The last word of the defendant Evgeny Grinenko in Lesozavodsk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Evgeny Grinenko in Lesozavodsk

January 26, 2023

Primorsky Krai

From the courtroom

In his speech, the believer explained to the court that this is a trial for faith, and not for real crimes: "I am not against the fight against extremism and I believe that it is necessary to fight those who really incite violence and aggression. But why persecute Jehovah's Witnesses?"

Transcript of the court session in the Lesozavodsky district Court of Primorsky Krai dated 01/26/2023 in the case 1-5/2023 (1-35/2022; 1-316/2021) according to the accusation of Grinenko Evgeny Anatolyevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Grinenko Evgeny Anatolyevich:

Your Honor, I've been thinking for a long time about what to say in the last word. There were many thoughts that I wanted to express. I think you'll agree with me that it's hard to hold back emotions when you're accused of something you didn't do. Nevertheless, I will try to speak calmly, equably and intelligibly.

I didn't commit any crime. I have nothing to do with extremism, as it contradicts the biblical principles on the basis of which I try to build my life. And in the case file, as you can see, there is not the slightest hint of extremism.

Let's recall what was seized during the search conducted at my place of residence. Any document, piece of paper, where the word "God" or "Jehovah" was found. But is it a crime to believe in God in our state? Of course not, since this right is guaranteed to every citizen of our country by the Constitution. And I have never hidden that I am a believer.

Today, dear court, I am being judged not for having done something wrong, but for being a Jehovah's Witness, for faithfully serving my God Jehovah. If a person sacrifices his life for the interests of the state, he is called a hero, but if a person is devoted to God, for some reason he is called a fanatic. But if a person meets all the requirements — both as a citizen of the country in which he lives and as a believer — can we condemn him for voluntarily deciding to be guided in life by the will of God and his inspired Word? Is obeying God worse than obeying people? Or does it do less good? Jehovah's Witnesses don't think so. They fully agree with the words of God recorded by Isaiah: "I am Jehovah your God, who teaches you to your advantage, who guides you in the path that you should follow" (Isaiah 48:17, PAM).

Your Honor, I have not always been a Jehovah's Witness. At the age of 27, I had some questions that are answered in the Bible, so I was encouraged to explore the Word of God. After several months of serious Bible study, I found answers to my questions. I became convinced of the existence of the Creator, Almighty God, who has no need to hide anything from people. And, as the Bible says, in the 2nd letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, in the 3rd chapter, the 16th verse, God, being the author of the Bible, gives answers to many questions of concern to people. I realized that the Creator of the Universe is not something invented by people, not something ephemeral, but a living spiritual person with his own feelings, laws and principles. Since that time, I have been trying to make decisions that take into account the feelings, laws, and principles of God, as detailed and illustrated by the examples of people who lived in the past.

Due to the fact that I applied the knowledge gained from the Bible, I gradually got rid of such bad habits as smoking, alcohol abuse and swearing, became more restrained and calm, and began to adhere to a healthy and moral lifestyle. I have made real friends who will never leave me in trouble. And when it was hard for me, they always came to my aid. Communication with my co-religionists allowed me to form gentleness, humility, self-control, and mercy in myself. All my life I have been trying to imitate the example of the greatest man who ever lived on earth, the example of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I am making every effort to be useful to those with whom I find myself close, to help those in need, to support those who are discouraged, to comfort those who are grieving with their souls.

Biblical truth frees people from the influence of false beliefs, such as the doctrine of eternal torment in a fiery hell (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10). It fills their hearts with gratitude that the dead have a reasonable hope of resurrection, possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Matthew 20:28; Acts 24:15; Romans 6:23). Biblical truth helps people avoid disappointment caused by the collapse of hopes that politicians will fulfill their promises. When people learn that the Kingdom of Jehovah already rules in heaven and will soon rule over the whole earth, their hearts overflow with joy. The biblical truth helps to avoid actions that, although they seem pleasant to the fallen flesh, dishonor God and lead to serious consequences such as breaking off relationships with other people, illness and premature death.

Your Honor, imagine for a moment that all people live by the same biblical law: "So, in everything that you want people to do to you, so do you to them, for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). And that's exactly what Jehovah's Witnesses try to do. It is unthinkable for me to treat people rudely, intolerantly or cruelly, and even more so to commit a grave crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state.

Jehovah's Witnesses have never participated in rallies, demonstrations or pickets. We have never rebelled, because we are guided by the biblical principle: "Let every soul be subject to higher authorities, for there is no authority not from God; the existing authorities are established from God" (Romans 13:1). If I went against the government, then, in fact, I would rebel against the power of God, because He allows human governments.

