The last word of the defendant Alexei Trofimov in Spassk-Dalny

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Alexei Trofimov in Spassk-Dalny

January 27, 2023

Primorsky Krai

From the courtroom

In his last word, Alexey Trofimov explained to the court that his only motive for attending divine services was to worship God. The believer also recalled that the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are not prohibited in Russia.

Transcript of the court session in the Spassky District Court of Primorsky Krai dated 01/27/2023 in the case 1-4/2023 (1-4/2022; 1-7/2021; 1-70/2020; 1-570/2019) on the accusation of Alexey Borisovich Trofimov and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Alexey Borisovich Trofimov:

Dear court and the participants in this process, I would like to thank you. Your Honor, there are many responsible and conscientious people, and you, Pavel Vladimirovich, are one of them. Order at meetings and respect for the defendants, frequent reference to the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation — all this did not go unnoticed. Irina Alexandrovna, Court Secretary, thank you for your work and kind attitude towards us, the defendants. Thanks to the prosecution. Several employees of the prosecutor's office have changed, but personally I did not notice the disparaging attitude towards us. Thanks to the lawyers. They were always ready to stand up for us. My lawyer, Natalia Viktorovna, thank you for your competent legal assistance and for the human attitude.

Thanks to my friends, the defendants. For more than 3.5 years, we have been defending the name of Jehovah together in a lawsuit. In the indictment, my last name is mentioned 18 times, and the name of God "Jehovah" is mentioned 72 times. Thanks to the co-religionists who worried about us and tried to support and encourage us. Special thanks to the support group — they came to the courthouse in any weather and at any time so that we felt that we were not alone. Thanks to my wife, Toma — she is the best friend and helper in life.

And the greatest love and unceasing gratitude to my best friend, our God Jehovah: "To you, Jehovah, our mighty God, glory and honor rightfully belong, because you created everything, by your will everything began to exist and was created!" (The Bible, Revelation 4:11).

Dear court, in fact, my main accusation is this: "I participated in a liturgical meeting of followers of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses." Yes, this is so, if we understand that the worship service of Jehovah's Witnesses is a spiritual meeting of a group of believers to worship Jehovah God, and this is not the same as a meeting of a legal entity — a local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Spassk—Dalny. And then the "fantasies" of the prosecution begin, where me and my co-religionists are exposed as particularly dangerous criminals. Therefore, I would like to explain what and why motivates believers who worship the God Jehovah to attend meetings — "worship services of followers of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses."

The Bible says that Jehovah is the God of order. Therefore, it is logical that those who call themselves his servants will not practice their faith chaotically, that is, unorganized. For this reason, in modern Russia, this religious activity, including confession of faith and joint worship of God, took place on a legitimate basis and consisted in satisfying the spiritual and needs of believers. Such activities were the realization of the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. According to art. 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, everyone has the right "to freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them." This right applies to believers of all views and beliefs, including Jehovah's Witnesses. No court in Russia has ever recognized the religion or beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses as criminal.

According to the Government's statement, "the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated 04/20/2017 and the appeal ruling of the appellate board of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated 07/17/2017 do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain restrictions or prohibitions to profess individually the above-mentioned doctrine."

The statement of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights dated 06/20/2018 says: "This decision of the [Supreme] Court contains an exhaustive list of legal entities subject to liquidation. At the same time, the court's decision does not contain conclusions on the prohibition of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as such."

Jehovah's Witnesses have been living in Russia for more than 100 years, and most of that time they professed their faith without those organizations that appeared in the late 1990s according to the law "On Freedom of Conscience" and existed for about 20 years. The presence or absence of such organizations does not mean the prohibition of entire religions, and moreover does not give grounds for criminal prosecution of citizens for their beliefs.

On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint conduct of rituals and ceremonies in themselves do not constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code, despite the liquidation of their legal entities. The Plenum explained: "In the event of a court decision and entry into force of a decision on the liquidation or prohibition of the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in connection with the implementation of extremist activities, subsequent actions of persons not related to the continuation or resumption of the activities of the relevant extremist organization and consisting solely in the exercise of their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, including including through individual or joint practice of religion, the performance of divine services or other religious rites and ceremonies, by themselves, if they do not contain signs of extremism, do not constitute a crime."

Therefore, people who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses can gather together with others for worship. Reading the Bible and spiritual literature, talking about one's faith, and the like cannot be considered a crime. It should also not be considered a crime to meet co-religionists for the peaceful joint profession of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and to conduct religious rituals, for example, such as water baptism. Since 2017, such actions have been mistakenly attributed to believers under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of an extremist organization).

Jehovah's servants have always greatly appreciated joint meetings. Immediately after the Christian congregation was formed (1st century AD), the followers of Jesus Christ began to gather together frequently. "They constantly studied with the apostles and communicated with each other, ate and prayed together" (The Bible, Acts 2:42).

What motivates us to attend the meetings of the assembly on a regular basis? There are several reasons why the servants of Jehovah's God have gathered, are gathering and will gather together.

1. At Christian meetings, we learn Biblical truth.

At each such meeting, we get to know our God Jehovah better. The study of God's qualities, as well as the thoughts shared by brothers and sisters, strengthen our love for heavenly Father. We get to know the Word of God better when we listen carefully to Bible speeches, follow Bible reading, and learn to express our thoughts when discussing religious topics. How many wonderful spiritual advices and instructions we seek out as we prepare for divine services and carefully listen to the remarkable thoughts from the weekly Bible reading! At Christian meetings, we learn to apply Biblical principles in different areas of our lives. "After all, God himself taught you to love each other… We encourage you, brothers, to show even more love" (The Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 10). Discussing an article for study in a meeting encourages us to reflect on our life goals, forgive others, and make our prayers more meaningful. We also learn to talk tactfully and kindly with people, tell the words of truth from the Bible and explain biblical principles.

