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 RUSSIA Case of Chemrov in Nazarovo Chemrov Pavel Updated: February 29, 2024 Name: Chemrov Pavel Ivanovich Date of Birth: October 18, 1964 Current status: accused Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2) Current restrictions: recognizance agreement Biography Pavel Chemrov from Nazarovo was involved in a criminal case for his belief in Jehovah God. Two years earlier, the man underwent heart surgery. Pavel was born in October 1964 in the village of Progress, Krasnoyarsk Territory. He has two sisters. Later, his family moved to Nazarovo, where Pavel still lives. Since childhood, he was fond of technology. Pavel studied at vocational school as a tractor driver. Upon graduation, he served in the army. Then he worked for 10 years on a bulldozer, in recent years as a driver in a technical school. For a high degree of responsibility and professionalism in 2023, he was awarded a letter of thanks. In his spare time, Pavel enjoys fishing and gardening. The man decided to tak...

 RUSSIA Regional Court Upholds Suspended Sentence for Bible Talks for Elderly Believer from Kostroma February 29, 2024 Kostroma Region On February 21, 2024, Valentina Samus, 74, appeared before the Court of Appeal for her faith. The Collegium of the Kostroma Regional Court approved the sentence of the first instance - 6 years suspended. The believer can appeal this decision to the court of cassation. According to Samus, her actions were peaceful, and the charge does not contain any indication of any calls for violence or religious hatred and enmity. "The court found me guilty not for committing a crime, but for my religious beliefs, for my peaceful and law-abiding way of life, for a sincere desire to selflessly help other people, talking about what I myself learned from the Bible," Valentina said in her final statement. "In fact, the court forbade me to practice the unforbidden religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and to worship God according to biblical canons." In ...

 RUSSIA    Oksana Solntseva's last word in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region To explain that faith in Jehovah God is not a crime, Oksana Solntseva quoted Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Byron and famous physicists in her last word. "The interest in natural sciences, history and art of many people leads to a conscious belief in the living Creator God," she noted. Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan Region dated 12.02.2024 in the case 1-6/2024 (1-12/2023) on the accusation of Oksana Mikhailovna Solntseva of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Solntseva Oksana Mikhailovna: Dear court and participants in the process! The Bible says, "It is a great gain to be grateful and contented," so I'll start with gratitude. Your Honor, thank you for respecting the name of God and the Bible, as well as for treating us with respect and patience. Thank you for your humor, which bright...

 MALI  Three Italian Jehovah's Witnesses who were taken hostage in Mali in 2022 released  February 27, 2024  The Italian government announced that on the night of Monday to Tuesday three Italian citizens who had been kidnapped in Mali in May 2022 were released: the spouses Rocco Langone and Donata Caivano and their son Giovanni Langone.  They were abducted on May 19, 2022 from their home on the outskirts of the town of Koutiala, southeast of the Malian capital, Bamako.  They are originally from the province of Monza, but have lived for several years in Mali, within a community of Jehovah's Witnesses.  They had been kidnapped by a jihadist group active in West Africa and linked to Al Qaeda (the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, or JNIM).  The government has said the three Italians are in good health despite their long imprisonment, but has not revealed many details about how their release came about.  He limited himself to saying that this ...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Lyubov Asatryan in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region Explaining her position to the court, the believer noted: "Millions of people in our country go to churches, mosques, profess their religion, talk about God among themselves and with others. I also worshipped the living God Jehovah at meetings. And I'm being judged for it." Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan Region dated 02/12/2024 in the case 1-12/2023 (1-220/2022) accusing Lyubov Ivanovna Asatryan and others of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Asatryan Lyubov Ivanovna: I want to thank everyone who has been involved in my life for the last five years. Your Honor, thank you for treating me with respect as an elderly person. When I didn't understand or didn't hear something, you calmly explained it to me, repeating everything over and over again. Thank you for resp...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Viktor Revyakin in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region In his speech, the believer stated: "The term "extremism" and this very concept is not only not to my heart, but even repugnant in its essence. It does not lead to peace and harmony not only between people, but also with God... It is God who makes me a peacemaker and a good citizen, not a criminal." Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan region dated 02/12/2024 in case 1-6/2024 on charges of Revyakin Viktor Anatolyevich and others of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Revyakin Victor Anatolyevich: Your Honor! Speaking with the last word, I just want to remind you that what you are facing now is not a hardened criminal who has nothing to lose, not a molester of young souls and not a businessman who fleeces people, but a believer who does not plead guilty. Yes, I, Victor Re...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Inna Kardakova in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region Inna Kardakova explained what the concept of faith means to her. "My actions are an expression of my constitutional rights to freedom of religion and expression of my beliefs, my faith in God, so I consider myself innocent," she stressed. Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan region dated 02/12/2024 in the case 1-6/2024 on charges of Inna Alekseevna Kardakova and others. of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Kardakova Inna Alekseevna: Your Honor, at meetings when issues related to religion, the Bible and beliefs were discussed, you often asked clarifying questions. Therefore, in my last word, I want to explain in detail what faith is, how I understand it, what is written about it in the Bible and how faith influenced my actions. In Russian, the word "faith" has two meanin...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Irina Khvostova in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region Speaking before the court, the believer said: "I am very sorry that investigators and state prosecutors saw "black" in "white" — they saw criminals in law-abiding citizens." Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan region dated 02/12/2024 in the case 1-12/2023 (1-220/2022) on charges of Irina Vladimirovna Khvostova and others. of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Khvostova Irina Vladimirovna: As a child, when I was still living in Ukraine, there were periodic reports on TV about cases when innocent people were imprisoned and only after a while — sometimes for a long time — the truth was revealed. I've always been afraid that I might be accused of something I didn't do. And then something happened to me that I was so afraid of as a child. I have not harmed...