A kind person will not keep secret from others the information that saved his life. And this valuable information, which has helped me and many people, is in the Bible. So I started sharing it with other people. The news of the Kingdom of God changes people's lives for the better. Those who mourn the death of their loved ones regain their strength after learning about the hope of resurrection. Those who live in need and who make great efforts to feed their family gain self-esteem and courage after learning that Jehovah will never leave them if they remain faithful to him. With the help of God, many of those who are desperate in the fight against depression gradually gain inner strength, and some even overcome this cruel disease. Jehovah, with the help of the power contained in his Word, is already "raising up all those who have been cast down." Seeing how the good news of God's Kingdom brings comfort to the broken—hearted people to whom I preach, I am convinced over and over again that there is no better news to be found today!

I agree that most people did not want to learn about this wise book, but there were always those who, just like me, got satisfaction and joy from studying the Bible. In addition, a good reason to share knowledge from the Bible is the command of Jehovah God, which he passed on to all Christians through his son Jesus Christ. This is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 19 and 20: "Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you all the days until the end of the century. Amen to that."

Your Honor, is it a crime that a person simply shares information in order to help other people and fulfill the will of Almighty God Jehovah? When talking to people about the Bible and about God, I always tried to respect other people's opinions and never imposed my own on them.

Indeed, there are a lot of different religious denominations and beliefs today. Someone believes in God, someone is an atheist and does not believe in anything. Some people trust the Bible and perceive it as a letter from God to people, while others consider the Bible to be a collection of human wisdom or fictional myths and legends. I believe that everyone has the right to their beliefs, especially since Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation stipulates the right of citizens to freedom of religion.

Your Honor, I believe in God and remain a Jehovah's Witness, but I am not an extremist and have never been one. What I am accused of is a gross mistake. I am only exercising my right, guaranteed by the aforementioned article of the Constitution: "Everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to profess any." The meetings I attended were not meetings of participants of a local religious organization (a legal entity liquidated by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation), but meetings of people who are united by faith in God Jehovah. Thus, the Supreme Court did not deprive me of the right to associate with people of the same faith as mine, or to meet with them. Therefore, I can firmly say that I am not guilty either before God or the state. I hope that you were able to verify this.

I am not against the fight against extremism and I believe that in fact it is necessary to fight those who really incite violence, aggression, suicide, etc. But why is it necessary to persecute Jehovah's Witnesses who do not take up arms and do not harm even their enemies? In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 44, the words of Jesus Christ are recorded, addressed to his followers: "But I say to you: 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."

Your Honor, I don't want to be a martyr, but I can't—and I don't want to—give up my Father, Jehovah God. Jehovah God has saved me more than once, helped me, and now I receive great help from him. I will never, under any circumstances, renounce God and will not stop obeying the commands written in the Bible, even under pain of death. To abandon God for me is tantamount to betrayal. How do you feel about traitors? I'm sure it's very bad. I've never been a traitor and I hate the idea of it.

Maybe someone does not want to live by the high moral standards of Jehovah God - this is the choice of every person. My goal is only to introduce people to the name of God, his norms and promises, but not to "involve" them in any way. A person must make his own decisions. "Each of us will give an account to God for himself," the Bible says (Romans 14:12). Jehovah is the God of righteousness and holiness. This is how he wants to see those people who come to him. Jesus once said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me attracts him" (John 6:44). What do these words mean? Jehovah God attracts people to himself. As a postman, I introduce people to what is written in the Bible, telling them about a new world where there will be no disease, grief, suffering, and injustice. And the person decides for himself whether to listen or not, to make some changes or not. Figuratively speaking, the door to a person's heart opens from the inside, and only the person himself decides whether to open this door or not, to let God into his heart or not. I opened my heart to God more than 20 years ago and I do not regret it, there is no other God for me except Jehovah.

No matter how hard they try to accuse me of extremism, I still consider this accusation unfounded and unfair. Your Honor, Jehovah's Witnesses are known all over the world as friendly and peace-loving people. Their rights as believers are respected in the vast majority of countries around the world. I would really like Russia to respect the rights of believers too, and in this case, my rights.

The charge against me contradicts not only the law, but also the official position of the Government of the Russian Federation, which has been repeatedly stated and confirmed in international bodies such as the UN, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Therefore, I ask the court for fairness and objectivity in sentencing.

Your Honor, I am not guilty of anything before God or the state. Therefore, I ask you to justify me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Lesozavodsk

What is suspected of:

According to the investigation, "E. A. Grinenko assisted in organizing meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses in Lesozavodsk, acted as a coordinator"

Criminal case number:

12002050013000022

Case initiated:

May 12, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

SO in the city of Lesozavodsk of the SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Primorsky Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-35/2022 (1-316/2021)

Court of First Instance:

Lesozavodsky District Court of Primorsky Krai

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Sergey Yarovenko