The last word of the defendant Vladimir Melnik in Orel

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Vladimir Melnik in Orel

October 2, 2023

Oryol region

The believer expresses confidence in his innocence: "The large-scale persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is based on the fact that the usual religious practice of believers is mistakenly interpreted as a continuation of the activities of a banned organization. Our criminal case is also based on this misunderstanding."

Transcript of the court session in the Sovetsky District Court of Orel dated 02.10.2023 in the case 1-16/2023 (1-123/2022) on charges of Miller Vladimir Vasilyevich and others. in committing a crime under Part 1, Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Melnik Vladimir Vasilyevich:

So this trial has come to its conclusion. Despite the fact that I have been imprisoned for the faith for 33 months, I am happy. It may seem a little strange to some, but I am glad, because thanks to this, the name of Jehovah, my native God, has been glorified many times! Jehovah, the Creator of all living and inanimate things, is worthy of all glory and praise as our loving and caring heavenly Father. At our court sessions, his name, Jehovah, sounded often, several thousand times. This is not accidental, since this court is against his witnesses. I am grateful to Jehovah for such service. Only in my testimony, as I calculated, the name of God was mentioned almost 500 times, although I did not do it on purpose, but simply told about the events and refuted the points of the accusation against me. And what kind of spiritual feast did Jehovah, as a real living God, arrange for us? Everyone who attended the court sessions had the opportunity to attend Christian meetings of the religious group of Jehovah's Witnesses, listen to creative speeches and even prayers. All this strengthened not only us, the accused, but also everyone present. Thanks to the state prosecutors for including these audio recordings for us.

We received great encouragement from our friends who came to support us. Thank you for your prayers and the prayers of millions of our friends around the world offered to Jehovah during this period. I want to thank my family separately. I am grateful to my beloved wife Irina, who, despite her various illnesses, still came when she could to support me, and I am also grateful to my daughters Anastasia and Ekaterina, who made me very happy with their presence.

It is even difficult for me to describe in words my inner gratitude to our lawyers, who have jointly done a great job to protect us. I am especially grateful to my lawyer, Larisa Vitalievna Melikhova, who defended me all these years and months from the day of my detention until today. Thank you to the Secretary of the meeting for your painstaking work. A lot depended on your work during our time in custody. And, of course, we, the accused, will never forget that Jehovah saw for us a good presiding judge, Natalia Mikhailovna Tishkova, who selflessly considered our case, endured our imperfections, warmly greeted us before each meeting with her smile, issued without any red tape the required permits for meetings and telephone conversations with relatives, as well as permission to transfer personal items. Thank you very much!

I am also happy because with the help of the power from Jehovah God and thanks to the loving support of millions of my sisters and brothers, I have not only kept my faith alive, but strengthened it even more. I don't feel guilty of committing any crimes. My conscience is clear. I'm still confident that I didn't commit any crime. I am convinced that for every believer, attending joint services in a religious group, providing a room for them, reading and discussing non-prohibited religious literature, spreading religious beliefs, observing religious rites and ceremonies, performing spiritual songs, offering prayers are forms of lawful behavior that are part of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Conducting religious ceremonies of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in residential or rented premises does not violate the law, but is the realization of the right of believers to freedom of conscience and religion, since such a right cannot be limited exclusively to the space of personal or private life, it can also be realized in the external sphere, including in mass, collective forms.

I and the other defendants are subject to acquittal due to the absence of corpus delicti in our actions, since we have implemented the right to freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution of Russia. It should be noted that in the framework of criminal cases on extremist crimes, which include Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it should be borne in mind that the motives for committing these crimes are subject to proof. Such motives have not been proven in the case. The rights related to freedom of religion should be ensured regardless of whether a person is a member of any religious organization or not, and therefore the right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses should be ensured even after the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20.04.2017. Neither I, nor Piskarev, nor Putintsev have ever carried out extremist activities, we professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, including meeting and discussing our beliefs with believers.

It is important to note that the ideology of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion is not recognized as extremist in Russia, and the Bible and its contents and quotations cannot be recognized as extremist materials. We hope that the court, when making a decision on the case, will be guided by the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of 28.10.2021, which indicated that the services themselves do not constitute a crime.

Since 2017, the large-scale persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is based on the fact that the usual religious practice of believers is mistakenly interpreted as a continuation of the activities of a banned organization. Our criminal case is based on this misunderstanding. In order to eliminate this misunderstanding, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 28.10.2021 gave explanations that are mandatory for all courts. During all these years, Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia have been trying to convey to the public that the religious activities of Jehovah's Witnesses cannot inherently pose any threat to society and the state.

I want to believe that this verdict will be acquitted. If the court finds it necessary to send us to a penal colony, then it is God's will that we correct someone else by proclaiming the good news. And we are ready to continue this service, helping people following the example of Christ. After all, we, like him, love all people, but turn away from evil deeds, because we listen to the words of Jehovah, spoken through the prophet Micah: "Oh, man! You have been told what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love works of mercy and to walk humbly before your God." Therefore, Your Honor, we will kindly be grateful for any of your decisions.

Summary of the case

Region:

Oryol region

Locality:

Eagle

Criminal case number:

12002540005000065

Initiated:

December 8, 2020

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigates:

SO in the Sovetsky district of the city of Orel SU IC of Russia in the Orel region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-16/2023 (1-123/2022)

Court:

Sovetsky District Court of Oryol

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Natalia Tishkova