The last word of the defendant Oleg Konshin in Nizhny Novgorod

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Oleg Konshin in Nizhny Novgorod

April 21 , 2023

Nizhny Novgorod region

From the courtroom

Speaking to the court about how the persecution changed his life, the believer stated:

"I want justice to be restored and those who are behind this lawlessness to understand that the Witnesses are people who do not deserve such treatment."

Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod dated 04/21/2023 in case No. 1-3/2023 on charges of Oleg Vladimirovich Konshin and others. in committing a crime under Part 1, 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Konshin Oleg Vladimirovich:

Your Honor, Sergey Leonidovich, first of all I want to thank you for your patience and attentive attitude to the case. It is very important for us, the defendants, to be heard, so it is especially valuable that you have always given us the opportunity to express our point of view, to express disagreement, to draw the attention of all participants in the process to the important details of the case, the essence of which you tried to delve into. Thank you for planning the frequency and time of meetings in advance. This helped us, in turn, to plan our work and personal time, which was especially important during this period, since criminal prosecution does not add stability and confidence in the future to life.

I also want to thank the state prosecutor. Maria Konstantinovna, you tried to quickly and competently read all the sheets of the case and did not refuse to read out what we asked you to pay attention to.

Special thanks, of course, to the lawyers. Thank you for your professionalism and desire to understand us, such unusual clients.

And, of course, I thank all the friends who came to these meetings throughout the year and supported us, even being on the street near the courthouse, feeding us and providing great help.

Thank you to my dear wife, Irina, who has supported me and remains faithful to me for exactly 32 years. Thank you to my two sons for taking care of me during these difficult years of persecution. In my last word, I want to include one interesting thought, which, with its accuracy, is unlikely to leave everyone who is present here indifferent.:

— People in the village were going to read the Gospel, and the authorities came and dispersed them. The next Sunday they gathered again, then they called the sergeant, drew up an act, and they were put on trial. The judicial investigator interrogated, the comrade prosecutor drew up an indictment, the judicial chamber approved the charge, and they were put on trial. The comrade prosecutor accused, there was material evidence on the table — the Gospel, and they were sentenced to exile…

— Are there really laws according to which a person can be exiled for reading the Gospel together with others?

— Not only to be exiled to places not so remote, but to penal servitude, if only it is proved that, while reading the Gospel, they allowed themselves to interpret it to others not as ordered, and therefore thereby condemned the church interpretation.

This is an excerpt from Leo Tolstoy's famous novel The Resurrection, which was written in 1899. More than 120 years have passed since then, but we see that the problem with religious freedom in modern Russia is still acute.

I am a believer and I really respect the Bible and everything that is written in it, I try to apply it in life. Reading the Bible, I myself learned and taught my sons to show the qualities that the Bible calls "the fruit of the spirit" and are recorded in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Christian congregation in Galatia: "love, joy, peace, kindness, virtue, faith, meekness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22, 23). I taught my children and myself not to be led by such things as, for example: "fornication, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, hatred, drunkenness, outrages" (Galatians 5:19-21).

I also tried by my example and by studying the Bible to instill in children respect for the authorities. The same Apostle Paul writes to the assembly of Christians in Rome: "It is necessary to obey the authorities, not only out of fear of punishment, but also, according to conscience... give due: to whom tax is tax, to whom tribute is tribute, to whom duty is duty, to whom fear is fear, to whom honor is honor" (Romans 13:5, 7).

Therefore, when armed men came to our house early in the morning and put me against the wall; when people with machine guns entered my children's room and lifted them out of bed; when their personal belongings and my wife's belongings were taken away; when the whole house was turned over in front of the children and even the children's cubes on which were written the names of the books of the Bible, and then their father was taken away as the last criminal — you know, it was a shock. It was very difficult for me to explain to these people that this is a misunderstanding.

I have not violated anything, Your Honor, I have not committed a crime, there are no victims in my case, except me and my family. What they did to me and my family, I consider a gross violation of the law and our rights as citizens of Russia. But, nevertheless, during interrogations, they tried to convince me more than once that I am an extremist and I should admit it; that I need to stop believing and sign a renunciation of faith, and only then I can be justified; and also that Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not work with regard to us, Jehovah's Witnesses! When you remember all this, you cannot but agree with the words of the honorary lawyer of Russia Anatoly Pchelintsev: "So it turns out that such a welcome and sweet word "freedom of conscience" in our country has a traditionally bitter taste. But without guaranteed freedom of conscience, no state can be stable and prosperous."

