The regional court in Khabarovsk reduced the fine of one of two Jehovah's Witnesses convicted for their faith

 RUSSIA


The regional court in Khabarovsk reduced the fine of one of two Jehovah's Witnesses convicted for their faith

November 2, 2023 Khabarovsk Territory


On October 30, 2023, the panel of judges of the Khabarovsk Regional Court confirmed the guilty verdict against Olga Mirgorodskaya and Sergei Kazakov. Believers will pay fines to the state. Olga - 300,000 rubles, as the court of first instance ruled, and Sergey - 200,000 rubles, which is 2.5 times less than the amount originally appointed by the court.


Both believers still insist on their innocence and believe that the court decisions violate the laws of the Russian Federation. According to Kazakov and Mirgorodskaya, they were not convicted of real extremism, but “only because they professed beliefs based on the Bible and peacefully practiced their Christian faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses.”


The defense stated that what was happening “reminiscent of the totalitarian regime in Soviet times, when Jehovah’s Witnesses were exiled to the eastern part of the USSR in special Gulag camps... The actual purpose of the sentence is to violate the rights of the convicted and force them, under pain of criminal prosecution, to change their religion or renounce from faith."


Convictions against another 13 residents of the Khabarovsk Territory have already entered into force. Twelve believers were given suspended sentences, one received a fine.


The Case of Kazakov and Mirgorodskaya in Bikin


Brief history of the case


In November 2020, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Sergei Kazakov, a retired firefighter, and Olga Mirgorodskaya, a mother of two children. The investigation suspected Sergei of organizing extremist activities, and Olga of participating in it. A month later, searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers. Sergei was detained in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where he was caring for his elderly mother who had suffered a stroke. He spent more than 5 months in a pre-trial detention center and another 2 months under house arrest. The case has been pending in court since February 2022. At a preliminary hearing, the judge ordered the case to be returned to the prosecutor, but this order was later overturned. In May, the case of the believers was again sent to court for consideration by the same composition. In August 2023, the court found Olga Mirgorodskaya and Sergei Kazakov guilty and fined them 300,000 and 500,000 rubles, respectively. The appeal confirmed the verdict, but reduced the fine for Kazakov to 200,000 rubles.


Criminal case


Region:

Khabarovsk Territory

Locality:

Bikin

Criminal case number:

12002080008000011

Initiated:

November 9, 2020

Current stage of the case:

verdict took effect

Investigates:

Second Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-52/2022

Court of First Instance:

Bikinsky City Court of Khabarovsk Territory

Judge of the trial court:

Denis Dneprovsky


In the photo: Olga Mirgorodskaya and Sergei Kazakov.

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