The last word of the defendant Juno Ilyasova in Snezhnogorsk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Juno Ilyasova in Snezhnogorsk

May 15 , 2023

Murmansk region

From the courtroom

Telling the court about the difficulties her family faced due to persecution for religious reasons, the believer remarked: "During this trial, the words "Constitution", "law", "danger", "extremism", but I have never heard the phrase "presumption of innocence".

Transcript of the court session in the Polar District Court of the Murmansk Region dated 05/15/2023 in case No. 1-79/2022 on charges of Ilyasova Juno Alekseevna of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Ilyasova Juno Alekseevna:

First of all, I would like to thank you, Your Honor, for listening attentively, patiently and ensuring the adversarial nature of the parties without violating anyone's rights; giving time for breaks and trying to take into account the opinions of all participants in the process when setting meeting dates. Thank you very much! Thanks to the secretary Diana Davidova for the technical work with protocols and documents, for always kindly helping to solve our issues. Thanks to the prosecutor and bailiffs for the respectful attitude. Thank you very much to our defenders who provide us with professional assistance. And finally, a big thank you to our friends who have always been there for us and supported us emotionally throughout this long process.

Of course, July 2021 divided my life into before and after. It can be said that I experienced a severe mental trauma: at one point I moved from the status of a law-abiding person to the status of an accused. I survived the invasion of my apartment by six men, two of whom were armed with machine guns; a grueling search for six hours, detention, two days in jail. During the search, they filmed everything on video, turned over everything in the apartment. I felt humiliated. I wonder what was taken away? My personal notes about parenting, personal growth, notes on aromatherapy, recipes, notes of lectures by psychologists, diaries about children, their development and family photos. As if these harmless personal items were the instrument of a crime. And the most terrible thing for me, as a mother, was that when I was detained in the apartment, my young children remained on the street under the supervision of an unfamiliar person and were there until my husband arrived. After taking the children, he left them in the car, and he ran home because he didn't know what was wrong with me! The children, not waiting for their dad, got out of the car and began to ring the intercom. Just imagine what they went through when no one answered them! Thanks to one of the Guards who came out to the children and was with them until Grandma came up. All this time they were outside, in the cold, near the entrance. The next day, the husband was forced to take sick leave because the children were ill.

The current situation has a very negative impact on both my emotional state and the psychological state of my entire family. The children still cannot recover from the shock due to my detention and absence from home for more than two days. The eldest daughter, who is now 8 years old, still asks why other people's uncles did not let them go home to mom and dad (it was during the search) and where I disappeared for two days. And the youngest (who turned 3.5 years old) still does not fall asleep alone, holds my hand and demands my presence. Also, this situation has negatively affected the financial situation of our family. There has not been a verdict yet, but my card has already been arrested, and the money I need to provide for my children is being withdrawn from it.

Also, my reputation as a law-abiding person has suffered in the eyes of other people. And my relatives and friends still do not understand for what acts I am accused of extremism!

But everything that happened to me did not embitter me, did not develop resentment and hatred in my heart. And I can cope with all negative thoughts only because God supports me. Thanks to my faith in Jehovah, the loving God, I keep a positive emotional attitude. Whatever happens to me now and in the future, I will never have the thought of harming anyone. I try to live by the principle by which the disciples of Jesus Christ are recognized. This principle is recorded in John 13:34: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; as I have loved you, so you also love one another." Based on these words of Jesus, love is the main quality of a Christian, so I could never have the thought of doing any harm to other people or the state.

The fact that I am standing before the court today upsets me very much, but it does not surprise me: when I started studying the Bible, I learned that the followers of Jesus Christ would be persecuted. He himself warned his disciples about this in John 15:20: "Remember what I said to you: a servant is no greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." And in 2 Timothy 3:12 it says: "Yes, all followers of Christ Jesus who want to faithfully serve God will be persecuted." What is happening now is the fulfillment of God's prophecies. But here's the paradox. Russia this year will celebrate the 78th anniversary of the victory over fascism. Interestingly, during the Second World War, Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany refused to take up arms. In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses were the only religious group that refused to say "Heil Hitler!" For this, more than 5,000 people were sent to concentration camps and about 2,000 were executed because they did not sign a renunciation of the faith. These are documented facts. Also during Stalin's rule, Jehovah's Witnesses were exiled to Siberia in whole echelons, thrown into prisons and labor camps for refusing to take up arms. In 1993, the Russian Federation decided to rehabilitate such citizens as victims of political repression. It turns out, on the one hand, the authorities pay compensation for the harm caused, and on the other, they initiate criminal cases for practicing the same religion. But this is absurd! People of all nations know that Jehovah's Witnesses are far from extremism, and at the trial many facts were cited in favor of this.