However, despite all this, I cannot stop believing in what is right for me, especially since it is connected with good deeds and love for one's neighbor. I believe that everything that happened to me and my family happened only on the basis of my religion, and also so that the prophecy said by Jesus Christ would be fulfilled: "Because of me, you will be led to rulers and kings so that they, as well as people from other nations, would hear about me" (Gospel of Matthew 10:18). Note that the prophecy says that it is not for a crime that the followers of Christ will be brought before judges and rulers, but for the name of Jesus. Therefore, this trial can be called historical. And therefore, the decision that you will make regarding us, Your Honor, too!

I ask you to take into account when passing sentence that the statement of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights of 20.06.2018 says_:_ "This decision of the [Supreme] Court contains an exhaustive list of legal entities subject to liquidation. At the same time, the court's decision does not contain conclusions on the prohibition of the religion of "Jehovah's Witnesses" as such."

I also ask you not to ignore the fact that the Chairman of the Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev stressed on February 9, 2022: "Actions that do not contain signs of extremism and consist solely in the exercise of the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including through religious rites and ceremonies, do not constitute a crime."

I am in no way angry with anyone who is involved in my persecution, but I really want justice to be restored and those who are behind this lawlessness to understand that the Witnesses are people who do not deserve such treatment. They are peace-loving and honest citizens who respect the law and the authorities. Your Honor, you may not have previously encountered a trial where people are judged for their faith. Therefore, I want to give one historical example that is in tune with our case.

In the first century, the apostles, continuing the work of Jesus Christ, zealously preached. But this did not please the senior priests, as well as the elders of Israel. And they seized the apostles and brought them to the Sanhedrin for trial, accusing them, in fact, of undermining the foundations of the state. The head and chairman of the Sanhedrin was the high priest, who called the members of the court. Their total number was 71 people. Gamaliel, "a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people," expressed his opinion at this trial. This lawyer must have been highly revered; he took the initiative into his own hands and "ordered to withdraw for a while… [the apostles]" (Acts 5:34). After making a short speech, he drew attention to how rebellions had flared up in the past and quickly faded away, because after the death of the leaders the people followed, their enthusiasm quickly disappeared. Gamaliel urged the court to be patient in dealing with the apostles, since their Leader, Jesus, had died recently. Gamaliel gave a convincing argument: "Do not touch these people and leave them alone, because if this plan or this work is from people, then it will be destroyed, and if it is from God, you will not be able to destroy them. Otherwise, how could you not be opponents of God" (Acts 5:38, 39). The judges heeded his advice, and the apostles were released.

Your Honor, about 2,000 years have passed since the death of Jesus Christ, and the work of preaching that he began continues to this day. And no one and nothing could stop him — neither the Hitlerite regime aimed at destroying Jehovah's Witnesses, nor Stalin's repressions. Nothing has broken the spirit of God's people, because if God allows us to be persecuted, he always gives us the strength to endure these persecutions. Therefore, no matter what God allows, we have no doubt what the outcome will be in the end: "No weapon made against you will be successful; and every tongue that will compete with you in judgment, you will accuse" (Isaiah 54:17). These are the words of God written in the Bible.

Whatever the verdict, my friends and I have something that is much more valuable — a wonderful hope for the future, which was given by the Supreme Ruler and Judge of the whole earth, Jehovah God! And we would very much like every person on earth to live with such hope.

In conclusion of my last word, I will quote what God said about this hope through the prophet Isaiah: "I am creating a new heaven and a new earth. What happened before will no longer be remembered, and will not burden the heart. People will build houses and live in them, they will plant vineyards and eat their fruits. It will not be so that they will build, but others will live, they will plant, and there will be others. The life of my people will be as long as the life of a tree, and my chosen ones will enjoy all the fruits of their labor. They will not work in vain, and the children they will have will not suffer. After all, they and their descendants are a people blessed by Jehovah. Before they call, I will answer. They will still speak, but I will already hear" (Isaiah 65:17, 21-25).

I do not know how this process will end, and what decision you, Your Honor, will make, but my friends and I firmly believe that these words will definitely be fulfilled. And, consequently, those almost 18 years of imprisonment, which the state prosecution asks for all of us, will no longer be remembered and will never weigh on the heart!

Summary of the case

Region:

Nizhny Novgorod region

Locality:

Nizhniy Novgorod

What is suspected:

According to investigators, they held meetings, collected donations for the needs of a religious organization, and improved the skills of carrying out missionary activities

Criminal case number:

11901220089000240

Initiated:

July 17, 2019

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

Department of Internal Affairs SCH GSU GU of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Nizhny Novgorod region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-3/2023

Court of First Instance:

Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Sergey Glushkov