Three Years of Forced Labor for Reading the Bible. Yuriy Chernykh, Father of a Minor Child, Was Found Guilty of Extremism

  RUSSIA


Three Years of Forced Labor for Reading the Bible. Yuriy Chernykh, Father of a Minor Child, Was Found Guilty of Extremism

October 3, 2023 Kemerovo Region


On September 28, 2023, the Central District Court of Prokopyevsk found Yuriy Chernykh guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. Judge Alyona Novosyolova sentenced him to 3 years of forced labor with the deduction of 15% of his salary in favor of the state.


The case was initiated on November 5, 2021. Previously, Yuriy was a witness in the case of Andrey Vlasov. In July 2020, the Chernykhs' house was searched, after which he and his wife were interrogated by the FSB. When the Chernykhs were searched again in November 2021, electronic media, a TV, as well as postcards and personal records were seized. The believer had a personal recognizance to appear, and after 5 months he was placed under recognizance agreement. In June 2022, the case went to court. Chernykh expressed his attitude to the accusation as follows: "I want to state that I do not plead guilty and believe that the charge against me is illegal”. The prosecutor requested 2.5 years of forced labor for the believer with a deduction of 15% of his salary in favor of the state.


Yuriy, a former miner with 20 years of experience, now works as a track fitter in the transport department. He and his wife are happily married and have three sons, the youngest of whom is still in school. Yuriy and Yelena love their grandchildren very much.


In the Kemerovo region, 19 people have already been prosecuted for their faith. Five of them received real terms of punishment in a penal colony.


The Cherny case in Prokopyevsk


Brief history of the case


In November 2021, the Investigative Committee brought Yuri Chernykh as a defendant in the case of participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Previously, the believer was interrogated as a witness in the case against another Jehovah’s Witness from Prokopyevsk, Andrei Vlasov. Chernykh, the father of a minor child, was searched twice, an obligation to appear was taken from him, and later he was given an undertaking not to leave the place. In June 2022, the case went to trial. And in September 2023, the court found Yuri Chernykh guilty and sentenced him to 3 years of forced labor with a deduction of 15% of wages in favor of the state and 2.5 years of a ban on public activities.


Criminal case


Region:

Kemerovo Region

Locality:

Prokopyevsk

Criminal case number:

12102320012000120

Initiated:

November 5, 2021

Current stage of the case:

trial in appellate court

Investigates:

Investigative Department for the city of Prokopyevsk, Investigative Directorate of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-22/2023 (1-209/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Region

Judge of the trial court:

Alena Novoselova


In the photo: Yuri Chernykh on the day of the verdict in the courtroom. Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo region, September 2023.

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