The last word of the defendant Dmitry Dolzhikov in Novosibirsk

  RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Dmitry Dolzhikov in Novosibirsk

June 30, 2023

Novosibirsk region

Addressing the court, the believer told how, thanks to the Bible, he changed, becoming an honest, peace-loving person, and found a strong happy family. "As the phone battery is charged from the mains, so I am charged at the meeting with the desire to be better, to do good. I did it voluntarily and with pleasure," he stressed.

Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk dated 30.06.2023 in the case 1-51/2023 (1-737/2022) on the accusation of Dmitry Nikolaevich Dolzhikov of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Dolzhikov Dmitry Nikolaevich:

From the beginning of my arrest to this moment, I have met many good people among the government workers: these are FSB officers, UK investigators, employees of the pre—trial detention center and the prosecutor's office, judges - people who professionally do their job. Many of the employees of the pre-trial detention center and the court admitted in personal communication that I did not look like a criminal, and wondered why I was being tried. Their bewilderment is understandable, because many of them are used to dealing with people of a different mentality and thinking — with murderers, thieves and scammers. But Jehovah's Witnesses are not criminals!

When the first day of the trial passed, the escort who was watching the trial after the meeting told me: "Guy, no one will understand you here, you don't need to open your sincere feelings, I see that you are a decent person and I wish you good luck." Your Honor, I hope the court will understand me correctly. I, like all Jehovah's Witnesses, put the satisfaction of my spiritual needs and the desire to act righteously above all.

Your Honor, Jehovah's Witnesses put spiritual values above material values, power and glory. As Jesus Christ said in the famous Sermon on the Mount recorded in the Bible: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3). The Greek expression "poor in spirit" suggests people who are acutely aware that they are spiritually poor and they need God. This is how Jesus describes those who seek to satisfy their spiritual hunger, their spiritual needs. Such people are blissful, or in modern language happy. The translated Greek word "makarios" means the inner state of someone whom God blesses and approves. It is this feeling of happiness and deep satisfaction that I feel now.

Personally, I have felt my spiritual needs since childhood, I was haunted by questions about God, about death, and I was looking for answers about the meaning of life. I was not satisfied with any philosophy, only the answers from the Bible satisfied my needs completely. I was convinced by the Jehovah's Witnesses' approach to Bible study — the Bible explains itself. This is when the incomprehensible meaning of words from the Bible is explained in another part of it.

I remember what a great happiness it is to get answers to my questions from the Bible! In the continuation of his sermon, Jesus said: "Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:4, 5). The meek are those who willingly submit to God and do not seek to subjugate others, such people are happy. I advise you today, after working day, to reflect on the promise of the Bible, recorded in the book of Revelation 21:4, 5: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no more crying, no more sickness; for the former has passed away. And he who sits on the throne said... write; for these words are true and faithful." You will feel comforted.

We believe and love God, we believe that the Bible is a letter from God, written under his guidance, and all the promises from the Bible will surely come true. Does not the promise of Jesus make us happy that in the future all people will live forever in paradise on earth under the rule of the Kingdom of God? But until that time comes, we live and are happy, because, as Jesus said, "happy are those who thirst for righteousness."

The Bible helps to change and lead a righteous lifestyle. When I was 18 years old, the Bible helped me to become honest, not to swear, to stop getting drunk and using marijuana. She helped me to restrain myself, be patient and solve problems peacefully. One woman who lives in the same neighborhood with me shed tears when she learned that I had become peaceful, walking in a suit and talking to people about the Bible. She invited me to visit. Everyone who knew me before studying the Bible was surprised by my changes. The Bible teaches you to earn an honest living. In Ephesians 4:28 it is written: "Whoever stole, do not steal ahead, but rather work, doing useful things with your own hands, so that there is something to give to those in need."

I decided to study shoe business: shoe repair and tailoring. I studied the laws of sole proprietors and opened my own business. I asked the tax inspectorate to issue the necessary documents and receipts prescribed by law, but the tax inspector explained that no one uses forms, so they don't have them, and I had to make them myself so that everything was honest. After that, I mastered the manufacture of furniture and the manufacture of facade windows and interior doors made of aluminum profile. Many times in my life it turned out that my partners and customers, who were not Jehovah's Witnesses and did not register their business, asked me why I pay taxes. I explained to them that I am a believing Christian, a Jehovah's Witness, so I conduct my business honestly.

