The last word of the defendant Oleg Siyukhov in Maykop

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Oleg Siyukhov in Maykop

March 7, 2024

Adygea

The believer noted that Jehovah's Witnesses imitate God in everything, who "is the personification of love," and asked the court: "Can it be considered extremism to introduce people to such a loving heavenly Father, talk about wonderful hope and help them learn to live according to the high standards of Jehovah right now?"

Transcript of the court session in the Maykop City Court of the Republic of Adygea dated 03/07/2024 on the case 1-6/2024 (1-15/2023;1-70/2022; 1-603/2021) on the accusation of Oleg Ruslanovich Siyukhov of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Siyukhov Inver Ruslanovich:

I would like to begin my last word with words of gratitude. Your Honor, I want to thank you for creating a calm and respectful atmosphere during the trial. I am grateful that you appointed my sister as a defender and allowed my parents to attend court sessions during the pandemic. In addition, you took into account my desire to treat my teeth and scheduled court sessions taking into account the dentist's visit. Many who have had you as a judge have noted your fair and unbiased attitude. Therefore, I am glad that you will be the one to rule on my case.

I would also like to thank your assistants, Evgeny Igorevich and Bella Mugdinovna, for their kindness and respectful attitude. I would like to express my gratitude, in the person of Inessa Vladimirovna, to all the state prosecutors who participated in the trial for not objecting to the inclusion of many important documents in the case file, and listened attentively to the defense's speech. I am especially grateful that the state prosecutors correctly pronounced the name of God — Jehovah.

I would like to thank the numerous escorts who brought me to the courtroom for their kindness and human attitude towards me.

Many thanks to my lawyer Ruslan Kazbekovich for respecting my position as a believer. You have always prepared perfectly for every court session and have become a real defender for me.

I am very grateful to my friends from all over the world. During all this time, I have received many letters from them with words of encouragement and support. And their children sent touching pictures with assurances of their love. My friends, most of whom are not representatives of my culture, have become sons and daughters to my parents during my enforced absence, taking care of their physical and emotional needs. They also worried about me, coming to every meeting, and stayed near the courthouse for several hours in any weather, because they could not get to the hearing due to quarantine restrictions. And after the restrictions were lifted, they supported me in the courtroom. I am very glad that I have such a large, multinational and friendly spiritual family.

I cannot but mention the support of my loved ones. My parents, despite their advanced age, were present at every court hearing and supported me emotionally. My dear son-in-law Alexander and my sister Zarieta left all their business and regularly came to the pre-trial detention center, taking care of my needs, although they themselves live in another city. Zarieta was not only my close friend, but also my protector. I want to tell you that I really appreciate your support, I really love and miss you.

I want to express my special gratitude to my heavenly Father, God Jehovah. In the Holy Scriptures, he assures his servants that he will never leave or forsake them. From the moment of my arrest to the present day, I feel his special support, which gives me excessive strength and helps me maintain a positive attitude.

Analyzing the materials of my case, I drew attention to the following points: in the expert opinion, only on the basis of the name Jehovah, which occurs in correspondence with my friends, the expert concludes that I am engaged in extremist activities; during the search of my house, law enforcement officers seized everything where the name Jehovah was found; in the indictment my name is found 195 times, and the name Jehovah is 250. It seems that it is not really me who is being judged, but my God Jehovah, who is being exposed as an extremist. Therefore, in my last word, I would like to speak in his defense.

In general, children tend to imitate their parents. Sometimes it's funny to see how a very young son imitates his father, copying his gait, facial expressions and manner of speaking. As children get older, they can show the excellent qualities and good manners characteristic of their parents. For example, I learned many good qualities and manners from my parents, seeing how they behave in everyday life. It is not surprising that our heavenly Father also calls us, his children, to imitate him. On the pages of Holy Scripture in the Letter to the Ephesians, in the 5th chapter, the 1st verse, we are called upon: "Imitate God like beloved children." Therefore, so that the court can give a correct assessment of my actions and pass a fair sentence, I will tell you a little about who I have been trying to imitate for more than 30 years.

