The last word of the defendant Alexander Shutov in Vyazemsky

 Russia

The last word of the defendant Alexander Shutov in Vyazemsky

May 29 , 2023

Khabarovsk Territory

From the courtroom

Speaking before the court, the believer is perplexed: "Your Honor, if you find me guilty and condemn me, then this will be followed by a punishment aimed at my correction. But what will I have to fix in this case?"

Transcript of the court session in the court of the Lazo district of the Khabarovsk Territory of Vyazemsky dated 05/29/2023 in the case 1-5/2023 (1-166/2022) on the accusation of Shutov Alexander Dmitrievich of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Shutov Alexander Dmitrievich:

Your Honor, at the beginning I would like to express my gratitude to you, because you created a respectful atmosphere at the meetings. I also want to thank the state prosecutor for taking his duties seriously. You have a hard work in the fight for compliance with the law. Thanks to the secretary and the assistant judge for their respectful attitude and work. Thanks to the lawyer for his work.

For the sake of clarity of the picture, so that it would be easier for me to convey to the court the course of my thoughts, I will sometimes quote some biblical scriptures in the Synodal translation.

I do not understand the essence of the accusation and how my actions can be regarded as criminal. If you look from a legal point of view, I used my right, dictated by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to profess my religion. But it occurred to someone that this is how I carry out extremist activities. It turns out that a person can be declared an extremist just because he believes in God.

I did not continue the activities of the banned organization, I wanted and want to peacefully, together with my co-religionists, profess my faith and worship God, praise him, learn his commandments and principles, because for me and my spouse as believers, this is an integral part of our spiritual life. If we stopped worshipping God, then, in fact, we would cease to be believers.

My motives were and remain pure. Extremism, that is, any hatred or enmity towards other people, is alien to me, like most believers.

I have always sought to ensure that my intentions and motives are based on love for God and my neighbors. Love of God and love of neighbor are the two most important commandments, about which Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your mind; This is the first and greatest commandment; The second is similar to it: "Love your neighbor, as himself"". This is the commandment of Jesus Christ, which all his followers strive to keep. And I, as a Christian, try my best to do so.

These commandments in no way imply inciting racial and religious hatred or undermining State foundations. To become a Jehovah's Witness, to profess another religion or to remain an unbeliever is a voluntary choice of any person.

It is impossible to become a believer against your will. Yes, I believe that God is not some faceless and abstract force. He is a powerful personality who created the entire universe. And since he is a person, then, of course, he has a name. The prayer "Our Father", well known to many people, begins with the words: "Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9, 10). These words clearly show that the Father of Jesus Christ, that is, God, has a name that people should sanctify. In any case, Jesus called in this prayer to sanctify the name of God. And how can a person sanctify the name of God if he does not pronounce it? Yes, I know that God's name is Jehovah, and I'm not shy about pronouncing this name. But is that a crime?

In one of his speeches, Vladimir Putin said: "Jehovah's Witnesses are also Christians. I don't really understand why they should be persecuted." Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians who strive to live in accordance with the Bible. Their model is Jesus Christ, and he commanded Christians to be in unity and show love to each other, in connection with which he once said: "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves" (John 13:35).

Your Honor, if you find me guilty and condemn me, then this will be followed by a punishment aimed at my correction. But what will I have to fix in this case? Thanks to my religion, I do not take drugs, do not smoke, do not swear, I do not humiliate believers of other religions and do not prevent them from believing the way they want. I do not participate in protest rallies, I do not insult the authorities. Do I really need to fix all this? I hope not! Therefore, I ask you to acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Khabarovsk Krai

Locality:

Vyazemsky

What is suspected of:

According to investigators, the believer took part in the activities of a banned organization, attended divine services and read the Bible.

Criminal case number:

12107080001000053

Initiated:

July 26, 2021

Current stage of the case:

the verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia in the Khabarovsk Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-5/2023 (1-166/2022)

Court of First Instance:

the court of the Lazo district of the Khabarovsk Territory

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Evgenia Stets