A Believer, 71, Sentenced to Four Years in Prison — The Court in Belogorsk Found Vladimir Balabkin Guilty of Extremism for Holding Religious Services

 RUSSIA


A Believer, 71, Sentenced to Four Years in Prison — The Court in Belogorsk Found Vladimir Balabkin Guilty of Extremism for Holding Religious Services

September 14, 2023 Amur Region


Vladimir Balabkin, a pensioner with cancer, received four years in prison for his faith in Jehovah God. This decision was made by the Belogorsk District Court on September 13, 2023. The believer was arrested in the courtroom. He does not admit guilt and can appeal the verdict of Judge Natalia Kramar.


In the spring of 2021, security forces raided the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Belogorsk, including Vladimir Balabkin's. The criminal case against him was opened by FSB investigator V. Obukhov, who is behind most of similar cases against believers in the region. The elderly Balabkins had to go for interrogation to Blagoveshchensk, 140 km from home, which was not easy for them due to the exacerbation of Vladimir's serious illness and the aftermath of his wife, Tatiana’s, heart surgery.


The security forces considered it a crime to hold religious meetings, equating it with organizing the activities of an extremist organization. In court, one of the witnesses, an FSB officer, stated that he considered the believer guilty because he "provided devices to connect to meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses," "connected others to meetings" and "showed how to use programs." At the same time, the expertise includes a conclusion that there are no signs of extremism in Balabkin's actions. Despite this, the prosecutor insisted on a guilty verdict and asked to appoint the believer to 6.5 years in prison.


"You can disagree with the faith and teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is wrong to put them on a par with extremists, as the Russian president said," Balabkin said in his last plea. "After all, my faith and my beliefs are based on the Word of God, the Bible. It teaches the exact opposite: to love people and do good to everyone."


In October 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that it is necessary "to avoid cases of unjustified criminal prosecution of persons solely in connection with the external manifestation of their attitude to religion." Nevertheless, in the Amur Region, 13 Jehovah's Witnesses received from six to eight years in a penal colony for their faith and two received suspended sentences.


Balabkin case in Belogorsk


Brief history of the case


In March 2021, the investigator of the FSB Directorate for the Amur Region, V. Obukhov, opened a criminal case against Vladimir Balabkin, a pensioner suffering from cancer. A day later, searches were carried out at six addresses in Belogorsk. In August of the same year, Balabkin was summoned 140 kilometers away to the Blagoveshchensk FSB Directorate, where his fingerprints were taken. Since April 2021, Vladimir has been on the Rosfinmonitoring list, which has created significant difficulties for him in receiving a pension. The investigation charges a peaceful believer with organizing the activities of an extremist organization for discussing the Bible among friends and acquaintances. The case came to court in April 2023. The charges were based on the testimony of a man who, on instructions from the FSB, secretly filmed religious services of believers. In the fall of the same year, the court sentenced Balabkin to 4 years in prison.


Criminal case


Region:

Amur Region

Locality:

Belogorsk

What is suspected:

“organized meetings of followers of religious organizations” (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)

Criminal case number:

12107100001000009

Initiated:

March 2, 2021

Current stage of the case:

trial in appellate court

Investigates:

Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Amur Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Court case number:

1-292/2023

Court of First Instance:

Belogorsk City Court of the Amur Region

Judge of the trial court:

Natalya Kramar

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