The last word of the defendant Vladimir Mavrin in Balakovo

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Vladimir Mavrin in Balakovo

November 15, 2023

Saratov region

In his speech, the defendant asked the court a question: "Millions of people in our country go to churches, mosques, profess their religion and talk about religious topics with each other. But I can't do that, because I am a Jehovah's Witness. Why is my religion worse than others?"

Transcript of the court session in the Balakovsky District Court of the Saratov region dated November 15, 2023 in the case 1-371/2023 on charges of Mavrin Vladimir Alexandrovich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Mavrin Vladimir Alexandrovich:

So it's time for my last word. First of all, I want to thank you, Your Honor, for the fact that this process took place in an open-minded environment. You have always given us the opportunity to speak freely. You were able to create a trusting atmosphere during the meetings and even explained some moments when we did not understand something due to the lack of legal education. I want to say that I am glad that our case came to you, and I am grateful for the way you conducted this process.

Now I want to turn to the respected prosecutor. Thank you for your patience and endurance. You had to read a huge amount of materials. Reading such voluminous documents, and even with specific religious expressions, is truly not easy. Thank you very much.

Thanks to the secretary for the work done. Dear lawyers, thank you so much for defending us. But I am especially grateful to my lawyer Roman Viktorovich Nikitin. You spared no effort and time, using your professionalism, actively defended my rights and were able to figure out this voluminous difficult case and understand that we are not guilty.

Many thanks to my beloved Irishka. All 10 months while I was in jail, you were a real support to me, you took care of me, although it was not easy for you. And, of course, many thanks to all my friends for their support and constant love. From the moment of my detention to the present day, you have not stopped taking care of us.

Your Honor, dear participants in the process! In the last word, I want to draw your attention to what I am accused of. I am accused of committing a crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state, of extremism. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, as a believer and a law-abiding citizen, I have not engaged in extremist activities. Extremism is not compatible with my religious beliefs. Being a Jehovah's Witness, I tried to be an exemplary citizen of Russia. Throughout my life, I had no criminal record, I did not have a single police report. I tried to lead a peaceful and peaceful life. Is this the kind of life that extremists lead? I am not being tried for breaking the law, not for a committed and proven crime, but simply because I am a Jehovah's Witness.

Jehovah's Witnesses are known in 240 countries and territories. But nowhere are they judged for extremism. Millions of people in our country go to churches, mosques, profess their religion and talk about religious topics with each other. But I can't do that, because I am a Jehovah's Witness. Why is my religion worse than others? We're all being accused of something we didn't do. And today I am being judged solely for my faith and the right to believe in God. It is thanks to the Bible that my life has changed for the better, so I am still studying it and I am happy to share what I learn with other people. My beliefs are exclusively peaceful, so there are no injured or injured.

No one has banned religion in Russia. And being a Jehovah's Witness is not a crime under Russian law. Personally, it is a great honor for me to be a Jehovah's Witness. When God created man, he gave him a guide to life — the Bible. It gives good advice: how to arrange your life, how to behave properly and raise children. I live by the following principles: "love your neighbor as yourself", "be at peace with all people", "defeat evil with good", "God hates those who love violence", "consider others above yourself", "be slow to anger", "let every soul obey the highest authorities". The Bible also encourages me, as a husband, to love my wife and develop the following qualities: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, mercy, meekness, faith, self-control. All this helps me to be a law-abiding and peaceful citizen.

Your Honor, reading the Bible, discussing it with other people, praying to God, singing songs praising God are not extremist actions. I am against extremism.

