The last word of the defendant Irina Buglak in Partizansk

 Russia

The last word of the defendant Irina Buglak in Partizansk

May 18 , 2023

Primorsky Krai

From the courtroom

Addressing the court, the believer said that her accusation of extremism is unfounded: "I am not being tried for extremist actions, but for believing in God. And faith comes from the heart, not from having an organization." The document is published with some abbreviations.

Transcript of the court session in the Partizansky City Court of Primorsky Krai dated 05/18/2023 on the case 1-2/2023 (1-13/2022; 1-191/2021) on the charge of Irina Gennadievna Buglak of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Buglak Irina Gennadievna:

I am accused of extremism, calls for violence, violent or other changes to the foundations of the constitutional system. Jehovah's Witnesses, including me, are far from violence… We do not support violence, but on the contrary, we strive for peace. We do not participate in riots, strikes against the authorities, we never gather pickets or anything like that. Our Lord Jesus taught peacefulness, loving God and neighbors is the main quality, because "he who does not love has not known God" (1 John 4:8). The love of God consists in the love of one's neighbor. If we don't love our neighbor, then we don't love God.

Jehovah's Witnesses are humble people. Their accusation of extremism is... absolutely unproven. The Bible teaches to treat the authorities with respect, "for he [the representative of authority] does not wear a sword in vain" (Romans 13:1-6). I really respect the hard work of law enforcement agencies. One can imagine what anarchy would have reigned without state authorities. You care about the safety of society, including my safety. You have a very difficult, responsible job. Since childhood, teachers, doctors, the police (then still the police) were considered people with a capital letter for me, I was brought up that way. I have great respect for law enforcement agencies and the judicial system. I am grateful to you that, in particular, I was treated without prejudice and prejudice. They listened to my petitions and requests to the end.

Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians who follow their Teacher, Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ taught us to pray to his Father: "Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come..." (Matthew 6:9-13). That's what we do — we sanctify God's name. The name of God, for example, was used by Joseph Brodsky, he was generally an atheist, but he knew perfectly well that Jehovah is the name of God. He did not hesitate to use this name in his poems. Also, the name of God was known and used in their works by Sergei Yesenin, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Karamzin, Alexander Radishchev, Anton Chekhov, Maximilian Voloshin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Alexander Kuprin, Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Dahl, Afanasy Fet, Marina Tsvetaeva, Rudyard Kipling, Maxim Gorky, Emile Zola, Konstantin Balmont, Bernard Shaw, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Ernest Hemingway, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Why did they do it? Because this name is written in the Bible, and they read this book.

And although the Bible is an ancient book, it is an authority for me. It consists of 66 books, comes from the word "library", was written for 1,600 years. Reading the Bible is an integral part of my life. Psalm 1:1, 2 says: "Blessed is the man who does not go to the council of the wicked and does not stand in the way of sinners and does not sit in the assembly of corrupters, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on his law day and night!"

I am not ashamed of my faith, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I don't go drunk, I don't swear, I don't deceive anyone, I am a good citizen of society, a devoted wife, a loving mother and already a grandmother.

I would like to give you an example of President Vladimir Putin's public recognition of the family of Jehovah's Witnesses for their services in raising children. I will quote excerpts that I found on the Internet. The article is titled "Rewarding the family of Jehovah's Witnesses proves once again that Jehovah's Witnesses are not extremists." The article says: "At the end of May [2017], at a solemn ceremony in the Kremlin, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin presented the Order of Parental Glory to the Novik family from Karelia, who are members of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses... Just imagine if the President of the Russian Federation would become a BB. Putin to reward a family who are extremists? How can this family and other Jehovah's Witnesses be called extremists if they set a good example in strengthening the institution of the family and raising children? They form a socially responsible family, lead a healthy lifestyle, ensure the full and harmonious development of children's personality, a high level of care for their health, education, physical, spiritual and moral development." Jehovah's Witnesses only benefit society.

