The last word of the defendant Dmitry Zagulin in Birobidzhan

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Dmitry Zagulin in Birobidzhan

November 28, 2022

Jewish JSC

From the courtroom

Drawing the court's attention to the absurdity of the charges, the believer said: "How can those who, out of love for their neighbor, refuse to take up arms, even at the cost of their lives, be put on a par with those who are looking for an excuse to unleash interethnic, religious or some other discord?"

Transcript of the court session in the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region dated 11/28/2022 on the case № 1-8/2022 (1-65/2021; 1-609/2020) on the charges of Dmitry Nikolaevich Zagulin and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Dmitry Nikolaevich Zagulin: Dear court. I would like to start my last word with a short example.

A young mother with a child goes to the store, to the toy department. They approach the shelves where soft toys are located. My daughter's eyes run away, she is happy to choose a teddy bear for herself, although bunnies, chanterelles, cubs and many other different characters from the animal world lie on the shelves next to him. But why the bear? Because it's big, warm and soft. Mom is happy, she sees that this toy brings a lot of positive emotions to her daughter. On the way home, they find out that a zoo has arrived in their city. Mom decides to show her daughter live animals. And so, when they enter the zoo, they observe the following picture: all the animals are in cages behind thick metal bars; these cages are additionally surrounded by fences, which cannot be entered, as it is written on the signs that are hung at each cage. Who do the little girl and her mom see in cages? Bears, wolves, foxes, there is even a lion and a lioness. The girl is amazed by what she saw and asks her mother why the animals are in cages. Mom explains the difference between wild animals and a teddy bear that her daughter holds by the paw. And what is the difference? The teddy bear was made to express love to a loved one, and to remind them of this love when they hold the toy to their chest. A teddy bear is not dangerous, it is not capable of causing harm. And the animals that are in the cages of the zoo were created to live in the wild, and today they really pose a real danger.

Do you know why I gave this particular example? I was prompted to it by the response of a respected person in our city. After I told him about the criminal prosecutions and trials of Jehovah's Witnesses accused of extremism, he almost immediately, without hesitation, replied: "We found plush extremists." His answer startled me.: how exactly could a person who is not a Jehovah's Witness describe the absurdity of the situation.

For decades in our country, Jehovah's Witnesses have been legally exercising their rights to worship. Authorities, law enforcement agencies and ordinary citizens could get acquainted with what they believe in. Someone could agree, someone just wasn't interested. Why can Jehovah's Witnesses be compared to that teddy bear in the hands of a little girl? Because these people are learning to love God and people. And living according to God's commandments, they try to change for the better, encouraging others to do the same. Accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of extremism is absurd! How can you put those who, out of love for their neighbor, refuse to take up arms, even at the cost of their lives, on a par with those who are looking for an excuse to unleash interethnic, religious or some other discord?

When I first met Jehovah's Witnesses in August 1991, I was far from religion. I began to communicate with these people. They helped me find answers to the questions that bother all people without exception. Here are some of them: what is the meaning of life? If there is a caring Creator, then why is there so much evil and suffering in the world, and when will it end? Why do we get sick, get old and die? Can human society live in peace and harmony? This is only a small part of the questions that people ask themselves when they see what is happening in the world and personally with them. How happy I was to get answers to all these questions! I realized that the world is not falling into the abyss and that God has everything under control.

What else struck me when I met these people? Not only how succinctly they answered the questions I was interested in with the help of the Bible, but also with what great desire they live in accordance with the biblical teachings.

The prayer "Our Father", which is well known to many people, begins with the words: "Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9, 10). With these words, Jesus showed people what they can ask of Jehovah God. He said that it was necessary to pray, first, that the name of God would be sanctified, and, secondly, that the Kingdom of God would come, and that the will of Jehovah would be fulfilled throughout the earth. Jesus emphasized the Kingdom of God in his sermon on the Mount: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

Why did Jesus draw the attention of his listeners to these important points? Because people are not able to solve on their own the problems that humanity is facing: wars, diseases, famine, global epidemics, natural disasters, the death of loved ones and widespread injustice. The list can go on and on. Only the Kingdom of God is capable of coping with these problems that humanity has plunged into.

Therefore, I realized that it is necessary to adhere to the righteous norms of God in everything and live according to his principles. To behave as a loving heavenly Father expects of me. Why? If we decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil, the result will be deplorable: "There are ways that seem straight to man, but their end is the path to death" (Proverbs 16:25). Conversely, if we live according to God's standards, our life will be joyful and successful and, most importantly, God will be pleased with us. In Isaiah 48:17, 18, the following words are recorded: "Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah, your God, teaching you to your advantage, guiding you on the path that you should follow. Oh, if you were attentive to My commandments! then your peace would be like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

Jesus promises that those who have taken the side of the Kingdom of God will have everything they need right now, and in the future they will receive an endless number of amazing gifts from God. And these blessings are mentioned in the Bible. The first disciples of Jesus followed his advice and first sought the Kingdom and God's righteousness, but difficulties and sufferings did not disappear from their lives. And yet they were under the protection of God. What was she saying?

The followers of Jesus lived according to the righteous standards of God, and this protected them from the difficulties that arise in the lives of those who disregard the advice of God. The firm belief that the Kingdom would come helped the disciples to stand up in times of severe trials. In addition, God gave them "strength beyond the ordinary" so that they could withstand everything: "We are oppressed everywhere, but not constrained; we are in desperate circumstances, but not despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are overthrown, but not perish" (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9). With these words, Paul encouraged the early Christians who lived in Corinth. These words are still relevant today.

Modern servants of Jehovah's God face similar challenges. The history of Jehovah's Witnesses shows that, despite persecution and oppression, these people are not embittered, but on the contrary, they try to show the love that God teaches them through the Bible. Knowing that God will soon establish the Kingdom that Jesus taught us to pray for, millions of faithful Christians around the world look forward to the future with hope, relying on God. And this hope warms their hearts, even if they are faced with the injustice that has flooded modern society.

Jehovah's Witnesses are law—abiding citizens, and this is a well-known fact. They follow the advice that was recorded in Romans 13:1: "Let every soul be subject to higher authorities; for there is no authority not from God, but the existing authorities are established by God." But if the authorities try in various ways to forbid believing in God the way he wants, then these Christians support the determination made by Peter and the other apostles, standing before the Sanhedrin: "Peter and the Apostles replied: it is necessary to obey God more than men." Their answer is recorded in Acts 5:29.

Dear court, throughout the proceedings you could see for yourself that I am a believer. And I don't give up being a Jehovah's Witness. I want to worship my God Jehovah freely, as I have done before. The accusations made by the investigating authorities and the prosecutor's office have no basis in fact. They are the result of deep delusion due to ignorance of who Jehovah's Witnesses really are, or because of a biased attitude that has been formed due to false information spread in our society. But I'm sure, Your Honor, that you can see the difference between a dangerous wild animal and a teddy bear.

I ask the court to acquit me and drop all charges against me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Jewish Autonomous Region

Locality:

Birobidzhan

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, he conducted divine services together with others, which is interpreted as "organizing the activities of an extremist organization" (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:

11807990001000008

Case initiated:

May 14, 2018

The current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Jewish Autonomous Region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)

The number of the case in court:

№ 1-8/2022 (1-65/2021; 1-609/2020)

Court:

Birobidzhan District Court of the EAO

Judge:

Yana Vladimirova