Your Honor, I want to draw your attention to the fact that our friends who came to support us did not organize rallies, never spoke out against the courts. And now our friends are near the court. They came to support us, not to rebel. In Proverbs 22:1 it is written: "A good name [or a good reputation] is better than a lot of wealth." Why can you say that? Because no amount of money can buy a good reputation. Jehovah's Witnesses have such a reputation. Unfortunately, the media and television publish false information about Jehovah's Witnesses, as if they take away apartments, houses, money, refuse treatment for themselves and their children, and so on. One could believe this information, but there is one "but". Jehovah's Witnesses live among people. Each of us has relatives, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, classmates. They know where we live and in what conditions. There are cases when a person, having heard on television or read false information about Jehovah's Witnesses on the Internet, said: "Yes, if I did not know these people personally, I would believe this information." Therefore, I can say with confidence that the media and television will not be able to tarnish the good reputation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

As proof of my guilt, the prosecution provided recordings of six divine services. At the court sessions, these recordings were fully read out and listened to. All the topics discussed there are far from extremist. It was not recorded that any of us called for the overthrow of the constitutional order and the security of the state. There is no evidence that I have committed acts aimed at inciting hatred or enmity, as well as at humiliating the dignity of a person or group of persons on the grounds of gender, race, nationality, language, origin and attitude to religion. I respect representatives of other religions and nationalities. For me, all people are brothers, because "God from one man produced the entire human race," as the Bible says. For me, being a Jehovah's Witness is not just words, it's my way of life.

When there really is a manifestation of extremism, the state reacts to it and suppresses it, protecting its citizens, and I am grateful for that. But is there something similar in our case? Of course not. In our case, there is not even an injured party. I have not harmed anyone, especially the state. As a believer, extremism in all its manifestations is alien to me.

Some people today don't put God in anything, and then wonder why the world is going downhill. People believe what they write in the newspapers, but they question what is said in the Bible. Thousands of vulgar jokes are sent on messengers and spread like wildfires, but when we talk about God, who is written about in the Bible, people will think twice about whether it is worth listening to us. Vulgar, rude, vulgar and obscene statements roam freely through hyperspace, but popular discussions about God are suppressed.

For several years now, there has been a massive campaign aimed at denigrating peaceful citizens, sowing hatred or hostility towards Jehovah's Witnesses. There were cases of vandalism, beatings, torture, arson of houses and worship buildings. We are the only victims here. We spent 10 months behind bars. Wives have been without husbands all this time, children without fathers. All this resulted in stress, pain, tears, and illness. I wonder who needs all this? Who felt better about it? Anyone who has not been in such a situation will not understand this.

When Jesus Christ lived on earth, he showed such a quality as compassion, and we try to imitate him. And what is empathy? This is when we put ourselves in the place of another person and feel someone else's pain in our heart. This quality needs to be learned, it is not given to us at birth. I would really like it to be shown to us too.

It is a pity that the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is perceived by many as a prohibition of faith, and that any meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are considered to be organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and any spiritual conversations are considered participation in this activity. How should I practice my unbridled faith so as not to break the law? Your Honor, the prosecution has provided evidence that it did not understand itself. I believe that they do not have the religious knowledge to give a correct and objective assessment and characterization of Jehovah's Witnesses. The prosecution failed to show the difference between a Management center, a local religious organization, a religious group and ordinary believers who, on the basis of article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, have the right to profess their religion. The investigator and the prosecutor's office did not understand the decision of the Supreme Court and opened a criminal case against us.

There are no real grounds for this, primarily because the local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses registered as legal entities consisted of 10-15 founders and dealt with economic and legal issues. After the ban by the Supreme Court, they ceased to exist, and no Jehovah's Witness will seek to resume their activities. Legal entities are not needed to worship God, and there is no need to create or renew them. And religious groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, which do not have the status of legal entities, were not banned. They have carried out and continue to carry out religious activities proper, which are permitted by law.

Indeed, there is article 282.2 in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for punishment for "organizing the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has taken a legally binding decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities." But she is not directly related to Jehovah's Witnesses. After all, believers hold worship services as part of religious groups that were not banned by the Supreme Court on April 20, 2017 and, accordingly, were not recognized as extremist.

