The last word of the defendant Adam Swarichevsky in Blagoveshchensk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Adam Swarichevsky in Blagoveshchensk

December 21, 2022

Amur region

From the courtroom

"I just want to serve God the way it is written in the Bible, not the way someone wants to impose on me," the believer said. "I am ready for any court decision, because I am convinced that I have done nothing illegal either on the part of God's demands or on the part of the state."

Transcript of the court session in the Blagoveshchensk City Court of the Amur region dated 12/21/2022 in the case 1-135/2022 on charges of Adam Mikhailovich Swarichevsky and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Adam Mikhailovich Swarichevsky:

At the beginning of my speech, I want to express my gratitude. Thank you, Your Honor, for listening attentively and patiently to me and other participants in the process in order to understand the essence of this trial. I express my gratitude to the secretary. Thank you for your efforts in taking notes of the minutes of the meeting. I would like to thank the lawyers for their work, for the efforts they made defending us. You have all worked and are working together as a team. Well, an employee of the prosecutor's office — for reading the text of the criminal case and trying to pronounce the name of my God correctly: Jehovah.

And, of course, I am very grateful to God that all this happened in my life, that I was honored to participate in his trial as his witness! I thank him for the strength he gave me, for peace in my heart, for perseverance, patience and a positive attitude. This is entirely his merit.

I want to start with the story of my parents. Under Soviet rule, my father's house and estate were confiscated for his faith in Jehovah, and he was imprisoned for 10 years. When he was released early, he was sentenced to 10 years again after a short time. At the age of 50, he founded a marriage and raised 4 children, including me.

Since I was a very young child, I also faced injustice from the state. When I was about 6 years old, my father invited several co-religionists to our house to celebrate the feast of the Lord's Supper. We had a songbook written down in a little book. Each song was numbered, and I learned to count the numbers from the numbers of these songs. This songbook was especially valuable to me. That evening, the police suddenly came. They saw this songbook and wanted to take it away. I felt very sorry for this songbook, and I started crying. My father suggested that the police bring a songbook the next day to calm me down somehow. But they seized the songbook without taking pity on the little boy. Over time, I learned to face injustice with a smile, because later I found the words in the Bible, in the epistle of James, the 1st chapter, the 2nd verse: "Receive with great joy, my brethren, when you fall into various temptations."

When I had a choice between listening to Jehovah God or going to study to fight, I decided to refuse to serve in the army for religious reasons. I remember how they put pressure on me at school. The teacher of military lessons in a conversation with me promised 3 years for refusing to serve in the army, the deputy director — 5 years, and the director — 7 years. But I did not succumb to fears, because I loved God Jehovah and people.

I refused to serve in the army, so I was sentenced to 3 years of general regime. But both in prison and in the colony, I adhered to biblical principles and always aspired to peace. After a year, I was transferred from Ukraine to the Far East. In the village of Gorin in the Khabarovsk Territory, I lived in the commandant's office with other convicts. The two of them often argued, and sometimes it came to a fight. I called them to peace, despite the danger. Why did I do this? I felt sorry for them, and I wanted to help them. Throughout my short adult life, I have seen my God Jehovah (thanks to the fact that I applied the principles from the Bible) save me from difficult circumstances more than once.

The Apostle Paul, in the Second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3, verse 12, prophesied: "Yes, all followers of Christ Jesus who want to faithfully serve God will be persecuted."

Why is the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses currently taking place in Russia?

One reason is that Jesus predicted that if they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. The son of God served his father wholeheartedly. But someone didn't like it. To whom? Priests, religious leaders. They incited the Jews against Jesus. They accused Jesus in front of Pilate, who represented the Roman government in Judea. What did the priests accuse Jesus of? One of the accusations was that Jesus was inciting the people against Rome. This reminds me so much of the accusation against me — "violation of the constitutional order." But I wonder how Pilate reacted to these accusations? He himself understood that he was facing an innocent man and that Jesus needed to be released. But Pilate couldn't let him go. Why? Because there was a lot of pressure on him. Who! The same priests. They scared Pilate by telling the higher authorities about him. Pilate was afraid and therefore, suppressing his will, gave Jesus up for execution, that is, he pronounced a guilty verdict.