Times are changing, the laws of states are being reformed, but the laws of God remain unchanged. Today, the religious organization "Management Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" has been deprived of registration and declared extremist, tomorrow the situation may change again. History has proven this more than once! But people invariably remain believers – regardless of whether a legal entity is registered or not, they continue to be respected members of society, regardless of who they work for and what status they have. And when I talk to people about the Bible, I do not act on behalf of any organization, I exercise my right to worship God as I see fit.

I am proud that I do not suffer for crimes – I did not steal, did not kill, did not blackmail anyone, did not cheat. I suffer for worshipping God as it is written in the Bible, and for trying to reveal his name and wonderful qualities to other people. Here is what the Bible says about this: "Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a villain, or as a trespasser; and if as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God for such a fate" (1 Peter 4:15, 16). I have not committed any crime, so I have nothing to be ashamed of, my conscience is clear before God and people. I see this trial as an opportunity to glorify God, the Creator of everything that exists.

I have always tried to be a law-abiding citizen of my country, I have not committed any illegal actions, as this contradicts my beliefs as a Christian. I have always respected the authorities, and I have never even thought about undermining the foundations of the constitutional system and the security of the state. In Romans chapter 13, verses 1-7, Jehovah teaches us how to relate to the highest authorities. It says: "Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority not from God; the existing authorities are established from God. Therefore, he who opposes authority opposes God's establishment. And those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves. For the rulers are not terrible for good deeds, but for evil ones. Do you want not to be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for the boss is God's servant, for good to you. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not wear a sword in vain: he is God's servant, the avenger of punishment for doing evil. And therefore it is necessary to obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also out of conscience. For this you also pay taxes, for they are God's servants, thus constantly engaged. So, give everyone their due: to whom to give — to give; to whom dues — dues; to whom fear — fear; to whom honor is honor."

Pay attention — "he who opposes authority opposes God's establishment." I had no plans to harm the state or other people and cannot have any: the words of God are always a guide to action for me.

I learned from the Bible that according to God's plan, people had to live in heavenly conditions forever, without experiencing any physical or emotional pain, and do a wonderful thing: taking care of the earth. But having refused the guidance of God, the first human couple decided to decide for themselves how to live, what is good and what is evil. And we see what it has led to. For 6 thousand years, people have not achieved peace and justice, have not coped with diseases and crime. They failed to preserve moral values, to preserve the foundations of the family. But God's plan and the principles he gave in the Bible do not change, they help believers to be moral people, preserve family values, show kindness and attention to others.

I often think how wonderful our life would be if everyone obeyed God and lived according to his standards! Take only one golden rule of Jesus Christ: "So, in everything, as you want people to do to you, so do you to them" (Matthew 7:12). If people applied this rule, there would be no violence and wars, families would be strong, children would grow up in an atmosphere of love and happiness. And what wonderful relations there would be between people of all races and nationalities! But, you know, this is not a dream, even now Jehovah's Witnesses live as one family. There are about 9 million Jehovah's Witnesses around the world – this is an international brotherhood. Surprisingly, it is a fact - a Jew and an Arab, a Serb and a Croat, a Ukrainian and a Russian go to the same hall to worship the God Jehovah and sit next to each other because they learn love. Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world imitate Christians of the first century, and I, like them, highly appreciate joint meetings with co-religionists.

Perhaps some people are now thinking: "No one forbids you to believe, just believe one by one." But is it possible? The Bible says: "Let us be attentive to each other, encouraging love and good deeds. Let us not forsake our assembly, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort one another, and the more so, the more you see the approach of that day" (Hebrews 10:24, 25). Here there is a direct instruction "we will not leave our assembly" in order to be "attentive to each other and encourage love and good deeds." And today God expects those who want to have a close relationship with them to worship him in an organized Christian congregation. That is why I am doing this, following the example of the first Christians and gathering together with my co-religionists.

