosecutor's office, there is enough evidence that, figuratively speaking, proves only that I "just drove and did not violate anything"? That is, the fact that I am a Jehovah's Witness, was and remain one, which is not a crime in the Russian Federation.

The first Christians, even before they were called Christians, called their religion "the way." The path that Jehovah's Witnesses follow consists of almost 240 countries. More than 8.5 million believers are moving along it.

The Bible has not changed over time, its norms have not changed. The position of believers professing an unbridled religion — Jehovah's Witnesses - has not changed either. The question remains open: on whose side are those people who today are trying to accuse Jehovah's Witnesses of something that is completely alien to them — extremism, religious hatred and enmity — on the basis of such far-fetched accusations to put in prison? This fulfills the prophecy written in the Bible about two thousand years ago in 2 Timothy 3:12, "And all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

However, I am sure that I did not commit any crime, because I acted exactly as it is written in the Bible, without violating the laws of the state. Therefore, in the eyes of God, the judge of the whole earth, my conscience is clear. I know for sure that Jehovah will acquit me, regardless of what the decision of the Solikamsk City Court or the courts of higher instances of the Russian Federation will be. Knowing this gives me confidence and peace of mind. I have a clear conscience. I know for sure that I did not do anything wrong; I did not violate the laws of the Russian Federation; I did not continue and did not even think about continuing the activities of a legal entity banned after 2017.

I am sure that Jehovah sees what I have to face and supports me in difficult times. God can use any person for this: a lawyer, a prosecutor, a judge, co-religionists. Many thanks to those who are praying for me, for those who are with me now in the dock and awaiting the verdict of the court. Believe me, we really appreciate your prayers.

Your Honor, during the trial, you asked the question: "Why does each of the accused claim to be persecuted solely because of their religion?". I see the answer in the position of the state prosecution: if Bibles in different translations were seized from my house (Synodal, Kuznetsova, Pobedonostsev, Archimandrite Makarii, Pavsky), then this is a continuation of the activities of the banned MRO [local religious organization]. But all these Bible translations are not prohibited and are not included in the list of extremist materials. Moreover, there is a law in the Russian Federation that states that neither the Bible nor quotations from it can be recognized as extremist materials. So why is it possible for all other faiths to have a Bible, but in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, this is a crime? Isn't this proof that we are being persecuted solely because we profess the non-proscribed religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and read non-proscribed translations of the Bible?

I will give an example from the indictment, in which the prosecution refers to Psalm 82:19 translated by an Orthodox man named Pavsky: "And let them know that you, whose name is Jehovah, are one, high above all the earth." In this translation, the name of God sounds — Jehovah. Many people refuse to call their creator by name, and replace him with titles such as "God", "Lord" or "God the Father". But scientists have long proved that in the original source in this place stood the real name of God — Jehovah. I am proud that the name of God is in the name of my religion. I was really pleased to hear when the prosecutor and the judge pronounced his [name] correctly, put the emphasis in the right place. Thank you for that.

But I still don't understand how a verse from the book of Psalms pointing to God, Jehovah, who is "one high above all the earth," proves that I am an extremist? For what reason is this quote from the Bible proof of extremist activity? The prosecution did not give any answers to this question. However, since this is included in the indictment, it means that this is one of the reasons why the state prosecutor wants to send me to a correctional colony for 6 years — "correct" — place me with criminals? Is this called "correcting" a person who has lived honestly all his life, is well characterized by everyone who knows him, friends, acquaintances, neighbors, colleagues, from whose mouth they have never even heard indecent words? Does the prosecution see the logic of "correction" in this? For what? As I see it, there is only one answer — only for the fact that, on the basis of Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, I profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is not prohibited in the Russian Federation

Unfortunately, my friends and I, who are nearby, are not the only ones who are being persecuted solely for trying to follow exactly in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. In his Epistle to the Romans in chapter 14, verse 12, the apostle Paul said: "Therefore, each of us will give an account to God for himself." Every person, rich or poor, believer or atheist — everyone — sooner or later will have to answer to God, the Judge of the whole earth, and his judgment will be fair. I and all Jehovah's Witnesses around the world really want as many people as possible to be righteous before God at this moment. Therefore, we are not silent — we study the Bible ourselves and invite others to understand what the Bible actually teaches. This is not a continuation of the activities of the MRO, this is my personal position, as well as the position of every Jehovah's Witness. We all just really want everyone to be able to say about themselves at the right moment, just like the Apostle Paul: "I fought a decent fight, ran the distance to the end, kept my faith. And now a wreath of righteousness awaits me, with which the Lord, the righteous judge, will reward me on the day of judgment, and not only me, but also all those who are impatiently waiting for his appearance."

Dear Court! I am not an extremist and I have done nothing to deserve such a shameful stigma. I ask you to pass the only true and fair sentence against me — to fully acquit me for lack of corpus delicti.

Case summary

 Region:

 Perm region

 Locality:

 Solikamsk

 What is suspected:

 "Directly participated in religious meetings ... discussed with followers issues and topics of a religious nature" (from the decision to bring him as an accused)

 Case number:

 12002570024000055

 Initiated:

 July 27, 2020

 Current stage of the case:

 trial in the court of first instance

 Investigating:

 SO in Solikamsk

 Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

 282.2(1)

 Case number in court:

 1-180/2023

 Court of First Instance:

 Solikamsk City Court of the Perm Territory

 Judge of the Court of First Instance:

 Evgeny Sergeev