The last word of the defendant Taras Kuzio in Yalta

 CRIMEA 

 

The last word of the defendant Taras Kuzio in Yalta

February 27, 2023

Crimea

In his appeal to the court, the believer explained the difference between the Bible and the charter of a religious organization. "As long as I remain a Jehovah's Witness, as long as I am guided by the Bible, this is a guarantee that I will not commit acts of an extremist or any other negative nature," he said.

Transcript of the court session in the Yalta City Court dated 02/27/2023 in the case 1-17/2023 (1-181/2022) on the charges of Kuzio Taras Grigorievich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Kuzio Taras Grigorievich:

In my last word, I would like to touch on the topic of repentance, because this is what is expected of a person who is being judged so that mercy can be shown to him.

As it became obvious during the trial, my friends and I are not being tried for extremism, but solely for our religion, for our faith and our beliefs. I would be happy to repent of extremist actions only in one case — if I actually committed them. But I cannot repent or renounce my faith, my beliefs. Why? Because my faith, my beliefs, are not something blind and fanatical. Unlike the materials of this case, they are substantiated, based on clear, firm, truthful, indisputable evidence. And, of course, there is nothing extremist about them. And, you know, I did not acquire this faith and beliefs in one day in order to renounce them in one day, [despite] many years of careful research of indisputable evidence.

The first, integral part of my faith is the belief that life on our planet, including man himself, did not appear by chance. It was created. And Jehovah is the name of our Creator, which is found in the original Bible about 7,000 times. Everything that surrounds us, everything that we can see, hear, smell, touch — beautiful mountains, majestic sea, birdsong, the fragrance of flowers, a variety of delicious food and how we ourselves are created — all this speaks of the unsurpassed love of our Creator!

When I walk through a deserted area and I come across a beautiful, well-maintained house with all the necessary communications, I clearly understand that this house did not appear by chance and someone continues to take care of it. If this is the case with a simple house, that it did not appear on its own, then this should all the more be the case with a much more complex human body and our planet. And the more I learn such facts about the peculiarities of creations, the stronger my faith in the Creator becomes, which, in fact, I am forced to renounce. Recently, for example, I learned that our brain is capable of storing data of about 2.5 million gigabytes. This is how much information we would get if we watched TV for three million hours in a row (that is, for more than 300 years). And even this figure is probably too low. This further convinced me that our brain did not appear by chance, it was created. And it was created not for a life lasting 70-80 years, but for a much longer life.

The second most important component of my faith, which I am, in fact, being forced to abandon, is the belief that the Bible is not just a book of human wisdom. This book is the Word of God, so to speak, a letter from our loving Creator to us, people, in which God tells us what cannot be learned from any other source.

What convinced me that the Bible is the Word of God? For example, its practicality. When you follow the advice written in the Bible, it always has a positive effect on your life, if you don't follow it, you reap bitter fruits. And I felt it and I continue to feel it in my life. Isn't that what is expected from a book authored by our Creator? After all, he knows better than anyone what is best for us. And I am sure that if all people followed just one simple rule, recorded in the sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ, known as the "golden rule" ("in everything, as you want people to do to you, so do you to them"), then our lives would be transformed for the better beyond recognition. But what convinced me even more that the Bible is the Word of God is its prophecies, that is, predictions of future events. They are always exactly fulfilled, although they were recorded long before the predicted events. Man does not have such an ability, only God has such an ability.

And finally, the third important component of my faith. It follows from the first two. If there is a God, then there is a Creator, and if the Bible is His Word, then we need to live in accordance with what God has revealed to us in His Word, in accordance with what the Bible teaches. We can say that the Bible has become a Statute, or a Constitution, or the basic law for my life. And it is precisely this Charter, the Bible, that I am guided by in my life. It is this Charter that underlies my beliefs and beliefs, as well as my actions, and not the Charter of the Yalta Jehovah's Witnesses Ministry, which existed for only 2 years. When I share my beliefs with other people, I am not guided by the MRO Charter, I am guided by what is written in the Bible: "Preach the word..." (2 Timothy 4:2). When I gather with believers, I am not guided by the Statutes of the MRO, I am guided by what is written in the Bible: "Let us be attentive to each other, encouraging love and good deeds. Let's not leave our meetings, as has become a habit for some. Let us encourage one another, especially when we see that the Day of the Lord is already approaching" (Hebrews 10:24, 25). When I provide financial assistance to believers who have suffered from natural disasters, wars, and other disasters, I am not guided by the Charter of the MRO, I am guided by what is written in the Bible: "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

And although I am encouraged to stop being guided by my main Charter, the Bible, in fact, as long as I remain a Jehovah's Witness, as long as I am guided by the Bible, this is a guarantee that I will not commit acts of an extremist or some other negative nature. After all, the Bible teaches me: "God is not impartial, but in every nation he who fears Him and does what is right is pleasing to Him" (Acts 10:34, 35). That is, the Bible teaches me to be open-minded about people of all races, cultures, and nationalities. The Bible also teaches me, "Do not repay evil for evil to anyone... be at peace with everyone... do not avenge yourself" (Romans 12:17-19). Moreover, the Bible teaches me not only to "love my neighbor as myself," but also to "love my enemies."

Your Honor, I have nothing to repent of. I have not committed any crime. My faith in the Creator, my belief that the Bible is the Word of God, my belief that one should live as the Bible teaches, is not extremism. My faith, my beliefs make me a better person. I am improving as a husband, as a father, as an employer, as a neighbor, as a citizen of the Russian Federation, because when I am guided by the Bible, it always benefits me, my family, and the people around me.

We live in a very turbulent time. I really want to be close to my family and protect them. I ask you to acquit me, my wife and my friends in the relationship.

Summary of the case

Region:

Crimea

Locality:

Yalta

Criminal case number:

121023500130000044

Case iInitiated:

March 4, 2021

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Crimea

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.3 (1), 282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-17/2023 (1-181/2022)

Court:

Yalta City Court

Judge:

Vladimir Romanenko