The last word of the defendant Tatyana Sushelnikova in Novokuznetsk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Tatyana Sushelnikova in Novokuznetsk

November 15, 2023

Kemerovo region

In her last words, the believer explained to the court that extremism is alien to her peaceful lifestyle. She said: "There are no victims or injured in the present case. It turns out that I am being judged only because I profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses."

Transcript of the court session in the Kuznetsk District Court of Novokuznetsk dated 11/15/2023 in the case 1-45/2023 (1-342/2022) on the accusation of Tatyana Vasilyevna Sushelnikova of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Drying Tatyana Vasilyevna:

I've been waiting for this moment and wondering where to start. I thought about my parents. My parents had three children, I'm the youngest. How long has it been… But I still remember how they very often told us not to cheat, not to take other people's toys, not to fight. They wanted to raise us to be honest, decent people, and I think they succeeded. With regard to me, Your Honor, you could see this by reading my characteristics from neighbors, from work associates. I was respected at work, and I often received thanks and rewards from the company's administration for my conscientious work. And even now I am being judged not for stealing something, but for ordinary worship of God.

All my youth was spent in the years of the Soviet Union. Then we were taught that there is no God. I was both a pioneer and a Komsomol member. But as a child, I was always interested in the questions: where did the sun and stars come from? Why do people speak different languages? Why doesn't the monkey turn into a human now? I asked my parents these questions, but they couldn't explain it to me.

When my children grew up, they also began to ask me similar questions. For example, the well-known riddle of what came first: a chicken or an egg. If it's a chicken, where did it come from, and if it's an egg, who laid it? The kids were just nagging me with this question.

And here is the Bible! It's amazing how simple and true everything is written in it. The very first words in the book of Genesis are: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," and in the same book of Genesis, in the 1st chapter, verse 24, it says: "May the earth produce a living soul after its kind, cattle, and reptiles, and beasts of the earth after their kind," verse 27 says: "And God created man... male and female He created them." And everything fell into place for me. God created everything. And the answer to the riddle has been found: the chicken appeared earlier.

As I read the Bible, I began to realize more and more how wise this book is. It contains tips for all occasions. I have been studying the Bible for almost 26 years now. One man was at a loss as to why we have been reading this book for many years. Yes, because the Bible is the book of God's wisdom. God Jehovah gave us this book as an instruction for life. As the Creator, He knows what is best for us. The Bible should not just be read, but reflected on, but the main thing is to apply its advice in life.

Here are just a few examples:

Luke 6:31: "And as you want people to do to you, so do you to them";

Ephesians 5:33: "However, each of you must love your wife as yourself, and the wife must respect her husband.";

Romans 12:19: "Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of God";

Matthew 5:44: "But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who offend you and persecute you.";

Colossians 3:8, 9: "And now you will put aside everything: anger, rage, malice, slander, profanity of your mouth; do not tell lies to one another";

Romans 13:1, 2: "Let every soul be subject to higher authorities, for there is no authority not from God; but the existing authorities are established from God. Therefore, he who opposes authority opposes God's establishment. And those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves."

Is such a pattern of behavior typical of extremist activity? The answer is obvious: no. But that's what they're accusing me of right now.

Over all these years, I have not violated any law of the state, I have regularly paid taxes, and no one has suffered in any way from my actions. There are no victims or injured persons in the present case. It turns out that I am being judged only because I profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and am ready to share with others what is written in the Bible, for example, about God's promise to restore paradise on Earth.

All Jehovah's Witnesses, including me, are very grateful to God for giving his firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to die to atone for the sins of people. Thanks to this sacrifice, the prospect of living forever in wonderful conditions is open to any person, when "there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more weeping," as it is written in Revelation 21:4.

Jesus Christ gave his followers an important task: "Go and teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19). Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not just allow, but guarantees the right to worship God together with others and the right to spread one's religious beliefs. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. His decisions do not contain conclusions that believers who profess it are now prohibited from meeting together, including holding divine services, or it is unacceptable to share their religious views with someone. On the contrary, the court explicitly pointed out that it refuses to recognize religious beliefs (and, in the language of the prosecutor, ideology) and ways of expressing them as illegal. Thus, in reality, I am not violating the law of the state, I am fulfilling the commission of Jesus Christ and have a clear conscience before my God Jehovah.