The Bible helped me to have a happy and strong family. In 15 years of marriage, my wife and I have not had such quarrels that would make us regret marrying together or start thinking about divorce. Even now, despite my unjust imprisonment and persecution, difficulties have made me and my dear wife even closer. I confirm the words of Jesus: "Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the peacemakers." No one has ever seen and will never see Jehovah's Witnesses shouting insults at the government, demonstrating, vandalizing. Jehovah's Witnesses are peacemakers and solve their problems exclusively peacefully. God teaches us to love our neighbor and respect authority.

We do not separate ourselves from others, but live in society, leading a full and useful life for society, honestly working together with people of different faiths and lifestyles, leading a highly moral life and serving God, gathering together and talking to everyone who is interested about the truths from the Bible. Our goal is not to criticize the views of another person or to argue with him, but to share the good news from the Word of God. And even when we are unjustly persecuted, we remain peaceful people, as Jesus Christ promised: "Blessed are those who are exiled for the truth… Happy are you when they revile you and persecute you, and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake; Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven: so they also persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Of course, I do not get joy from unjust persecution and trials, but I continue to feel deep satisfaction from the realization that God approves of me. In fact, the prophets were persecuted in this way, and even Jesus Christ was accused of extremism, allegedly he was going to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem, but as a result Jesus was executed for blasphemy.

Later, the first Christians were tried and executed, the apostles were accused of violating public order and called a sect. For example, the case in the city of Ephesus with the Apostle Paul, who was accused of extremism — allegedly he desecrated the temple of the city and insulted the shrines. To put it in modern language, Paul was accused of insulting the feelings of believers. Because of the indignation raised by the silversmith Dmitry, the crowd mutinied, but the astute mayor Alexander figured out everything, as described in the Book of Acts, Chapter 19: "Meanwhile, some shouted one thing, and others another...The guardian of order, having calmed the people, said ... you need to be calm and not act rashly And you have brought these men, who have not robbed the temple of Artemidinus, nor blasphemed your goddess." So, thanks to a wise, astute and fair leader, the unrest stopped and people dispersed. The Apostle Paul was acquitted.

Your Honor, I appeal to you for wisdom, insight and justice and ask you to acquit me. All the efforts of the prosecutor's office to accuse me reminded me of my childhood. Near the cinema, drawings of fragments from films with beautiful characters were hung on posters, but someone painted moustaches, horns, fangs, tails on their faces. Throughout the whole time, the prosecution has been trying to finish painting my fangs, horns, tail, trying to disfigure my reputation. Please look into the hall. You see believers, Jehovah's Witnesses — beautiful, well-mannered and peaceful people. Please do not need to finish drawing us horns and fangs!

Jehovah's Witnesses take a sincere interest in you and take care of your welfare. They want to have friendly relations with you and want to tell you more about themselves, their faith, as well as what they think about people and about the world in which we all live. Jehovah's Witnesses are in many ways the same people as everyone else. They face the usual problems: material, emotional, health problems. Sometimes they make mistakes because they are imperfect people and are not endowed with holiness or infallibility. However, they try not to repeat their own mistakes and diligently study the Bible in order to make the necessary changes in themselves. They have dedicated themselves to God in order to do his will, and they wholeheartedly strive to match their dedication. In all their affairs they seek guidance from the Word of God and God's holy spirit.

Unfortunately, in my case, the prosecution, by virtue of its professional activity, seeking to find violations, went from the truth and common sense to the wrong accusation. Perhaps bias makes you blind, and, trying to blame, succumbing to emotions, you lose your judgment. In the Bible, in 2 Timothy 3:12, 13 it says: "Yes, and all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted; but evil people and deceivers will succeed in evil, misleading and deluding." A similar thing happens in my case — the prosecutor's office was misled by such witnesses as Zaev, Servestrov, Ivanova, directing the court along the wrong path, as in the cases of false lecturers who, for the sake of self-interest and YouTube views, claim that 2x2 = 5 and that the Earth is flat.

