Six Jehovah's Witnesses on trial

 UKRAINE


 Six Jehovah's Witnesses on trial


 Courts have begun trials in five other locations against six more Jehovah's Witnesses under Criminal Code Article 336 ("Refusing call-up for military service during mobilisation or in a special period, and for military service during call-up of reservists in a special period" ). All six had refused mobilisation on grounds of conscience and offered to perform alternative service.


 Five of the trials – in Ternopil, Poltava, Chortkiv (Ternopil Region) and two in Boryspil (Kyiv Region) – have had regular hearings. In the sixth trial, in Chuhuiv (Kharkiv Region), no hearings have taken place since an initial hearing in April.


 All the men told Recruitment Offices that they are prepared to perform an alternative civilian service. "They clearly state that they want to bear the burden of war along with others and respectfully ask the state to allow them to undertake civilian works that do not conflict with their convictions," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18 on 30 October.


 In criminal cases since February 2022, courts are known to have handed down three jail terms:

 - 15 September 2022, Vitaly Alekseenko, Ivano-Frankivsk, one-year jail term (overturned by Supreme Court and sent for new trial – see below);

 - 6 April 2023, Mykhailo Yavorsky, Ivano-Frankivsk, one-year jail term (changed to suspended sentence on appeal – see below);

 - 28 August 2023, Dmytro Zelinsky, Ternopil, three-year jail term (currently imprisoned – see below).


 Courts are known to have handed nine conscientious objectors suspended prison sentences and terms of probation:

 - 18 May 2022, Andrii Kucher, Mukachevo, suspended 4-year jail term;

 - 21 June 2022, Dmytro Kucherov, Oleksandriia (Kirovohrad Region), suspended 3-year jail term;

 - 17 August 2022, Oleksandr Korobko, Mukachevo, suspended 3-year jail term;

 - 22 August 2022, Maryan Kapats, Mukachevo, suspended 3-year jail term;

 - 2 December 2022, Andrii Martiniuk, Snyatin (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), suspended 3-year jail term;

 - 3 February 2023, Hennady Tomniuk, Ivano-Frankivsk, suspended 3-year jail term (which the prosecutor failed to turn into a prison sentence on appeal);

 - 2 October 2023, Mykhailo Yavorsky, Ivano-Frankivsk, suspended 3-year jail term (changed from one-year jail term – see below)

 - 19 October 2023, Artyom Kravtsov, Pervomaisk District (Mykolaiv Region), suspended 4-year jail term – see below;

 - 24 October 2023, Volodymyr Ukhal, Tyachiv, suspended 4-year jail term – see below.


 Courts are known to have handed down two acquittals:

 - 20 March 2023, Jehovah's Witness, Tyachiv (which the prosecutor is appealing against – see below);

 - 24 May 2023, Jehovah's Witness, Tyachiv (which the prosecutor is appealing against – see below).


 Courts are known to be hearing seven cases – see below:

 - Ivano-Frankivsk, Vitaly Alekseenko (first conviction overturned);

 - Ternopil, Jehovah's Witness;

 - Chortkiv (Ternopil Region), Jehovah's Witness;

 - Poltava, Jehovah's Witness;

 - Boryspil (Kyiv Region), Jehovah's Witness;

 - Boryspil (Kyiv Region), Jehovah's Witness (second case);

 - Chuhuiv (Kharkiv Region), Jehovah's Witness.

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