How to describe Jehovah succinctly? Maybe it's an almighty force? Or maybe it's a God who inspires fear, before whom you need to tremble? In the Holy Scriptures, in 1 John 4:8, he is described as follows: "God is love." Yes, Jehovah is love. Of course, he has great power, and one must be in awe of him. But notice, the Scripture says that he is love. It is not said that he shows love, but he is love. The following example will help you understand what this means.

Gilded products are very common today. They look like gold products, but they are much cheaper. But do you think there is a difference between being made of gold and being covered in gold? Of course! If you scratch such a product slightly, you can see that cheap metal is hidden under the gold coating. And gold, no matter how much you scratch it, always remains gold.

It's the same with Jehovah. He is not covered with love, he is made up of love, he is love. That is, whatever God does, he does out of love. In all his deeds, actions, and decisions, he is guided by love. And he wants those who call themselves by his name to also show this quality in everyday life. Is it possible to consider an extremist someone who is the personification of love, as well as those who try to imitate him? But how does Jehovah show love? I would like to draw your attention to four areas.

First, his love is visible in the way he created us. Here are just some examples. Our eye is able to distinguish about 300,000 shades, although it is enough for us to see in black and white for life. But thanks to this, we can enjoy the unimaginable beauty of the world around us. We admire the masterpieces of fine art, which are sold at auctions for millions of dollars. But we would hardly be able to fully appreciate their beauty if it were not for the abilities of our vision invested by our Creator.

Also, our sense of smell is able to distinguish about 10,000 smells. Remember how, as children, we ran to the kitchen because our sense of smell signaled that mom was cooking something delicious. But we would not be able to enjoy this delicious if it were not for the many taste buds located on our tongue. Imagine if a loving Creator had not invested these gifts in us. We would never be able to experience the full range of flavors, and eating food would be like refueling a car's tank with fuel. And if we had accidentally refueled with spoiled "fuel", that is, expired products, we would have realized it too late.

But what makes us truly unique is our brains. He not only ensures the coordinated work of various parts and organs of our body, but also makes us an amazing person, able to reflect the wonderful qualities inherent in Jehovah himself, such as love, kindness, mercy, humility and many others. Some people unfairly compare the brain to a computer. But do you know a computer or a robot that could show empathy when we feel bad? Or share the joy with us when we feel good? Or maybe there is a computer that has warmed someone with its love? Of course not. But a person can do all this thanks to his unique brain. Many scientists agree that the brain is the most complex object in the entire universe. And if we consider that there are about 2 trillion galaxies in our universe and hundreds of billions of stars in each galaxy, then our brain can be called a masterpiece of the Universe.

Many more similar examples can be cited, from which it can be seen that Jehovah not only endowed us with the ability to enjoy life, but also created the world around us so that we could realize this ability and enjoy life.

Secondly, Jehovah's love is manifested in the fact that he has given us guidance for life — his Word, the Bible. What is the manifestation of love here? Take, for example, a game like chess. If you do not explain how the pieces move, what goal needs to be achieved, then the game will become uninteresting and meaningless. Today, many people consider their lives to be just as meaningless and uninteresting because they cannot find satisfying answers to the questions they care about. For example, how did we appear? What are we here for? Why do we have the desire to live and never die? Why, if death is an integral part of our lives, does it bring so much pain? Will we ever see our deceased loved ones? Will the time come when people will finally be able to live in peace as one family? Jehovah gives answers to these and many other questions in his Word. When people learn these answers, their lives take on real meaning.

Moreover, in his love, Jehovah made sure that his Word was translated into more than 3,000 languages and dialects. Thus, almost anyone on our planet can learn the answers to their questions in their native language, even in Adyghe and Kabardian, and find real meaning in their lives. Can reading the Bible and searching for answers to vital questions be called extremism?

Thirdly, God's love for people is manifested in the laws that he has given them. The laws of Jehovah are not just a set of rules and regulations that people need to follow. Thinking about the laws, you can learn a lot about the Legislator. Let's get acquainted with some of his laws, which will more fully reveal to us the amazing personality of our Creator.

