A Second Appeal Upheld the Harsh Sentence of Jehovah's Witnesses from Tynda. Four Believers Received More Than 6 Years in the Penal Colony Each

 RUSSIA

A Second Appeal Upheld the Harsh Sentence of Jehovah's Witnesses from Tynda. Four Believers Received More Than 6 Years in the Penal Colony Each

September 6, 2023 Amur Region

On September 5, 2023, the Amur Regional Court upheld the sentence of four Jehovah's Witnesses. For meetings with fellow believers, Vladimir Bukin, Valeriy Slashchev and Sergey Yuferov will have to serve a sentence of six years and four months in prison, and Mikhail Burkov - six years and two months. The verdict has entered into force.

Back in October 2022, the Tyndinskiy District Court sentenced believers to various terms of imprisonment ranging from six years and two months to six years and six months. However, an appeal overturned this decision, and the men were released from the pre-trial detention center, where they spent two months each. The retrial of the case was completed in June 2023. Judge Valentina Brikova issued a verdict that differed slightly from the first one - from six years and two months to six years and four months in prison.

In their appeals, the believers noted that "the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and did not assess the legitimacy of the religious beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and the ways in which they were expressed." According to the convicts, it follows that "despite the liquidation of legal entities, [they] still have the right to freely practice the religion of [their] choice, including reading the Bible and discussing it with others, praying to God, singing songs praising God, and talking to other people about their faith." Believers still insist on their innocence. They have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.

In the Amur Region, nine more of Jehovah's Witnesses were convicted for their faith and sentenced to 6 years or more in prison.

Case of Bukin and Others in Tynda

Brief history of the case

In 2018, in the city of Tynda, FSB agent Nurakov, feigning interest in the Bible, began attending religious services of Jehovah’s Witnesses and collecting information about them. In November 2019, a criminal case was opened against Sergei Yuferov, Valery Slashchev, Mikhail Burkov and Vladimir Bukin. A wave of searches took place throughout the city. FSB investigator Obukhov, who has at least 8 cases against Jehovah's Witnesses from the Amur region, accused the men of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and involving them in it. In June 2021, the case went to trial. A year and a half later, the believers were sentenced to 6 years 2 months to 6.5 years in prison. In December 2022, the appeal overturned the verdict and sent the case for a new trial, and the believers were released from the pre-trial detention center, where they spent 2 months. In June 2023, they were again sentenced to prison: Bukin, Slashchev and Yuferov were given 6 years 4 months each, and Burkov - 6 years 2 months. A further appeal in August 2023 upheld this decision.

Criminal case

Region:

Amur Region

Locality:

Tynda

What is suspected:

according to investigators, “they organized meetings of followers... of religious organizations”

Criminal case number:

11907100001000076

Initiated:

November 11, 2019

Current stage of the case:

verdict took effect

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), 282.2 (1.1)

Court case number:

1-45/2023 (1-9/2022; 1-131/2021)

Court of First Instance:

Tyndinsky District Court of the Amur Region

Judge of the trial court:

Valentina Brikova

In the photo: Sergey Yuferov, Mikhail Burkov, Vladimir Bukin and Valery Slashchev. September, 2022.