Something similar is found now. There are judges who dislike, to put it mildly, Jehovah's Witnesses and therefore pass harsh sentences. But there are also those like Pilate. They understand that innocent people are in front of them and they need to be acquitted. But there is a lot of pressure on them, and therefore they cannot make their own fair decision and do not pass a guilty verdict. God is their judge. He is the fairest Judge. But can the court make a fair decision? Sure. But he should not give in to fear, it should be a man with a capital letter. But if the court succumbs to fear, is afraid of the authorities, it loses its common sense.

The second reason: Jesus predicted that the message of the heavenly Kingdom, that is, of the heavenly government under the leadership of Jesus Christ, the son of God, would be preached as a witness to all and then the end would come. In another verse, Jesus said: "They will take you to the courts to testify to them." Therefore, I understand that Jehovah and Jesus have given me the honor to stand in court today. For what? So that you, dear judge, prosecutor and all those involved in this matter, show by your decision what position you have taken in relation to his servants and to himself.

But what is God's desire? I have the same desire as him. He wants everyone to repent, that is, to change their attitude towards him and begin to act according to justice, kindness, and love. He wants no one to attribute bad motives to anyone, so that all people live peacefully and amicably as one family.

Now, faced with criminal prosecution, I ask and will ask God Jehovah in prayer to make it clear that I and those like me have the best intentions and wish others the best — a wonderful eternal life in paradise on our beautiful Earth.

Does my faith have anything to do with extremism?

I believe that God will restore paradise. The Bible says: "The desert and the dry land will rejoice, and the uninhabited country will rejoice and blossom like a narcissus." The animals will be peaceful, as recorded: "Then the wolf will live with the lamb. And they will build houses and live in them, plant vineyards and eat their fruits."

Jesus promised that there would be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous. But note that Jesus will also resurrect the unrighteous, that is, those who did not have the opportunity during their lifetime to act according to God's principles, so that such people can show their respect for the Creator with their lives. No sign of extremism!

This new era of life will not come through the efforts of righteous people. Righteous people will not take part in changing the conditions of life on earth. This will bring about the Kingdom of God that Christians around the world pray for.: "Thy kingdom come." […]

In conclusion, I want to say that this trial resembles the famous expression of Kozma Prutkov: "If you read the inscription "Buffalo" on the elephant's cage, do not believe your eyes." The author left the right to choose for the reader to decide for himself what to believe: the inscription or what is in the cage. In my opinion, the court is now facing a similar choice. What to believe: that someone wrote on paper that my friends and I are criminals, or that the court sees with its own eyes - proof of our purity before the law. I really hope that the court will issue an acquittal. […]

I understand that you can simply apply the law and pass an acquittal that will not be overturned. Unfortunately, I also heard the prosecutor's request to continue the chain of lawless actions and create a precedent in Blagoveshchensk and the Amur region for the conviction of innocent people, refusing protection due to religious discrimination.

Your Honor, I have great respect for the state, the government, and the laws. I love people and wish them only the best, I love my family very much and, as Jehovah expects of me, I take care of her not only financially, but also spiritually. The Constitution is the basic law of our country, and I am grateful for article 28, which gives me the right to practice my religion. I exercise this right without violating any laws.

At the end of this address, I want to assure you of the sincerity of my beliefs and motives. I just want to serve God the way it is written in the Bible, not the way someone wants to impose on me. I don't want to compromise biblical principles. I will not betray the God I love. I am ready for any court decision, because I am convinced that I have done nothing illegal either on the part of God's demands or on the part of the state. I am not afraid of punishment if it does happen, because I understand that Jehovah approves of me as his servant. I ask you to acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Amur region

Locality:

Blagoveshchensk

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, he participated in the continuation of the activities of the liquidated organization by directly participating in religious events

Criminal case number:

11907100001000062

Case initiated:

October 21, 2019

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Amur Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)

The number of the case in court:

1-135/2022 (1-1408/2021)

Court:

Blagoveshchensk City Court of the Amur region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Daria Varkalevich