The last word of the defendant Valery Vyaznikov in Luchegorsk

 RUSSIA 

 

The last word of the defendant Valery Vyaznikov in Luchegorsk

October 30, 2023

Primorsky Krai

In his address to the court, Valery Vyaznikov spoke about his faith in God and hope for the future: "It is precisely because I am trying to convey life-saving truths from the Word of God that I am being judged now."

Transcript of the court session in the Pozharsky District Court of Primorsky Krai, Luchegorsk dated 10/30/2023 in the case 1-88/2023 (1-317/2022) on the accusation of Valery V. Vyaznikov of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Vyazemsky Valery Vladimirovich:

Your Honor, first of all, I am very grateful to our Creator, the Lord of the entire universe, Jehovah God, for the great honor he has given me — to be here as his Witness (Isaiah 43:10-12)!

Of course, I am very grateful to my wife, Marina, for her constant support, care and love, as well as to all those who supported me!

Thank you, Judge, for treating me with an open mind, without any hostility. It's professional. Thanks to the fact that you got into my position, I was able to go to Khabarovsk for surgery and undergo postoperative rehabilitation. Also, your understanding was manifested in the fact that you allowed the court sessions to be held via video conferencing. Thank you very much!

Thanks to the secretary for his help in technical and organizational matters, for reminders, for kindness.

Thanks to the assistant prosecutor. You also treated me with an open mind. And it was very joyful to hear how you clearly and correctly pronounced the name of God, the Lord of the Universe, our loving Creator Jehovah.

Thanks to the lawyer for the hard work.

Your Honor, the name of our loving Creator and God, Jehovah, is repeatedly mentioned in my file. For better clarity, I wanted to briefly explain. The name Jehovah is full of the deepest meaning, it means "to become" or "he gives to become". This is in good agreement with the fact that Jehovah is the Creator of the entire material universe and intelligent creatures. The Bible in Revelation 4:11 says: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power, for you created everything, and everything exists and was created according to your will."

As events unfold, God takes care that His plan is fulfilled, despite the fact that opponents, such as Satan, seek to prevent the gradual realization of his will. The name Jehovah reveals to us about God that he will become what is necessary to fulfill his promises, and that his creatures will be able to do everything necessary to fulfill his plan. And when it comes to fulfilling his will, nothing is and cannot be impossible for him. His Word, the Bible, in Isaiah 55:11 says: "So the words that come out of my mouth will not return to me unfulfilled: they will fulfill my will and do what I sent them for."

Jehovah's will for us humans is that we live forever on earth, enjoying wonderful conditions (Revelation 21:3, 4). And everyone who bears his great name has been given a great honor to be his witnesses — to bear witness to the meaning of the name of the Most High God and what he has done out of great love for us, is doing and will do in the near future. In the Bible , translated by Archimandrite Macarius , it says: "... and my witnesses, Jehovah says, are you, and I am God." Is it a crime to be a Witness to our loving Creator Jehovah God? Of course not!

How important is it for people to know the name of God? In the word of God in Romans 10:13, the apostle Paul quoted the words previously recorded by the prophet Joel. The Hebrew text says: "Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved" (Joel 2:32). What is meant by the expression "calling on the name of Jehovah"? It is much more than just knowing the name of God and using it in worship. It also means fully trusting the one behind him, the Creator of the Universe, the loving and caring heavenly Father, and relying only on him in everything.

Jesus, the son of God, the King of the heavenly government appointed by him, taught that everyone who wants to live forever on a land cleansed of evil needs to know, obey and love the one who stands behind this name (John 17:3, 6, 26).

Jehovah God, out of great love for us, sent Jesus, his Son, to earth so that he would die for each of us. I mean, and for each of you, so that everyone has a wonderful eternal future (John 3:16). How can I personally show gratitude to God in response to this tremendous love? Jesus said to love Jehovah God "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). The only way I can thank God is to try to study his Word and obediently apply these biblical principles in my life (Acts 17:11, James 2:26).

What good has the Bible study done me? In the process of studying it, I found answers to such questions: how did life come about? what is the meaning of life? why do misfortunes happen to good people? why does a loving God allow suffering? what happens after death? what will happen to our planet in the future? why are we sure that we are living in the last days of the existence of this evil system of things? what should I do to make the family friendly and happy? how to cope with stress and love work?

Your Honor, if you knew the exact answers to these questions, would you hide them from those you love? I feel an obligation to help people find answers to these vital questions. Withholding this information, in my opinion, is considered a crime. Even Article 125 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation encourages helping people in trouble.

Your Honor, please remember why Jehovah's Witnesses were brutally persecuted in Nazi Germany. In concentration camps and prisons, more than 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, my co-religionists, died from hard labor, torture, hunger, cold and disease. Some of them were executed by guillotine or in gas chambers.

Why were Jehovah's Witnesses brutally persecuted in Stalin's times? For the fact that they showed love for Jehovah God and for his son Jesus Christ, as well as for their neighbor; for the fact that they strictly adhered to the biblical teachings. In the Bible, this is clearly stated in 2 Timothy 3:12: "Yes, and everyone who wants to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." There is a similar warning in John 15:18, 19. The Bible also exposes the main culprit of human suffering, the main enemy of God — Satan the Devil (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9, 12).

