The regional court in Astrakhan upheld the cruel sentence of three believers from Akhtubinsk

 RUSSIA

The regional court in Astrakhan upheld the cruel sentence of three believers from Akhtubinsk

September 1, 2023 Astrakhan Region

On August 31, 2023, the Astrakhan Regional Court confirmed the sentence of 50-year-old Sergei Korolev, 36-year-old Rinat Kiramov and 62-year-old Sergei Kosyanenko, sentenced to 7 years in prison. They were accused of singing religious songs and praying together to Jehovah God, which the courts considered to be organizing the activities of a banned extremist organization.

In the appeal, the defense stated that the court of first instance committed numerous violations in relation to Kosyanenko, Korolev and Kiramov. The court did not indicate what specific extremist actions they committed, and also did not prove their criminal motives and intent. The evidence presented by the investigation - recordings of telephone conversations, the results of covert surveillance, testimony of witnesses - did not confirm that the believers “conspired” for extremist actions.

According to the defense, believers from Akhtubinsk were convicted as a result of a judicial error, and “the actual purpose of the court verdict is to violate the rights of the convicted and force them, under pain of criminal prosecution, to change their religion or renounce their faith.” Speaking in court via video conference, Sergei Korolev said: “Why and on what basis was I sentenced to 7 years? I was tried without evidence of a crime only for my faith.” Kiramov and Kosyanenko also denied their guilt in extremism. Convicts have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation.

With its decision, the Astrakhan Regional Court ignored the fact that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not prohibit the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and the right of individuals to profess it. Other Russian courts operate in a similar manner, as a result of which over 700 believers have already been subjected to repression simply for their religious beliefs.

Case of Korolev and others in Akhtubinsk

Brief history of the case

On the morning of November 2021, searches and interrogations of Jehovah's Witnesses took place in Akhtubinsk and Znamensk (Astrakhan region). Some of them had previously been under surveillance. Security forces broke down doors, damaged property, and forced both men and women to the floor. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Sergei Korolev, Rinat Kiramov and Sergei Kosyanenko, considering peaceful religious services an extremist activity. The believers were placed in a temporary detention center and then in a pre-trial detention center, where they spent more than a year and a half. In October 2022, the case went to trial. Some prosecution witnesses, including the classified one, partially or completely recanted their preliminary testimony. In April 2023, the court sentenced Korolev, Kiramova and Kosyanenko to 7 years in prison. Four months later, an appeal upheld the believers' sentence.

Criminal case

Region:

Astrakhan Region

Locality:

Akhtubinsk

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, “they organized meetings... including using video conferencing... namely in the form of collective religious worship, consisting of public playback of audio recordings and video recordings... sequential performance of songs from a special collection of religious teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and prayers to Jehovah God” .

Criminal case number:

12102120006000100

Initiated:

November 9, 2021

Current stage of the case:

verdict took effect

Investigates:

Akhtubinsky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Astrakhan Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)

Court case number:

1-9/2023 (1-342/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Akhtubinsky District Court of the Astrakhan Region

Judge of the trial court:

Anatoly Proskurin