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 RUSSIA In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Aleksandr Polozov and Stepan Shevelev Received 6 Years of Suspended Sentence for Peaceful Beliefs December 29, 2023 Krasnoyarsk Territory On December 29, 2023, Norilsk City Court Judge Sergey Kurunin sentenced two local Jehovah's Witnesses, Aleksandr Polozov and Stepan Shevelev, to 6 years of suspended sentence. According to the prosecution, they entered into a "criminal conspiracy" to study the Bible. The criminal prosecution of the men began back in October 2019, when special police surrounded the camp site, where believers were resting with friends. A criminal case was initiated against Aleksandr Polozov under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of an extremist organization), and in May 2021, Stepan Shevelev became his second defendant. Alexander Polozov spent three months in a pre-trial detention center, and in March 2020 he was included in the list of terrorists a...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Alexander Rumyantsev in Moscow December 22, 2023 Moscow The believer said he was proud to be a Jehovah's Witness: "The Bible teaches me not to harm others, but how to make life better for myself and those around me." He added: "You can take away my freedom or even my life, but you can't take away my love for God and my neighbors." Transcript of the court session in the Cheremushkinsky District Court of Moscow dated 12/22/2023 in the case 01-0211/2023 (01-1003/2022) against Rumyantsev Alexander Vyacheslavovich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Rumyantsev Alexander Vyacheslavovich: I want to express my gratitude to everyone here. I am grateful to Natalia Germanovna for her support and conscientiously doing her job. I am also grateful to the respected State Prosecutor. I understand you well that you are doing your job. I am also grateful to An...

 RUSSIA Brothers Maintain Positive Outlook Despite Extended Detention and House Arrest December 27,2023 The Oktyabrskiy District Court of Irkutsk will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Brothers Nikolay Martynov, Sergey Kosteyev, Yaroslav Kalin, Mikhail Moysh, Igor Popov, Denis Sarazhakov, Aleksey Solnechniy, Andrey Tolmachev, and Sergey Vasiliyev. Profiles Nikolay Martynov Born: 1958 (Bandarka, Irkutsk Region) Biography: Worked as a chauffeur Married Irina in 1982. They have two children Irina began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1997. The fulfillment of Bible prophecies convinced Nikolay of the truth. Both were baptized in 1998 Personal Comments From Nikolay’s Wife, Irina  What is helping your husband to maintain a positive outlook despite being in pretrial detention for over two years? Nikolay has maintained his good routine of reading and meditating on the Bible, and he often mentions how Jehovah is readily answering his prayers. But being separated from...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Sean Pike in Moscow December 22, 2023 Moscow Sean Pike explained in detail to the court the difference between the activities of a legal entity and religious services: "The MRO of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow cannot have the right to trademark the actions of religious people. These actions are not a trademark. I personally perform these actions because I love God." Transcript of the court session in the Cheremushkinsky District Court of Moscow dated 12/22/2023 in the case 01-0211/2023 on charges of Pike Sean Antonio, Rumyantsev Alexander Vyacheslavovich and Sviridov Eduard Vyacheslavovich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Pike Sean Antonio: Thank you, Your Honor. I want to say that I took into account your recommendations and yesterday's instructions, so I tried to be brief and, as you indicated, closer to the point. I am accused of continuing the activities of t...

 RUSSIA STATISTICS AND OVERVIEW Jehovah's Witnesses Under the Yoke of Repression. 2023 Overview December 27, 2023 In 2023, the number of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses criminally persecuted for their faith reached almost 800, and the number of searches exceeded 2000. Cases are fabricated against the elderly, women and the disabled: more than a quarter of all persecuted are persons over 60 years of age. By the end of the year, there were already 6 women Jehovah's Witnesses in prisons. The tendency to persecute entire families has been strengthened. The terms of imprisonment requested by prosecutors reached 10 years. Statistics and details are in our material. Year in Numbers As of December 25, 2023, the total number of searches of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses is 2,058. In 2023, security raids took place on 183 addresses. 43 people were detained, 15 of them went through the pre-trial detention center or continue to be there. During the year, Russian courts ruled against 147 J...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Eduard Sviridov in Moscow December 22, 2023 Moscow In his last word, the believer said that faith in God motivates him to follow the laws and help people. He said: "My activities coincide with the interests of the state, which means that it should support and encourage me in every possible way. And what is it instead? I was declared an extremist for my good deeds." Transcript of the court session in the Cheremushkinsky District Court of Moscow dated 12/22/2023 in the case 01-0211/2023 (01-1003/2022) on charges of Sviridov Eduard Vyacheslavovich, Pike Sean Antonio and Rumyantsev Alexander Vyacheslavovich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Sviridov Eduard Vyacheslavovich: First of all, I want to thank God Jehovah, because he gave me peace and quiet. My wife, who has always supported me and still supports me, worries about me, prays for me. I also want to thank all our ...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Valentina Samus in Kostroma December 18, 2023 Kostroma region The believer noted: "All my life I have been respectful to representatives of different religions, nationalities, ages and professions." And about her religion, she said: "It's a part of my life that has a positive effect on my character, my family and others, and makes me happy." Transcript of the court session in the Dimitrovsky District Court of Kostroma dated 12/18/2023 in the case 1-51/2023 on charges of Valentina Grigorievna Samus of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Samus Valentina Grigorievna: I want to express my gratitude to my beloved husband for never leaving me during this difficult time; to my friends for constant encouragement; to you, Your Honor, for your attentive attitude to my case; to the lawyer for his help; to investigator P. E. Evshin for his polite attitude; and to the FSB sta...

 RUSSIA A Court in Moscow Handed Down a Harsh Sentence to Three of Jehovah's Witnesses—From Six and a Half to Seven and a Half Years in Prison for Their Faith December 25, 2023 Moscow On December 22, 2023, the trial of three Jehovah's Witnesses from Moscow was completed. For singing religious songs and prayers, the judge of the Cheremushkinsky District Court, Sergey Khomyakov, sentenced the believers to a penal colony: Aleksandr Rumyantsev to 7.5, Sean Pike to 7, and Eduard Sviridov to 6.5 years. At the end of the summer of 2021, a series of searches took place in the homes of Moscow believers, as a result of which three ended up in a pre-trial detention center. The investigation of the criminal case for 15 months was carried out by an investigator of the Department for the South-Western District of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Then the case was considered in court for 13 months. As a result, by the time of the verdict, the believers had spent 2 years ...