One of these laws is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 22:39: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The prophet Isa, or Jesus, known in the Islamic world, explained who a neighbor is. It's not just a person of the same background, skin color, social status, or whom you feel sympathy for. A neighbor is any person who needs your help. Interestingly, there is no law to love one's neighbor in any state, a law that would require citizens to treat each other with love. In what specific actions is this law implemented in practice? In the Bible, Romans 13:9 says: "For the commandments: 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' 'thou shalt not kill,' 'thou shalt not steal,' 'thou shalt not bear false witness,' 'thou shalt not covet another's,' and all others are contained in this word: 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'"

What can be learned about Jehovah from this law? Imagine a lawyer who formulated a universal law for all occasions, replacing hundreds and thousands of confusing laws, a law applicable at all times and for all categories of citizens. Probably, such a lawyer would have received the Nobel Prize in Law. This is exactly the law of "loving one's neighbor." It has existed for thousands of years and is so capacious that it covers all spheres of human life. And at the same time, it is so simple that even a child who has recently learned to speak can remember it. How wise is Jehovah!

But you must agree, no matter how good the law is, it is useless if it is not applied in life. Today, millions of people, having felt the love of Jehovah, want to show and show it to their neighbors. For Jehovah's Witnesses, loving one's neighbor is not a matter of personal preference. Jehovah's Witnesses consider this a requirement by observing which they can express their love for the Lawgiver, Jehovah God. Imagine what the world would be like if all people on earth lived by this law!

The law of "love your neighbor as yourself" encourages me to treat other people the way I would like them to treat me. Is it possible to call the manifestation of love, kindness and empathy for others extremism?

I would like to draw attention to another law. This requirement, which Jehovah makes to his servants, is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 5:44-48. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught: "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."

Love your enemies. If the law of "loving one's neighbor" is natural and understandable, then the requirement of "loving enemies" seems very strange. Not only does no state have such a requirement for its citizens, but for this you can even be prosecuted under the article "high treason".

Why did Jehovah teach this to his servants through Jesus? Jesus further explains: "May you be the sons of your heavenly Father, for He commands His sun to rise over the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Aren't publicans (tax collectors) doing the same thing? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing in particular? Don't pagans (people from other nations) do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

So why is it necessary to "love your enemies"? Because Jehovah himself sets an example in this. Many people consider themselves atheists and do not believe in God, while others are extremely hostile to him. How does Jehovah show his love for them? We have read that he commands the sun to rise over the wicked and sends rain on the unrighteous. In other words, he doesn't vent his anger, but continues to take care of them. Why does Jehovah continue to show his love for them? He hopes that some will appreciate his love and kindness and love him in return. Jehovah expects those who call themselves by his name to do the same.

And what about Jehovah's Witnesses in this regard? I will give just one example. When concentration camps appeared in Nazi Germany, Jehovah's Witnesses became one of the first prisoners. Hitler even vowed to eradicate Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious group in Germany. Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were thrown into concentration camps and suffered inhuman treatment. Hundreds were executed.

Were Jehovah's Witnesses able to show love to their enemies in such circumstances? Surprisingly, Jehovah's Witnesses were the only prisoners in the concentration camp whom SS officers trusted to shave themselves with a straight razor. What was the result achieved due to the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses showed love for their enemies? First, some SS officers were so impressed by the behavior of Jehovah's Witnesses that they later joined them in worshipping God. Secondly, as many researchers have noted, Jehovah's Witnesses have earned a reputation as one of the most peaceful religious denominations. And thirdly, Jehovah protected those who tried to imitate him. Therefore, Hitler's empire disappeared in Germany, and Jehovah's Witnesses flourish there.

Of course, I wasn't in a concentration camp and I didn't have to shave my enemies, but when I started studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses as a teenager, I also practiced martial arts. At first, I justified myself, believing that I was doing martial arts for self-defense. No matter how much I tried to deceive myself, I felt that aggression was growing in me and I wanted to apply what I was learning. Over time, I realized that it was impossible to be a Jehovah's Witness and continue training, so I left martial arts classes. Do I regret it? No. In more than thirty years of my service to Jehovah, I have never fought with anyone, because I have learned to peacefully resolve conflicts. Therefore, a logical question arises: how can actions of an extremist nature, and even motivated by religious hatred, be combined with a manifestation of love for one's neighbors and even more so for enemies?

