The last word of the defendant Irina Mikhailenko in Chelyabinsk

 RUSSIA

The last word of the defendant Irina Mikhailenko in Chelyabinsk

April 21 , 2023

Chelyabinsk region

From the courtroom

"Is there any evidence of my extremism — hatred, enmity, violence? — Irina Mikhaylenko said, addressing the court with the last word. — There are no actions, but not a single phrase, not a single word in 20 volumes of the criminal case."

Transcript of the court session in the Metallurgical District Court of Chelyabinsk dated 04/21/2023 in the case 1-16/2023 (1-470/2022) on the accusation of Irina Viktorovna Mikhaylenko of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Mikhailenko Irina Viktorovna:

I want to start my last word with a quote from the case materials: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I love you, so do you love each other. Everyone will know that you are my disciples if there is love between you." This is a quote from the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 34 and 35. Jesus Christ uttered these words the night before his death.

What does this mean? Christ commanded his followers to love one another as he loved them. And how did Jesus love his disciples? His love overcame the widespread prejudices against women and people from other nations at that time. Love prompted Jesus to sacrifice his time, strength and rest to help others. Love was his main motive.

In practice, this means that a Christian should love even his enemies. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 27-31, it says: "But to you who are listening, I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who offend you. To the one who hit you on the cheek, substitute the other, and do not prevent the one who takes away your outer clothing from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks of you, and do not demand back from him who has taken yours. And as you want people to do to you, so do you to them." Thus, it is important for all Christians to show unselfish love, moreover, it should be obvious to everyone. After all, selfless brotherly love is the hallmark of true Christians.

True Christians are recognized not by any special clothes or any special rituals, but by the heartfelt and tender love that is visible among them. To show this special kind of love is a requirement for the disciples of Christ.

Just think how much the world would change if everyone showed such love. There are no racial, social and national barriers for such love.

That's the kind of love I try to show. Love is inherently positive, not negative. It creates, not destroys. Love has nothing to do with extremism. Extremism is hatred, violence, enmity. Love is inherently the opposite of extremism.

What is there in the case file? Is there any evidence of my extremism, i.e. hatred, enmity, violence? There are no actions, but not a single phrase, not a single word in the 20 volumes of the criminal case. Moreover, most of the documents in the case have nothing to do with me. Why are these documents in my criminal case? I can assume — to create the appearance of a crime. And during the trial, the prosecutor found out from witnesses, for example, when was the last time they saw people walking down the street and talking to passers-by on religious topics? Or did you see one woman offering a brochure to another woman? What do some women on the street have to do with me?

So why am I being judged? Only because I'm a Jehovah's Witness. During the consideration of this case, the prosecutor found out from witnesses: did people come to me, did they see my literature, did they see me with other Jehovah's Witnesses? Is it forbidden to be a Jehovah's Witness? No. Can Jehovah's Witnesses read the Bible? Yes, you can. Is it possible to get together? Yes, you can. This is evidenced by the Resolutions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, as well as the main law of our country — the Constitution. According to these regulations, I have not committed any crimes, on the contrary, in this case my rights are violated, I am deprived of the guaranteed right to profess and spread my faith.

I have great respect for the Constitution and other laws of our country, probably because of my profession. Moreover, I was convinced that many countries, including ours, have partially or completely incorporated provisions from the Bible into their legislation, thereby recognizing the superiority of the supreme law of God.

For example, only in one book of Deuteronomy there are many legal provisions of private and family law, property law, constitutional law, judicial system, where the duties of judges and the supreme Court of Appeal were provided for; criminal law, including crimes against the state, crimes against morality, crimes against the individual; laws on the manifestation of humanity, building codes. That is why God is called a Lawgiver in the Bible.

For me, the Bible, as for many believers, is a kind of Constitution that I try to adhere to in all areas of my life. It is impossible to truly honor Almighty God only by observing formal rituals and not obeying his laws. It is necessary to love the ways of God and have a sincere desire to do his will, because Jehovah is the Creator and the Lord, he deserves honor, respect and respect. The Bible also calls for honoring people. And it's important to me, too.

Most often, the concept of "honor" in the Hebrew language, in which the Hebrew scriptures were written, is conveyed by a word that literally means "heaviness". A person who is honored is considered to have weight or worth. The same word in the Bible is often translated as "glory", and this indicates that such a person is highly valued. From the ancient Greek language, in which the Greek Scriptures were written, the word translated in the Bible as "honor" conveys the idea of reverence, importance, value.

Unlike all other creatures on earth, humans were created "in the likeness of God." Therefore, we have the same qualities as God, namely: love, wisdom and justice. In addition, God has crowned or adorned people with a certain dignity, glory and honor. When we show respect for the dignity of another person, we are, in fact, honoring the Source of human dignity, Jehovah. In accordance with this, I try to show respect for other people, regardless of religion, race, nationality, social status, so extremism is alien to me.

I also have great respect for the court, because it is also an honor. For example, Article 257 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation obliges citizens to use the address "Your Honor" in communication with a judge. This form of appeal emphasizes the high position of the court and the importance of issues resolved by the court on behalf of the State.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said: "All professions are from people, and only three are from God: a teacher, a judge and a doctor." And indeed, God calls with respect to judges. In the Holy Scriptures, Jehovah is called "the Judge of the whole earth" (Genesis 18:25). There is even a book in the Bible called Judges. At that time, capable, reliable, and God-fearing people were elected judges. Since the judges were supposed to be honest people, judging in accordance with God's law, we can say that they represented Jehovah. Therefore, to appear before the judges was like "appearing before Jehovah."