My worship of Jehovah God is based on the Bible. Acts 2:42 says: "And they were constantly in the teaching of the apostles, in communion and the breaking of bread and in prayer." According to this, the first Christians at joint meetings organized for the worship of God sang songs of praise, read the Holy Scriptures and said prayers. I take an example from them, and they blame it on me! Although this is nothing else than the actions of a believer committed to worship God. Nowadays, at such liturgical meetings, biblical principles are also considered, which help to monitor one's thinking, respect higher authorities, form qualities in oneself that are pleasing to God and benefit people around us. Liturgical meetings are a common religious activity on the biblical model for ordinary believers who sincerely want to learn to show love, eradicate prejudice and be devoted to God. In my opinion, the judicial investigation proved that liturgical meetings are exclusively peaceful, lawful, non–dangerous religious activities that were not prohibited by any court. Also in our case there are no victims and other data on the nature and amount of harm. Would you agree, Your Honor, that love for God and neighbors cannot harm anyone?

I obey the state authorities, but for me, as a Christian, it is extremely important to respect the authority of God, to obey his norms and principles, because he is the Creator and Creator of everything that exists.

At the trial, it was repeatedly said with reference to Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation that there is not a single prohibited religion in Russia, but at the same time, the investigation and the prosecution considered that my actions in worshipping God were illegal. It turns out that you can use only the first part of Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that I have the right to choose and have faith, but you cannot use the second part of the same article — to profess and act in accordance with your beliefs, both individually and jointly with others. It's like giving a car to a person who doesn't have a driver's license. That is, there is a car, but there is no right to use it. The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited, but there is no right to profess it and gather together. It turns out that any attempt to realize one's faith from the point of view of the investigation is illegal.

I would also like to draw your attention to the example of Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who recently often quotes excerpts from the Bible and urges fellow citizens to follow her advice. I want to note that my co-religionists and I already live according to biblical principles, so I do not understand why I am being persecuted.

Although I live in a state governed by the rule of law and it is my constitutional right to communicate with believers, but, according to the prosecutor's office, if I am a Jehovah's Witness, then I and my friends cannot do this. Then the question arises: if I were an Orthodox believer, would I be allowed to meet with friends and talk about biblical topics? The answer is obvious. Isn't there a bias against me as a Jehovah's Witness in all this?

During this trial, the words "Constitution", "law", "danger", "extremism" were often heard, but I have never heard the phrase "presumption of innocence". And why? Unfortunately, when charging under such a serious article as 282, by virtue of their profession, investigators are not obliged to think about what will happen to a person if they make a mistake. As a surgeon's mistake may not be noticeable immediately, after a while, so the actions of law enforcement agencies can affect a person's life for years.

And in my case, although I have not been found guilty, my good name has already suffered, since the prosecution puts me on a par with real terrorists and extremists. My bank card is under arrest. But the most terrible thing for our family is that my husband, who is not a Jehovah's Witness, may become an innocent victim, because if I am convicted, he will lose his job – you cannot be a relative of an extremist. And our children will be left without means of livelihood.

But in the end, I would still like to say something positive. For 1.5 years of persecution, surveillance, interrogations, a lot of good things have happened in my life. Our life goes on. Despite the complexity of the situation, we tried not to let it affect us and the children: we spend a lot of time together, travel around the Murmansk region, discover wonderful places, actively play sports and develop our children. During this time, our family has become even more united! We have made sure that we have many loyal friends, relatives are very supportive of us. And I was even more confirmed in the support of my God Jehovah, who in these circumstances helps me not to lose heart and gives me the strength to overcome everything. This gives hope that everything will be fine in the future!

I understand that my case is non-standard. Of course, Your Honor, you have a lot of experience, for sure you have repeatedly had to consider cases involving violence, murder and other illegal actions. I didn't do any of the above. My conscience is clear before God, people and the state. I ask you to justify me. And whatever decision you make, I will be calm.

Summary of the case

Region:

Murmansk region

Locality:

Snezhnogorsk

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "they found technical means and devices connected to the Internet, organized a personal ascension of sermons, discussion of religious literature and its texts"

Criminal case number:

12102470006000036

Initiated:

July 19, 2021

Current stage of the case:

the verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Murmansk region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-2/2023

Court of First Instance:

Polar District Court of the Murmansk region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Rosa Bolotskaya