The court in Surgut made a decision in the high-profile case of eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses. During interrogations, some were tortured

 RUSSIA

The court in Surgut made a decision in the high-profile case of eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses. During interrogations, some were tortured

December 5, 2023 Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area

On December 5, 2023, a high-profile trial against Jehovah's Witnesses from Surgut ended. Dmitry Lyupin, judge of the Surgut City Court, found 18 believers guilty of extremism and gave all of them suspended sentences ranging from 4 to 7 years.

Sergei Loginov and Timofey Zhukov received the longest suspended sentences - 7 years. Evgeniy Kayryak received 6 years and 10 months; Leonid Rysikov - 6 years and 9 months; Pavel Romashov - 6 years and 7 months; Vyacheslav Boronos, Saveliy Gargalyk, Artyom Kim, Igor Trifonov, Evgeniy Fedin - 6 years and 6 months; Igor Petrov - 6 years and 5 months; Vasily Burenescu, Sergei Volosnikov, Igor Kobotov and Victor Fefilov - 6 years and 4 months; Alexey Plekhov and Artur Severinchik - 6 years and 3 months.

The only woman in the case, Viola Shepel, received a suspended sentence of 3 years and 3 months.

All defendants were given a probationary period of 2 to 4 years.

The Surgut trial became one of the most resonant after the Supreme Court's decision to liquidate the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses - believers faced unprecedented cruel treatment by security forces. A criminal case against 17 men and 1 woman aged from 31 to 71 years was opened by the Investigation Department for the city of Surgut of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. In February 2019, after a series of searches in the homes of believers, at least 40 people were detained for questioning, seven of them were tortured . The security forces resorted to beatings, electric shocks and strangulation until they lost consciousness.

The victims appealed to the Investigative Committee of Russia, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and the ECHR with calls to hold law enforcement officers accountable for criminal actions. Human rights activists spoke out actively. Despite this, a criminal case on the fact of torture was never opened, and two months after the incident, the head of the investigative department of the Investigative Committee, where Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured, Vladimir Ermolaev and his subordinate Sergei Bogoderov received awards , and the soldiers of the Russian Guard who participated in the operation - encouragement

Believers from Surgut, who peacefully practiced their religion, were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization, participating in it and financing it. A person mistakenly taken for a Jehovah's Witness was also subject to criminal prosecution. During the investigation, several defendants were subject to repeated searches, three men spent one to two months in pre-trial detention, and Timofey Zhukov was subjected to a forced psychiatric examination, which the court later declared illegal.

The materials of the case at the time of its receipt in court amounted to 222 volumes. However, as the defense emphasized, they do not list specific illegal actions, and the evidence collected only indicates that the defendants continued to profess the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses after the liquidation of the legal entities, which is not illegal. The court considered the case of the believers for two years. In recent months, meetings have been held behind closed doors every working day. It is known that the witness for the prosecution was a secret intelligence agent who feigned interest in the Bible and secretly recorded conversations with believers.

One of the convicts, Timofey Zhukov, a lawyer with many years of experience, called what was happening “legal absurdity and physical lawlessness.” He said: “At first, to be honest, I did not believe that in a secular legal state, in which the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, there could be repression for faith, and even more so that they would actually imprison religious people... From a legal point of view, the prohibition of legal persons should not in any way concern ordinary believers.”

Most believers faced financial difficulties due to criminal prosecution - many lost their jobs, and some had their accounts blocked. Moreover, seven of the convicts have minor children. Alexey Plekhov, who was unemployed for about a year, recalls: “The judge drew up a schedule of court hearings 2-3 times a week. For many of us, this schedule meant possible job loss.” Leonid Rysikov, a 73-year-old pensioner who was on Rosfinmonitoring’s list, said: “Every month I had to write applications and wait to see how much money would be allowed to be withdrawn this time. Basically it’s 10 thousand, but once they were allowed to withdraw only 670 rubles.”

Evgeniy Fedin, who spent almost 2 months in a pre-trial detention center, faced another difficulty: “When the investigation was underway, my father was very ill and it was necessary to be with him. I wrote a petition detailing the reason for the trip, but the investigator did not let me go. A few days later the father died. About six months later, my sister died, and the investigator again did not let me go to her funeral. The mother had to bury her daughter alone. It was extremely stressful for her.”

All this time, Surgut residents felt the support of fellow believers from different cities and countries. Igor Kobotov said: “After the stress suffered [due to the search], my wife did not want to return home, and we stayed overnight with friends. Literally the next day, brothers and sisters began to come to us and support us and strengthen us. They brought money and food and assured us of their love and support.” Evgeniy Fedin shared: “In the pre-trial detention center, I received about 800 letters in two months. It was a lot of encouragement and support.”

Shortly before Judge Lupin began hearing the case of Jehovah's Witnesses from Surgut, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau) sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Not a day goes by without reports of new cases of repression against Jehovah’s Witnesses by government agencies,” the letter says. “Russian intelligence services, the FSB and the police are subjecting the homes of members of this religion to devastating searches. There are cases of abuse and violence. Both men and women are sentenced to long prison terms. […] We call on you to grant every citizen of Russia the constitutional right to freely practice religion. Please put an end to this injustice!”

Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut

Brief history of the case

In February 2019, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against 18 men and 1 woman from Surgut (among them was a person mistakenly taken for a Jehovah's Witness). Their houses were searched. During interrogations, 7 believers were subjected to violence. Artur Severinchik was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 29 days, and Evgeniy Fedin and Sergei Loginov - for 56 days. Timofey Zhukov was illegally placed in a psychiatric hospital for 14 days. Regarding the use of torture, believers filed complaints with the Investigative Committee, the ECHR and the Commissioner for Human Rights, a press conference was held with the participation of human rights activists, but none of the security forces were brought to justice. In October 2021, the case materials were submitted to the court. Two years later, the court sentenced all believers to suspended sentences of 4 to 7 years.

Criminal case

Region:

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area

Locality:

Surgut

What is suspected:

“Gave speeches, participated in field service with local Jehovah’s Witnesses, held meetings with “pioneers”, “elders” and “ministerial servants”, including for the purpose of organizing the activities of the “elders” in the “congregation” “Vzletnoe” "

Criminal case number:

42002007709000023

Initiated:

February 11, 2019

Current stage of the case:

trial in appellate court

Investigates:

InvGstigative Department for the city of Surgut Investigative Directorate of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

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

Court case number:

No. 1-27/2023 (1-130/2022; 1-1348/2021)

Court:

Surgut City Court

Judge:

Dmitry Lupin

In the photo: The defendants in the high-profile case in Surgut received copies of the indictment - 4 boxes each. September 2021.