The last word of the defendant Yulia Popkova in Tula

 RUSSIA

The last word of the defendant Yulia Popkova in Tula

November 2 , 2023

Tula region

The believer told how the Bible changed her life despite a difficult childhood. She summed up: "My faith in God and the actions that the investigation led to prove my guilt are not related to the charter of any organization. It is my life and everyday work to remain a decent person."

Transcript of the court session in the Proletarian District Court of Tula dated 02.11.2023 in the case 1-142/2023 on the charges of Yulia Popkova and others. in committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Popkova Yulia Yurievna:

Dear Court, my last word will last no more than 10 minutes. I'll start with the main thing — with gratitude.

Dear court, Nina Valeryevna, it was a great honor for me to defend myself before you! I'll explain why. Thanks to the combination of your professional and human qualities, each court session was held with dignity and in a respectful atmosphere. You gave equal rights to the prosecution and defense, skillfully resolved difficult situations, while maintaining emotional balance. Thank you for taking into account our human needs — to eat, to relax. Special thanks for those warm moments when you gave us your sweet smile. And, of course, I can't help but mention that every task we saw a very beautiful woman!

The state Prosecutor, Ilya Vladimirovich, I will be honest: at first I was afraid of you, but then there was respect, which grew over time. I admired how courageously and steadfastly you read a large volume of material for several hours in a row, namely the indictment. Thank you for showing respect for our religious feelings and correctly emphasizing the name of God. It was you who had to pronounce this name the most. It didn't cut the ear and therefore it was very beautiful. It was unusual to observe, along with the poise characteristic of men, your sincerity and kindness.

Natasha, you are Nina Valeryevna's sweet and hardworking assistant. Thank you for your patience with us. There were always a lot of us, and this caused certain difficulties in organizing court sessions. You handled everything with dignity. And, of course, every time you surprised us and pleased us with your new image, which brought pleasant emotions.

Lawyers, you have chosen an important and necessary profession — to help people and protect their rights. You have been with us in a long and difficult process. I especially want to thank Oksana Vyacheslavovna. I know that you had to prepare material for my defense until late in the evening. I was touched by the fact that you gave consultations to all four defendants, not just me. I am sure that you have done everything in your power.

Friends, you are my greatest wealth! During this time, I was once again convinced that having friends is not only pleasant, but also vital! You took care not only of the necessities, but also spoiled me. You couldn't change anything, but you could give me love that gave me strength and resilience to go this way. Thank you for being there.

This period filled my life with bright, positive emotions. And it was possible thanks to the contribution and efforts of everyone who is present here. Thank you sincerely!

I'll start with the beautiful words: "To be born a man is a miracle, to remain a man is work." Dear Judge, with these words I want to explain why I read the Bible every day and cherish my faith in God, whose name is Jehovah. To begin with, I was born and raised in a family of alcoholics. I will not tell you all the horrors that I had to face when I was a child and a teenager. I will cite only the statements of experts: "Children who grew up in a family of alcoholics are equated with war veterans." Such children become adults, crippled emotionally and physically. And, of course, it is clear to everyone that during the formation of my personality, no one from my family set a good example. Everything I could have been taught was… I will put an ellipsis here so as not to voice the list of human vices. I hope that now everyone understands how difficult it was for me to remain a human being. How can I learn to love, sympathize and sympathize with someone else's grief, forgive, believe and trust, be grateful, generous, honest, hospitable, caring, hardworking, friendly, polite. Answer: "To remain a human being is work." And in this difficult work, faith in God, the Bible and Jehovah's Witnesses helped me. Faith has helped to treat the Bible not only as a book about God, but also as a book from God. It's a guide to how to live, how to be happy, and it also contains a plan for how to be human. I still check with this plan periodically. And Jehovah's Witnesses, who know the Bible well, helped me navigate it and set me a good example. Dear court, I read the Bible and cherish my faith in God so that the miracle that happened 44 years ago, and my parents had me, remains a human being.

For example, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes what is characteristic of true love. This taught me that love is not just an emotion or a feeling, but a set of creative qualities, such as patience, concern for the well—being of others, and a willingness to forgive. Such love is in no hurry to be offended, envy, boasting and pride are not peculiar to it.

And the advice: "Give thanks for everything", which is recorded in Ephesians 5:20, helped me to be a grateful person and not to grumble at people, the weather, work, and life in general. The advice from Acts 20:35 and Proverbs 11:25 taught me to be generous and not to be afraid that I would have nothing left. And the universal advice, which is known among many as the "golden rule" and is given in Matthew 7:12, helps me to respect the dignity of people, see the good in them, tell them about it and not pass by someone else's grief.

Dear Court, I can cite many more biblical principles that help me to be a human being, but I will summarize. In my last word, I wanted to show that my faith in God and the actions that the investigation led to prove my guilt are not related to the charter of any organization. It is my life and everyday work to remain a decent person.

Dear court, I do not know what decision you will make, but I am calm! My conscience is clear before God, the state and people.

Summary of the case

Region:

Tula region

Locality:

Tula

What is suspected of:

"I took active organizational actions... expressed in the organization of religious performances ... and the implementation of preaching activities" (from the resolution on the initiation of criminal proceedings)

Criminal case number:

12107700001370018

Initiated:

March 25, 2021

Current stage of the case:

proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigates:

WITH the FSB in the Tula region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-142/2023

Court of First instance:

Proletarian District Court of Tula

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Nina Panarina