I would like to quote the words of religious scholar Sergei Ivanenko about the attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses to the Bible: "The peculiarity of Jehovah's Witnesses is that they use any translations of the Bible" ... The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, but not in Russian. Therefore, there are many different translations, we use all of them.

The Bible is a unique book, a book of wisdom and justice, and this is so because it is from God. People in other countries put their hand on the Bible in the courts during the oath, it plays a great role for them. In my life, the Bible is a guide. It's like an instruction on how to live [...]

Unfortunately, the prosecutor does not find out any signs of extremist activity, but simply finds out how I expressed my faith. Tell me specifically, what did I do extremist? What was my intention? I would like to emphasize once again: I am not being judged for extremist actions, but for my faith in God. And faith comes from the heart, not from having an organization. I am convinced that there will be paradise on earth, just as you are convinced that the sun will rise in the morning. You have no doubt whether the sun will rise or not. We know that it will definitely rise.

Your Honor, there is no heaven on earth today. How much crime there is, you know it the most. You have to deal with this every day. But if every person observed the biblical commandments, such as "thou shalt not kill", "thou shalt not steal" and others, life would be easier.

The main quality of a Christian is love. What is the unselfishness of love manifested in: "Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, not boastful, it does not exalt itself, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not count insults, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, endures everything, believes everything, hopes for everything, endures everything steadfastly" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

"Love is long-suffering and kind." She patiently endures difficulties and puts up with the wrong actions of others. Love is kind, despite any provocations. "Love is not jealous." She doesn't envy other people's successes.

Love "is not boastful, it is not exalted." She does not seek the recognition and admiration of others. A loving person will never humiliate another in order to stand out from his background. He exalts God and also strengthens and encourages other people.

Love "does not seek its own." It follows the principle: "Let everyone seek the benefit not of himself, but of another" (1 Corinthians 10:24). Love "does not count insults." She does not consider herself offended, and it cannot be said about her that, figuratively speaking, she writes insults in the account book in order to repay the offender in due time. This would be a manifestation of the spirit of vengeance, which is condemned in the Bible (Romans 12:19). Love does not attribute bad motives to others, it is ready to show them condescension and trust (Romans 14:1, 5).

Love "does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth." She is always on the side of good and does not find pleasure in evil, lies and injustice. If evil or deceit is committed, love is not afraid to stand up for the truth and in defense of others (Galatians 2:11-14). She would rather suffer than commit another evil in an attempt to remedy the situation (Romans 12:17, 20). Love "endures everything". She is willing to endure and suffer for the sake of righteousness. This expression literally means "covers everything".

In love, we imitate our Creator. What is written in Revelation 21:4, 5 speaks of his love for people: "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 sat on the throne said, Lo, I am creating everything new."

These qualities helped me to endure difficulties in the pre-trial detention center. The girls I was sitting with told me that they usually put them in cells, selecting them according to psychological qualities, and the first-timers are put with the first-timers. It seemed to me that it did not concern me, I sat in the cells with people completely different in character and temperament, and with violent, and with quiet. Once they were put with such a girl, with whom no one got along. But we found a common language with her. And when they took me to the stage, we said goodbye, crying and hugging. The attendant couldn't believe it, because everyone else was just complaining about her, no one wanted to sit with her.

In my life, believing in God and reading the Bible helps a lot. I tried to make myself better so that the world would become better, I tried for people, I did good so that the world would be kinder. What are you judging me for? For doing good?

I emphasize once again: I did not commit any crime, but only used my constitutional right to believe in Jehovah God and live in harmony with my religious beliefs. In this regard, I ask you to acquit me and find me innocent.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Partizansk

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, she convened and held meetings, which is interpreted as a continuation of the activities of an extremist organization" (with reference to the court decision on the liquidation of the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses)

Criminal case number:

11902050018000028

Initiated:

April 19, 2019

Current stage of the case:

the verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

WITH the SU IC of the Russian Federation in Primorsky Krai

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-2/2023 (1-13/2022; 1-191/2021)

Court:

Partizansky City Court of Primorsky Krai

Referee:

Daria Didur