The fact that I am standing in front of you now, Your Honor, is not a surprise to me. [...] Why? Because Jesus Christ said, "A slave is no greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). And Mark 13:9 says: "But you take care of yourselves, for you will be brought to the courts and beaten in the synagogues, and you will be put before rulers and kings for Me, to testify before them."

The prophecy expressed by Jesus Christ is being fulfilled in our time by Jehovah's Witnesses, because they are the ones who tell about God, Jehovah. The Bible says in Psalm 82:19: "And let them finally know that Your name is Jehovah, only You are the Most High — the Ruler of the whole earth!" (Modern translation of the International Bible League). This confirms that Jehovah's Witnesses did not invent this name. In addition, scientists, writers and poets have used this name of God in more than 400 works. Among them are Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Karamzin, Radishchev, Derzhavin, Turgenev, Mayakovsky, Tsvetaeva, Yevtushenko, Newton. For example:

Russian Russian poet A. S. Pushkin "From a letter to Vigel": "What a pity that he was struck down by his anger with early thunders";

Russian poet V. A. Zhukovsky "Abbadon": "O judge, Creator, father ...! Should I call on Jehovah?";

the Russian poet I. S. Turgenev in a letter to Granovsky: "Or should we believe that everything beautiful, love and thought is the cold irony of Jehovah?"

At the end of my speech, I want to thank you, Your Honor, for giving me time to speak, listening attentively, not interrupting, and being patient because of my misunderstanding of some issues. It was obvious that you were trying to figure out my case, because you have a great responsibility in making a decision. Thank you, dear Prosecutor, for pronouncing the name of Jehovah correctly, this is very important to me. I would like to thank the secretary for his kindness and hard work. Thank you for your help and support. You've always been in touch. It is a pleasure to cooperate with you. I also wanted to note the friendly and respectful attitude of the bailiffs.

Many thanks to my friends who, in any weather, sacrificing their free time and health, come to the courtroom to support me and my family. In the Bible, in Proverbs 17:17, it is written: "A friend loves at all times and, like a brother, will appear in time of adversity." Difficulties are much easier to bear when there are loyal friends around, and I am very glad that I have them.

I want to say a big thank you to my daughters, who are very worried about me, which, unfortunately, has not affected their health for the better. Special thanks, of course, to my husband. We are going through a difficult time for our family right now. We've been through a lot over the past two years. It all started in the early morning when six men invaded our apartment, three of whom were wearing masks and armed with machine guns. The husband, like some kind of criminal, was knocked to the floor. The search. Interrogations. Of course, my husband and I experienced a lot of stress. Previously, some joked that we have Ural health, but now you can't say that. Due to the court proceedings, some diseases have worsened. We try to cope with them, support and encourage each other in every possible way. And I am grateful to my God Jehovah for giving me such a wonderful husband, whom I can count on at any time.

Your Honor, during this process you could make sure that I am a believer, a peaceful person. Such a concept as extremism is simply alien to my way of life. I have not committed any crimes against the state or against people. Therefore, I ask you to fully justify me. I hope that Your Honor will make a fair decision.

I ask you to attach my last word to the materials of the criminal case.

Summary of the case

Region:

Kemerovo region

Locality:

Novokuznetsk

What is suspected of:

"Personally promoted the activities of the organization and its ideological attitudes", "participated in missionary activities", "participated in meetings of followers of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, preaching the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses" (from the decision on bringing as an accused)

Criminal case number:

12202320010000232

Case initiated:

June 20, 2022

The current stage of the case:

The appeal

Is being investigated by:

The SU IC of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo region — Kuzbass

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-45/2023 (1-342/2022)

Court of First Instance:

Kuznetsky District Court of Novokuznetsk

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Valeria Shipitsyna