The whole accusation, in fact, is based on the testimony of three witnesses, one of whom is a specialist Zaev, who actually has no education to call himself a specialist. Not everyone who puts on a white coat can be called a doctor. Jehovah's Witnesses do not intimidate anyone and did not intimidate about the end of the world. Based on the words of Jesus, the main theme of the sermon is the message about the Kingdom of God headed by Jesus Christ, which will restore paradise conditions on earth. The witnesses believe in Jesus Christ, and as the first Christians, they believe that there is no other name under heaven that God gave people for salvation. According to Jesus, to be a Christian, it is not enough just to recognize him as the Lord, it is important, as the apostle Peter wrote, to imitate Christ in everything: "For you are called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we would follow in his footsteps" (1 Peter 2:21). For 27 years now, I have been striving to imitate Jesus Christ in everything, and I still need to try a lot.

Please pay special attention to the fact that everything I do in life, I do in accordance with what the Bible teaches. I attended meetings of believers and Bible students. Why did I do it? This is what the Bible teaches — Hebrews 10:24, 25: "Let us be attentive to one another, encouraging love and good deeds; let us not leave our assembly, as some have a custom; but let us exhort one another, and the more so, the more you see the approach of that day." As the phone battery is charged from the mains, so I am charged at the meeting with the desire to be better, to do good. I did it voluntarily and with pleasure.

I want to emphasize that I attended the meetings not because I am a member of the MKHROSI (the Local Christian religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses), but because I need to communicate with co-religionists who strive for love and good deeds. And the Bible encourages me to do this, it is part of my worship of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, after the words about happiness, Jesus gave advice to his followers: "So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Jesus did not teach his disciples to separate themselves from others, on the contrary, he wanted them to live among people, so that everyone could see good deeds, exemplary behavior. Every Jehovah's Witness received answers to all his questions from the Bible and felt its powerful influence on him to change a person for the better, to become honest, peaceful, get rid of bad habits. Biblical knowledge helped me to believe and love God.

Meeting people who want to, but cannot cope with bad habits, who are looking for answers about God, Witnesses will not be able to remain silent, they will certainly share the good they learned from the Bible to help such a person. So with their words and behavior they shine in front of all people. At the first meeting with Jehovah's Witnesses, I was promised that the Bible would help me become happier and find hope for a wonderful future. Every day I do not stop thanking God that the Bible makes me better, more peaceful and happier. I am convinced that living according to the Bible is the best way of life, Jehovah's Witnesses did not deceive me!

In conclusion, I would like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who has constantly supported me. My dear wife Marina, I am especially grateful to you. I have never doubted your loyalty and sincere love for me, but your care during my persecution exceeded all my expectations, there are no words to describe my gratitude to you.

I am also grateful to my parents and all our relatives who supported us and helped us financially. I am especially grateful to all my co-religionists who wrote to me in the pre-trial detention center and constantly came to every court session. Brothers and sisters, thanks to you, I felt that I was not going to court, but to meet with you!

I am very grateful to the dedicated lawyers for their hard work, perseverance and perseverance. You have done a lot, not sparing yourself, trying to help me avoid unfair punishment.

I also thank the security guards and FSIN employees for their good attitude, for wishing me a successful end of the trial for me.

I am grateful to you, Your Honor, that seven months ago they changed my preventive measure to house arrest.

I am grateful to all six prosecutors who participated in the meetings for their respectful attitude towards me.

Dear Court, I feel deeply satisfied, because I have nothing to be ashamed of before God, the state and people. The prosecution managed to prove only that I am a believer, a Jehovah's Witness, for which I am grateful! There are no victims in my case, I have not committed any crime against the constitutional order and the state, so I should be released. I ask you to justify me completely.

Summary of the case

Region:

Novosibirsk region

Locality:

Novosibirsk

What is suspected of:

What is suspected: "Intentionally, out of extremist motives, he took part in the activities of a religious association... in the form of participation in religious meetings and meetings of an extremist organization, conducting conversations... demonstration and viewing of educational videos"

Criminal case number:

42002500019000013

Initiated:

May 13, 2020

Current stage of the case:

the verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Novosibirsk region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-51/2023 (1-737/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk

Judge:

Olga Kovalenko