And fourthly, Jehovah's love is manifested in his plan for people. When God created the first human couple, he settled them in the Garden of Eden, or paradise. As people multiplied, the boundaries of paradise had to expand until the whole earth would turn into a beautiful garden. Jehovah wanted people living on earth to be able to enjoy life in such wonderful conditions forever. Unfortunately, because of the disobedience of the first people, we do not live in paradise today. People began to get sick, grow old and die. Wars, violence, and increasingly powerful and destructive disasters are taking the lives of millions of people. Humanity has almost reached its bottom morally and morally. However, the loving Creator did not abandon his plan. He wants to eliminate all evil and provide an opportunity for people who obey him, regardless of nationality, skin color, or social origin, to live indefinitely on a renewed earth in happiness and harmony.

When Jesus lived on earth, he taught that the Kingdom of God, that is, the heavenly government, would eliminate all the terrible consequences of human rule and restore paradise on earth. Jehovah will also resurrect billions of people who died because of the disobedience of the first human couple. All people who want to live according to the exalted standards of God will be given the opportunity to live forever in paradise on earth. Never again will pain and grief overshadow people's lives. What a wonderful plan and hope for doomed humanity! Jehovah's Witnesses, including me, share this hope with other people. Can it be considered extremism to introduce people to such a loving heavenly Father, tell them about the wonderful hope and help them learn to live according to the high standards of Jehovah right now?

Your Honor, in this short speech, I have only slightly revealed one of the many amazing qualities of Jehovah — love. It is reflected when you watch his creations. You can learn even more about it from the Bible when you get acquainted with its laws and wonderful plan. All those who come closer to Jehovah try to show their neighbors love and other qualities that they have learned by studying the Bible. And extremism in any form is alien to them. I cannot judge how much I manage to imitate Jehovah, but one day one of the prisoners, with whom I spent several months in the same cell, wrote me the following letter (spelling and punctuation are preserved):

"Hello, Inver! Now, as you read this, I am moving towards the end point of this convict path, from which liberation will follow. So, let me move from words to essence: for all the time I have been with you in these walls, I realized that there is something bright, warm, and clean in this world. That not all dirt, evil spirits, debauchery, etc. I thought that around me there were only those people who carry lies, falsehood, hypocrisy and hatred. But thanks to you, I realized that the more I look for the pure and bright, the more I will find it. I am very glad that I met a man like you. I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, wish you a speedy release, happiness, health, and success in all your endeavors! You make this world kinder, cleaner, happier! Be the same cheerful, strong-minded and self-confident! The earth is round. The day and hour will come, and I think we'll see each other again. From the bottom of my heart (or a piece of it =-)) I thank you for those days in which you gave me rays of kindness and happiness!!!

With Sincere Human Respect and Friendly Warmth…

Philip

P.S. I ask you to remember me with a positive one. =)»

Your Honor, for more than two years, while the court sessions were going on, you probably saw the true state of things, and not an imposed opinion, fabricated materials of the criminal case. At the same time, I understand that sometimes even judges need great courage to make a fair decision.

What helps Jehovah's Witnesses to do the right thing when they are in a difficult situation? One biblical assurance says: "Jehovah's eyes look over the whole earth to support those whose heart is completely with him." It turns out that Jehovah notices any desire to do the right thing and the appropriate actions. There are so few such people today that God has to find them. How happy he is when he finds such a heart! And because he is a grateful God, he wants to support or express his gratitude to such people. How will the Lord of the Universe express his gratitude? Time will tell.

Your Honor, in conclusion, I want to say that I have not committed any crime and I do not plead guilty. I ask you to fully justify me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Adygea

Locality:

Maykop

What is suspected:

"Committed actions of an organizational nature ... expressed in holding meetings using the network "Internet" through the Telegram Internet application and the Zoom and JW-Library mobile applications"

Criminal case number:

12102790010000020

Case initiated:

April 15, 2021

The current stage of the case:

Appeal

Is being investigated by:

SU IC of Russia for the Republic of Adygea

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

The number of the case in court:

1-6/2024 (1-15/2023;1-70/2022; 1-603/2021)

Court:

Maikop City Court of the Republic of Adygea

Referee:

Bella Stash