2. At the meetings of the meeting, we receive encouragement.

Everyday problems and worries deprive us of mental strength. Meetings with fellow believers, Christian gatherings (divine services), on the contrary, refresh and strengthen us. When we get together, we often explore the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. This convinces us that Jehovah's promises regarding the future will be fulfilled. It is not only the words coming from the stage that give us strength and strengthen our faith, but also the answers of our brothers and sisters, their singing from the bottom of our hearts. "What shall we say, brothers? When you get together, one has a psalm, another has a teaching, someone has a revelation, someone speaks another language, someone translates. Let everything be for strengthening" (The Bible, 1 Corinthians 14:26). Conversations with our co-religionists and others present before or after the service bring us closer to each other and refresh us spiritually.

3. At Christian meetings, we receive the holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ said, "Whoever has ears, let him hear what the spirit says to the congregations." (The Bible, Revelation 2:7). Jesus leads the Christian congregation with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need the holy Spirit to fight temptations, make sound decisions, and be skillful and zealous preachers. Jehovah's Witnesses try to attend all meetings of the congregation and receive the holy spirit there.

The three episodes that are being charged against me are related specifically to participation in worship meetings. What kind of crime is it if I want to receive God's holy spirit? Nothing!

4. Meetings of the assembly are an opportunity to show brotherly love.

The Apostle Paul wrote: "Let us be attentive to one another in order to encourage love and good deeds... let us not neglect our meetings... let us encourage one another" (The Bible, Hebrews 10:24, 25). By our presence at Christian meetings, we show that we value spiritual brothers and sisters, treat them with attention and care. In addition, those present are encouraged by comments and life examples during the discussion and singing of spiritual songs. "May the word of Christ live in you and give you wisdom. Teach and support each other with psalms, songs of praise to God and spiritual songs, singing them with gratitude. Sing to Jehovah with all your heart. Whatever you say and do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him" (Bible, Colossians 3:16, 17). It is written in the Bible, and each of us tries his best to do so.

5. Meetings unite us with brothers and sisters in faith.

In the Bible, we read that Jesus compared himself to a shepherd and his followers to sheep (the Bible, John 10:16). Sheep tend to graze together and are supervised by their shepherd. To be "one flock" with "one shepherd", we need to gather to worship God. By attending the meetings of the congregation, we promote the unity of our brotherhood. "How good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (The Bible, Psalm 133:1).

6. When we attend Christian meetings, we pay tribute to Jehovah.

Jehovah God is our Creator, he deserves to be praised, glorified, thanked and honored by us. "May our wise, strong, and powerful God be praised, glorified, thanked, and honored forever and ever!" (The Bible, Revelation 7:12). When we pray, sing spiritual songs and talk about Jehovah at the meetings of the congregation, we pay tribute to him, because only he is worthy of worship. Also, our God Jehovah deserves that we obey him, and he commanded us not to leave our meetings together. We please Jehovah if we follow this command. "Whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him" (The Bible, 1 John 3:22).

7. By attending Christian meetings, we show Jehovah that we want to become closer to him and his Son.

The Bible says: "You will see your Great Mentor with your own eyes… And if you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you: "This is the way, follow it"" (Bible, Isaiah 30:20, 21). At the meetings of the congregation, the Great Mentor teaches us through his Word, the Bible. Even non-Witnesses who come to our meetings sometimes remark, "Truly God is among you!" (The Bible, 1 Corinthians 14:25). Even the secret witness of the prosecution, Ivanova, with her harsh statements about Jehovah's Witnesses, answered the question "why did you attend divine services?" that "it was interesting." At Christian meetings, we feel the love and care of Jehovah. That's how we get closer to him. Jesus said, "Where two or three gather in my name, there I am among them" (The Bible, Matthew 18:20). These words can be attributed to our Christian meetings. Christ is the head of the congregation, and the Bible says that he "walks among the congregations of God's people." God Jehovah and his son Jesus take direct care that Christian meetings strengthen our faith.

8. By attending the meetings of the congregation, we show that we support God's sovereignty.

Attending Christian meetings is Jehovah's command, but he does not force us to follow it. It depends on ourselves whether we show love for Jehovah and stand firmly on the side of his dominion. "We thank God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you are now wholeheartedly obedient to the teaching that has been entrusted to you" (The Bible, Romans 6:17). When we decide to maintain Jehovah's dominion, we please his heart.

Today, the servants of Jehovah God also greatly appreciate divine services. Every Jehovah's Witness agrees with the words of the Psalmist: "Jehovah, I love the house in which you live, the place where your glory resides!" (The Bible, Psalms 26:8).

Dear court, these are my motives for attending Christian meetings of the congregation or "participating in worship meetings of followers of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses"! There is no criminal intent and there was no such thing. I have not caused any damage to the state, the constitutional order, or other people. After our court sessions, the bailiffs noted that we came out joyful and happy, and often asked: "How did it go?" Yes, sometimes it was hard and stressful, but Jehovah God gave us joy and tranquility.

Dear Court, I and the other defendants in this case have a mitigating circumstance — we did not commit any criminal offenses or extremist actions. I ask for an acquittal. I ask you to attach my last word in writing to the materials of the criminal case.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Spassk-Dalny

What is suspected of:

According to investigators, he illegally organized the activities of a religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of Spassk-Dalny (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the liquidation of all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses)

Criminal case number:

11802050020000065

Case initiated:

November 12, 2018

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

From the SU IC of Russia in the Primorsky Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)

The number of the case in court:

1-4/2023 (1-4/2022; 1-7/2021; 1-70/2020; 1-570/2019)

The Court of First Instance:

Spassky District Court of Primorsky Krai

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Pavel Bobrovich