 RUSSIA Appeal in Kemerovo Upholds Suspended Sentence for Faith for Vladimir Baykalov February 22, 2024 Kemerovo Region On February 21, 2024, Vladimir Baykalov's sentence — six years suspended for talking about the Bible — came into force by decision of the judge of the Kemerovo Regional Court Natalya Vorobyeva. The believer still insists on his innocence of extremism and has the right to appeal this decision to the court of cassation. During the trial, Vladimir Baykalov stated: "It became obvious that I was convicted not for any extremist actions or statements, but for my peaceful religious beliefs, for faith not prohibited by law, which is expressed in the fact that I pray to God, read, study and apply the Holy Scriptures in my life for the benefit of people and society." In his appeal, Baykalov pointed out that reading sacred texts, participating in joint worship services, and participating in the life of the community are among the ways of expressing faith and cannot ...

 RUSSIA    The last word of the defendant Mikhail Solntsev in Magadan February 12, 2024 Magadan region The believer told how and why he became a Jehovah's Witness: "A person needs faith in a happy future, hope for the best, because that's how we were created by our Creator." Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan region dated 02/12/2024 in the case 1-6/2024 (1-12/2023, 1-220/2022) according to the accusation of Mikhail Yurievich Solntsev and others of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Solntsev Mikhail Yurievich: Your Honor, dear participants in our process! At the beginning of my last word, I would like to thank everyone for their patience, as the process was not easy and dragged on for almost two years. I also want to thank the respected court for the correct and attentive management and conduct of the process, thank the prosecutors for their polite attitude towards us, t...

 RUSSIA Strengthened by a Forest of Brothers and Sisters The Central District Court of Tolyatti will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Sister Yelena Yurenkova. The prosecutor has yet to request a potential sentence. February 21, 2024 Profile Yelena Yurenkova Born: 1970 (Tolyatti, Samara Region) Biography: Failed to find answers in philosophy and secular writings about the meaning of life. Became convinced the truth was in the Bible after studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Baptized in 1999 Married Yuriy in 2000. They have two daughters Personal Comments What does the support of your brothers and sisters mean to you? When I first met my court-appointed defense attorney, she couldn’t understand why I wasn’t happy simply reading the Bible and praying on my own. She wondered why I wanted to associate with my brothers and sisters in worship, especially when it led to me being prosecuted. I asked her if she liked to spend time walking in the forest. As it turned out, she liv...

 RUSSIA   Konstantin Petrov's last word in Magadan on February 9, 2024 Magadan region "We are glad that we can act in accordance with the truth, with the truth, that then we will not be in "excruciating pain," Konstantin Petrov said, addressing the court. "It's better to be in prison with a clear conscience than to remain free with the understanding that I did the wrong thing." Transcript of the court session in the Magadan City Court of the Magadan region dated 02/09/2024 in the case 1-6/2024 (1-12/2023) on charges of Konstantin Nikolaevich Petrov and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Articles 282.2 and 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Konstantin Nikolaevich Petrov: Your Honor! First of all, I would like to thank you for conducting the trial with dignity and for being quite loyal to the defendants all this time. You took into account that we did not fully understand some procedural points, since we do not have a legal e...