The assemblies of believers provided for by the canonical structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are religious groups from the point of view of secular legislation, operate independently of any legal entities and are not organizations. It would be incorrect from a religious point of view to identify them with the activities of legal entities previously registered and subsequently liquidated by the State. The decision of the Supreme Court of April 20, 2017 does not cancel the constitutional right of an individual to "profess individually or jointly with others any religion."

Jehovah's Witnesses do not hide their religious affiliation, do not offer armed resistance, and do not take revenge on their persecutors. The investigating authorities and the prosecutor's office do not care whether we are guilty or not. It is important for them to achieve excellent reporting on the work done to combat crime. Criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses are a very convenient reserve for replenishing reporting data on solved crimes of an "extremist orientation".

During the judicial investigation, the investigator used a sick person as a witness for the prosecution, I. E. Smirnova, who deliberately lied to the court in order to strengthen the accusation. And none of the prosecution witnesses confirmed her testimony. She said she has a disability due to depression. Dozens of witnesses were interviewed, all saying only good things about us. The characteristics are all positive. And the testimony of Irina Evgenievna Smirnova turned out to be decisive in our case. And now I have turned from a peaceful citizen into a criminal. There was no extremism in my actions and words, the prosecution did not provide any evidence of this. I want to emphasize the following: the physical evidence examined in court indicates only the religious affiliation of their owners, and not the fact of the commission of a crime. Neither the Supreme Court nor the Government of the Russian Federation consider it illegal to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. I share this point of view.

In the end, I want to touch on another topic. Your Honor, dear participants in the process! I am sure that you will all agree with me that every person, young or old, no matter what nationality they are, no matter what religion they belong to, no matter what country they live in, wants to be happy! People strive to have a good job, earn a lot of money, build a house, start a family, have children in the hope that all this will bring them happiness. But it often happens that, having achieved all this, a person feels that he lacks something for complete happiness.

And what is happiness? In one dictionary, happiness is defined as "a prolonged state of life satisfaction, which is expressed by a variety of feelings — from contentment to deep inner joy — and is accompanied by a natural desire to prolong such a state." That's a good definition, isn't it?

But how to find true happiness and not lose it? Many people are concerned about this issue. I found the answer to it in the Bible. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, said: "Happy are those who are aware of their spiritual needs." It turns out that it is not enough to satisfy only your physical and emotional needs. It is also very important to satisfy spiritual needs. Only in this case can a person feel complete harmony and happiness. How can you satisfy your spiritual needs? The answer is also written in the Bible: "Happy is he who does not follow the advice of sinners, does not follow the path of evil people and does not sit with scoffers, but finds joy in the law of God and reads it in a low voice day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the water, which bears fruit on time and whose foliage does not wither. He will be successful in all his works" (Psalm 1:1-3).

Thus, learning from the Bible about the norms of God and living according to them, we gain a close relationship with the Creator, whose name is Jehovah. And we feel that he approves of us. It gives a feeling of peace, peace and happiness. In addition, decency and honesty, which the Bible teaches, give a sense of self-worth. I gained all this by becoming a Jehovah's Witness. And now I'm being persecuted for it.

Your Honor, your task now is to figure out what the prosecution failed to figure out. As a lawyer, you should be able to see the difference between a liquidated legal entity and ordinary believers.

Thank you once again to all the participants in the process for spending so much time and effort on this case, for the peaceful atmosphere in court, for respecting each other, for the fact that the court and other participants in the process did not violate my rights.

I ask the court to find me innocent and acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Saratov region

Locality:

Balakovo

What is suspected of:

According to the investigation, "they resumed and organized the activities of the local religious unit [Jehovah's Witnesses] on the territory of Balakovo, expressed in convening meetings, carrying out preaching activities, ... collecting funds under the guise of donations"

Criminal case number:

12207630001000004

Initiated:

February 11, 2022

The current stage of the case:

The appeal is being investigated by:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Saratov Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-371/2023

Court of first instance:

Balakovsky District Court of Saratov region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Natalia Nikitinskaya