Then the question arises: why does the almighty and loving God Jehovah allow such cruel persecution of his servants? Your Honor, I would like to mention the most important issues of universal importance that Satan the Devil has put forward. First, he slandered God, saying that he is a dishonest ruler who deprives his creatures of the best, and that people will be much happier if they rule themselves (Genesis 3:1-5). He also stated that no man would be devoted to God if he faced severe trials (Job 2:3-6). We are honored to prove before Jehovah God, angels and people that the Devil is a liar, and we are trying to clear the name of God from shame.

Someone, due to a lack of understanding, may think that Jehovah God does not protect his Witnesses at all. Yes, the loving and caring God Jehovah allows his Witnesses to face various trials and prove that Satan is a liar. Most importantly, it provides spiritual protection.

Shortly before his execution in a concentration camp, a 20-year-old Jehovah's Witness wrote the following in a farewell letter: "If I didn't have the strength from the Lord, I wouldn't be able to walk this path." This is one of many examples of Jehovah's faithful servants proving the truth of God's words that he will not allow testing "beyond strength", and if necessary, will give strength exceeding the usual (Luke 11:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 4:7).

Yes, in fact, there is no such force in the universe that would prevent our Creator Jehovah from supporting his servants with the help of the Holy spirit, his power (Isaiah 40:26; Jeremiah 32:17). And those who died, remaining faithful to death, are in the most secure place — in the boundless memory of Jehovah God, who will resurrect them in the near future on a land cleansed of evil (Luke 20:38; John 5:28,29; Psalm 36:9-10, 29).

Now, despite the persecution, God's people all over the earth continue to flourish spiritually. Why? Because this is the work of Jehovah God, who will not allow Satan to wipe out his people from the earth. He tells us this in his Word in Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon created against you will succeed." And Isaiah 60:22 says this: "A thousand will come from the smallest, and a strong nation from the weakest. I, the Lord, will hasten to accomplish this in due time" (Romans 8:31, Hebrews 13:6). And everyone who tries to prevent the fulfillment of God's word is doomed to failure.

For example: what will happen to an ant that climbs onto a rail and tries to stop a moving locomotive? Acts 5:38, 39 expresses a similar thought: "For if this enterprise and this work are from men, then it will be destroyed, but if it is from God, then you cannot destroy it." Jehovah always acts in accordance with his holy name. "So also my word that comes out of my mouth, it does not return to me in vain, but does what pleases me, and does what I sent it for" (Isaiah 55:11).

Also, through the Bible, God warns us against the harmful influence of all kinds of sexual immorality, theft, violence, alcohol abuse, smoking, drug addiction and everything that destroys health. God also helps to get rid of bad qualities that also spoil our lives, such as pride, envy, anger, enmity, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21). And vice versa, it helps to work on the most beautiful qualities, the source of which he himself is. These are love, wisdom, patience, mercy, compassion, humility, virtue, devotion, peace, justice and others (Galatians 5:22).

Your Honor, why am I labeled an extremist, someone who develops obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ, loves Jehovah God and neighbor? Is it possible to call criminals those who love you and want to help you find hope for a wonderful future? Am I dangerous because I try to follow the words of Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 26:52 and reject all forms of violence? If I strive for peace in all areas of my life according to the words that are in the Bible, in Romans 12:18, then am I an extremist?

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment — to love each other. He himself died for his friends. Wouldn't you like to be among the friends of Jesus Christ who show love to such an extent that they are ready to give their lives defending each other (John 15:12, 13)?

Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world pray to Jehovah that he will find something in the hearts of people that will help develop friendship with him. And in order to develop and maintain friendship with God, it is necessary to get to know him and his son Jesus Christ better. John 17:3 says, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Yes, according to the biblical prophecies, we are living in the last days of the last days of the existence of this evil system of things ruled by Satan (Matthew 24:7, 22; Luke 21:11; 2 Timothy 3:1-4). We are standing on the threshold of a New World where "God will wipe away every tear from [people's] eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no more crying, no more sickness" (Revelation 21:4). "Then [the man's] body will become fresher than when he was young; he will return to the days of his youth" (Job 33:25). There will be no evil people who do harm (Proverbs 2:22). All will act for the benefit of others (Psalm 36:11,29). We wholeheartedly want all people to live in such a wonderful future forever!

Your Honor, as you can see, our loving Creator Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ love all people very much and want us to live forever. And I, as a Witness of Jehovah God, testify to people about this. It is because I am trying to convey life-saving truths from the Word of God that I am being judged now. My conscience is clear before God, people and the court. I fully support the words of one person who said in bewilderment: "I cannot imagine that a court with enough information could come to such a decision that Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists or may be politically dangerous."

Dear Court, Your Honor! I hope that your courage and justice, which are so important in your hard work, will help you to fully acquit me due to the lack of corpus delicti. Thank you.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Luchegorsk

What is suspected:

"Involved a resident of Luchegorsk in the activities of the religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses""

Criminal case number:

42202050012000036

Initiated:

July 16, 2021

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigates:

The investigative department for Dalnerechensk SU IC in Primorsky Krai

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-88/2023 (1-317/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Pozharsky District Court of Primorsky Krai

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Nina Kalashnik