As the Supreme Judge, Jehovah transferred legal authority to his Son, Jesus Christ. It was prophetically written about Christ as a Judge: "He will not judge only on the basis of what He sees, and make decisions only on the basis of what he hears. He will judge the poor justly and make decisions for the benefit of the meek" (Isaiah 11:2-4).

Historical reports from the book of Judges tell about the exploits of judges. The saving power of God, his long-suffering, mercy, undeserved kindness and justice are emphasized. And the judges, in turn, recognized Jehovah as a Judge.

"The power of the judge's conscience is great," the same philosopher, Socrates, remarked. And we must strive to ensure that this force never weakens. In accordance with Article 8 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On the Status of Judges in the Russian Federation", a judge, when taking the oath, solemnly swears to honestly and conscientiously fulfill his duties, to administer justice, obeying only the law, to be impartial and fair, as dictated by the duty of a judge and conscience.

The book of Judges lists the names of judges who have remained in the history recorded over many centuries. These people serve as an excellent example of integrity, impartiality, and justice.

History is also being written today. God has honored you with the honor of judging his servant. And you, Your Honor, also have the opportunity to go down in history as a fair and impartial judge who obeys only the law and listens to his conscience.

And Jehovah honored me with the honor of defending his name in court. It's really an honor for me to be a Jehovah's Witness. I am very grateful to God that he attracted me to him. John 6:44 says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me." So, it is possible to become a follower of Christ and a servant of the heavenly Father only if Jehovah personally attracts us.

In what sense does God attract? The ancient Greek verb given as "attract" also has the meaning of "drag", for example a fishing net. Does this mean that Jehovah is "dragging" us against our will, forcing us to serve him? No. God created us with free will, so he does not open our heart by force. One Biblical scholar put it this way: "There is no handle on the door of the human heart from the outside. The heart opens only from the inside."

Jehovah explores billions of hearts in this world to find those who have the right attitude. When God sees such a person, He treats him very carefully. What is it expressed in? Jehovah tenderly attracts, or attracts, the one who is "correctly positioned." He does this in two ways: through the message from the Bible, which every person has the opportunity to hear, and through his holy spirit. When Jehovah sees a sympathetic heart that can respond to biblical truth, he helps a person with the help of his spirit to understand it and learn to live in harmony with it. Without God's help, it is never possible to become his devoted servants and true followers of Jesus. Jehovah attracts a person to himself because he sees something precious in his heart and cherishes it. Being a servant of Jehovah is the highest honor that a person can be awarded. And if Jehovah chose me, it means that he values me.

During the investigation, I was repeatedly told: "I would read the Bible alone, why gather together, why preach?" Jesus called his followers, in these words: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its power, then how to make it salty again? She's no good for anything anymore. It remains only to throw it into the street, where people will trample it. You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before people so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16). Why did Jesus compare his followers to salt and light? By making this comparison, Jesus wanted to emphasize that his followers can have a positive impact on society. For example, salt mixed with food has a preservative effect on it. And the lamp in the room dispels the darkness. Jesus' words imply that his followers should not be salt for a small group of people, but for the whole of humanity; they should not be light for a limited number of people, but for everyone who wants to see clearly. Jesus never called his followers to shut themselves off from the outside world. Just as salt should come into contact with food, and a lamp should burn inside a room, Christians should be part of society in order to influence others.

Jesus explained the similarity between the light and his disciples, saying: "When a lamp is lit, it is not placed under a measuring vessel, but on a stand, and it shines before people." If the lamp is on a stand, then it is visible to everyone around. Similarly, preaching and other good deeds that Christians do should be obvious to people around them. What for? So that, according to Jesus, those who see them give glory to God.

When Jesus said "you are the light of the world" and "let your light shine," he meant all his followers. The command of Jesus cannot be fulfilled by the efforts of a few people scattered among different religions. All believers should be the "light of the world". I consider it my duty to share with others the message that Christ has entrusted to tell.

The greatest good I can do to people is to help them find the light of truth from God. Jesus called his disciples "the light of the world" and encouraged them to bring this light so that people could see their "good deeds". The spiritual light was supposed to shine "before people", i.e. bring good to all mankind. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses allow the light to shine, doing good to their neighbors and preaching the good news "all over the world", "in all nations". It's a huge honor!

In conclusion, I want to say that I have done nothing illegal either against the state, against people, or against God. Therefore, I ask you to pass an acquittal.

Summary of the case

Region:

Chelyabinsk region

Locality:

Chelyabinsk

What is suspected of:

"... Directly participated and personally spoke in the religious meetings convened and organized by V. N. Suvorov" (from the resolution on involvement as an accused)

Criminal case number:

12102750030000024

Initiated:

August 31, 2021

Current stage of the case:

the verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The third department for the investigation of particularly important cases of the SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Chelyabinsk region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-16/2023

Court of first instance:

Metallurgical District Court of Chelyabinsk

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Lyudmila Blagodyr