The last word of the defendant Vasily Burenescu in Surgut

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Vasily Burenescu in Surgut

November 10, 2023

Khanty-Mansiysk JSC

In his last statement , the defendant stated: "I am not an extremist and never have been and never will be." Drawing attention to the words of the accusation "they are incorrigible," he asked the court: "What should I correct? I have never violated the laws of the Russian Federation, I continue to lead a Christian lifestyle and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ."

Transcript of the court session in the Surgut City Court of 10.11.2023 on the case № 1-27/2023 (1-130/2022; 1-1348/2021) on the accusation of Burenescu Vasily Vasilyevich and others . in committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2, Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Burenescu Vasily Vasilyevich:

Dear Court! Thank you, Your Honor, for your self-control, for a calm and working atmosphere throughout the process, for your understanding and good attitude towards all of us. You met us halfway when we had to go to the polyclinic, go to the hospital for surgery, you always let us go for family reasons.

Thanks to the lawyers who together with us went through the marathon of the trial and defended us with dignity and according to the law of the Russian Federation. Special thanks to lawyer S. N. Tibeyko, who defended me from the very beginning, as well as lawyer O. N. Tsupko. Thanks to the assistant judge Zhanna Petrovna Stasiv for her responsiveness and kindness.

Thank you to my friends who greeted me every morning as if they hadn't seen me for a long time, for their love, prayers, support and encouragement.

Thanks to the bailiffs of the Federal Penitentiary Service, who treated us with respect throughout all the trials.

Special thanks to my beloved children, grandchildren, wife Natalia. They are having the hardest time in their lives right now. Natalia and I have been married for 46 years, and we met for 7 years before the wedding, it is not difficult to add 46 + 7 = 53 years. Therefore, such a long separation from me for my beloved wife and faithful companion of life is like death. I want to emphasize that my family is Orthodox, but this does not prevent us from living in peace, harmony and love. I am the only Jehovah's Witness. Now the question arises, who destroys families? Obviously, these are respected IC and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation, but not Jehovah's Witnesses.

Jehovah God is not the destroyer, but the founder of the family. This is written in the Bible, in Genesis, chapter 2, verses 18-25. And in the Gospel of Matthew 19:3-6, it is told how the Pharisees, tempting Jesus, said to him: "Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" I will read Jesus' answer: "Have you not read that He who first created man and woman created them? And he said, Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they will be one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. So, let no man separate what God has combined." There are two reasons for understanding:

Cheating on one of the spouses. Here the injured party decides for himself whether to forgive or not, to divorce or to live together further.

The death of one of the spouses. The second of them decides for himself whether to marry further or not.

It is clear from our criminal case that we are not guilty of anything. But the FSB and A. E. Mironov, FSB expert Svetlana Anatolyevna Mochalova, the IC and the prosecutor's office made efforts to destroy our families for a long time. Dear Court, you have the opportunity to stop this injustice. I hope that it will be so and justice will prevail.

It is a pity that my family was not present at the court sessions, my relatives still do not understand why my grandfather is being tried. And so they would see with their own eyes and hear what they are given 8 years in prison for.

I'll tell you a little about myself. Back in the 80s and 90s, I was not familiar with the norms and laws of God. Well, and even more so did not know the name of God. Work, home, beloved wife and children. But in 1991-95, hard times came for me and my family. Electricity was cut off for 10 hours a day. Job search and unstable earnings undermined family relationships. The unrighteous lifestyle and drunkenness further worsened the situation.

One day, in a conversation, a man read me a Bible verse: "I was young and old, and I did not see the righteous forsaken and his descendants begging for bread" (Psalm 36:25). The words "a righteous man who does not ask for bread" touched me very much. What is righteousness? Righteousness is submission to God's will and following his commands. God's righteousness is written in the Bible. Yes, this verse made me reconsider my lifestyle.

Reading the Bible, step by step I learned what the Creator and Creator of all living and inanimate things wants. The Bible says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malacians, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor rapacious, will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). Prayer for help to God helped me to apply these words to myself. These verses show what qualities God hates in people. So I broke up with a bad habit — drunkenness.

At that time, there were a lot of lies and negativity in newspapers and on TV about Jehovah's Witnesses, as if they were dangerous people. But at the first meeting that I described, I saw that these people are not at all what the press describes them. At first I was wary and distrustful of them, but decided to get to know them better. After moving to Surgut, I started studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses. They showed me where the name of God Jehovah is in the Bible. It is mentioned 9 times in the Synodal Translation. That's how I found out that the Creator and the Creator have a name. And I also saw that Jehovah's Witnesses are not dangerous people at all, but on the contrary peaceful, hospitable, kind, sympathetic, loving their families.

Attending the services of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moldova and the city of Surgut, I learned a lot about God and his Son, Jesus Christ. I didn't have to write applications to attend. The entrance was free and so was the exit. When I left there, I still had biblical knowledge in my head. I started to put my life in order. Jehovah is the God who wants me to continue to seek righteousness. God Jehovah is the source of righteousness. A person can be called righteous if he fulfills his duties, is fair, impartial, honest, does not violate the law, does not act immorally and, therefore, is known for impeccable behavior and decency. What I learned, I tried to apply immediately to myself.

Relations in the family have become excellent. I was happy and happy myself. The Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 13:18: "Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, because we want to behave honestly in everything." From this verse it is clear that one must have a good conscience and behave honestly in everything, that is, in all spheres of life. But I also started working on myself in what sense?

There are four types of purity: physical, moral, spiritual and purity of thoughts. These types of cleanliness should be studied for more than one year and still applied in your life. Why am I telling you, dear court, about myself? Your Honor, please pay attention to how the Bible changes a person for the better. The word of God has changed me in a good way. Why? The answer is given in the Second Epistle to Timothy 3:16,17: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. May the man of God be perfect, prepared for every good deed."

I want and wish to share the biblical knowledge about the Creator and Creator, Jehovah God, about his Son, Jesus Christ. For me, as for other brothers and sisters, it is a great honor to be a Jehovah's Witness. Thanks to the Bible, I am putting my life in order. It's a daily struggle. Sharing the truth from the Bible with people, I know for sure that there are many people who also want to put their lives in order.

I am not an extremist and never have been and never will be. I also want to draw attention to the words of the accusation: "They are incorrigible." What should I correct myself in? I have never violated the laws of the Russian Federation, I continue to lead a Christian lifestyle and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Dear Court, I ask you to pay attention to my and our innocence and take into account my chronic diseases, as well as the diseases of my wife, who needs surgery.

Your Honor, I ask you to acquit me and my brothers and sisters with the right to rehabilitation.

Summary of the case

Region:

Khanty-Mansiysk JSC

Locality:

Surgut

What is suspected:

"He made speeches, participated in a preaching service with local "Jehovah's witnesses", held meetings with "pioneers", "elders" and "service assistants", including for the purpose of organizing the activities of "elders" in the "assembly""Take-off"".

Criminal case number:

42002007709000023

Initiated:

February 11, 2019

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigates:

SO in Surgut SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

№ 1-27/2023 (1-130/2022; 1-1348/2021)

Court:

Surgut City Court

Judge:

Dmitry Lupin