The last word of the defendant Sergei Shulyarenko in Birobidzhan

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Sergei Shulyarenko in Birobidzhan

December 16, 2022

Jewish JSC

From the courtroom

Speaking with the last word before the court, Sergei Shulyarenko explained that extremism is alien to Jehovah's Witnesses. He said, "I feel calm because I am not being judged for evil deeds, but for good ones… I have not committed a crime related to extremism not only in my actions, but even in my thoughts."

Transcript of the court session in the Birobidzhan District Court of the EAO dated 12/16/2022 in the case № 1-8/2022 (1-65/2021; 1-609/2020) on the charges of Sergei Alexandrovich Shulyarenko and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2, Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Sergey Alexandrovich Shulyarenko: Your Honor, I ask you to listen to me carefully. I am deeply convinced that this trial, like many others in Russia, is historical, because one of the biblical prophecies expressed by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew 10:18, where it is written, is being fulfilled: "You will be brought to the judgment of rulers and kings, for you are My disciples, so that you can testify about me before them."

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the prophecy says that it is not for a crime that the followers of Christ will be brought before judges and rulers, but for the name of Jesus, in order to testify to them. I am now not only seeing this prophecy fulfilled, but I am participating in it myself. What do I feel when I see how the prophetic words of Jesus are fulfilled, including on me?

First, pride, because I was among those who testify before judges and kings about Jesus Christ and his heavenly Father Jehovah.

The Bible says: "May your conduct among the Gentiles be blameless, and then the people who now denounce you as malefactors, seeing your good deeds, will glorify God on the Day of his appearance" (1 Peter 2:12). It follows from these words that I can glorify God while being an accused in the district court of the Jewish Autonomous Region. Secondly, I feel calm because I am not being judged for evil deeds, but for good ones. I have not committed a crime either before the state or before God. Thirdly, I am satisfied because I am supported by significantly more people than I could have imagined. These are my co-workers, acquaintances, employer and those with whom I am not even familiar.

I suppose this is one of the most unusual cases in your career that you have ever considered. And I also assume that there was no such period in your life when people pray for you all over the world!

Thank you for always listening to us and letting us speak out. It was very important for us. I am very glad that throughout the whole process, those present could hear that our heavenly Father has a personal name — Jehovah. Through Bible-based speeches and videos, we learned about the wonderful qualities and righteous deeds of Jehovah God. The Bible says that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). He is the personification of love, this is his main quality. Through the Bible, Jehovah God calls people to love each other, which I do. I am talking about love based on the laws and principles of God.

Jehovah's love for people is comparable to a father's love for his children. For the sake of our good, God performed an act that became the greatest manifestation of love that a father is capable of — he sacrificed his beloved son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible says: "God's love for us was revealed in the fact that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we could receive life through Him. It is love that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to propitiate for our sins... if God loved us so much, then we must also love each other. No one has ever seen God: if we love one another, then God abides in us, and His love is perfect in us" (1 John 4:9-12).

People have different ideas about love, there are many sayings and comparisons. The Christian feels the effect and power of the love that God shows on himself. It helps to change yourself as a person and learn to show other qualities that God has. What else is special about this love?

First Corinthians 13:4-6 contains some more of her characteristics: "Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love is not exalted, is not proud, does not commit outrages. He does not seek his own, does not get annoyed, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything." This is what is included in the definition of Christian love. Jehovah's Witnesses live in this love, and not just put on a mask and then take it off. Jehovah's Witnesses love everyone, even those who do not love them, and do Christian deeds for their benefit.

If believers truly love God and his son, they glorify him with the good news, telling people about what God really is. That is why the good news about God is called good news. This is good news that concerns the earth and people, the news of a good, wonderful future.

This is one of the promises contained in this good news. In the Bible, in the book of Revelation 21:3, 4 it is written: "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them: they will be His people, and God himself will be with them their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no more crying, no more sickness, for the former has passed away."

Yes, all the bad things on earth will forever be a thing of the past, including illness, old age and death, and people will never suffer and cry from grief again. It may seem like a fairy tale. Although most people will immediately agree that everything promised in the Bible is what our hearts crave. For one reason or another, it is difficult for many to accept the idea that people will be able to live forever. And this is not surprising, because none of the people have lived forever, so they can't tell you what it feels like.

Humanity has been in bondage to sin and death for so long and has suffered from disasters and misfortunes that many people consider this state of affairs to be completely normal and natural. But this is not the kind of life on earth that the Creator, God Jehovah, has prepared for us.

To help us believe in his promises, Jehovah firmly said: "As rain and snow descend from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth and make it able to bear and grow, so that it gives seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats: so is My word, which comes from from my mouth, it does not return to Me in vain, but does what pleases me, and does what I sent it for" (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

God makes promises to people. It may take some time before they are realized, but this does not mean that his words are an empty sound. They return to God exactly fulfilled. One of the servants of Jehovah God in ancient times could say: "Not one of all the good words that the Lord spoke to the house of Israel remained unfulfilled; everything came true" (Joshua 21:45).

Your Honor, the message from God cannot harm people, it gives people reasonable hope for a good future! Your Honor, my colleagues and I are accused of extremism. They are accused of allegedly committing crimes out of hatred for people, although we have eradicated this hatred from our hearts.

We are following God's instructions written in the Bible: "Remind them to obey and submit to superiors and authorities, to be ready for every good deed, not to slander anyone, not to be quarrelsome, but quiet, and to show all gentleness to all people" (Titus 3:1, 2).

The concept of "extremism" is alien to Christian teaching, so I did not commit a crime related to extremism not only in my actions, but even in my thoughts. There were situations in my life when I was insulted, and even then I did not dare to insult back, much less hit. This is how I became thanks to a deep study of the Bible and the application of its advice in my life.

When Jesus was asked, "which commandment in the Law is the most important," he said: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is similar to it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:36-40). I am not just quoting famous biblical passages from the Holy Scriptures, for me this God-given law is just as important to fulfill as the law of the state in which I live. Therefore, I strive to apply in my life what is written in the Bible. If extremists and terrorists had read the Bible, and most importantly, applied in their lives what is written in it, as Jehovah's Witnesses do, then there would have been no revolutions, no outrages, no protests, no crime and even wars in the world. How much calmer and, most importantly, safer life would be for all people, including law enforcement agencies.

Your Honor, there is nothing in common between the high moral principles set forth in the Bible and extremism. For example, in the Bible, Galatians 5:19-21 lists such things that are unacceptable to Christians: fornication, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreement, hatred, drunkenness, outrage. And then, in verses 22 and 23, it is said about the qualities that are necessary for Christians: "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, temperance."

If I had ever been a violent, aggressive, hateful or belligerent person, which is very typical of extremists, then I simply would not have been a Jehovah's Witness! I want to repeat, as I stated in detail in my testimony, I did not engage in extremism, did not finance it and did not resume the activities of the MRO.

Your Honor, I can't figure out what my fault is! I am accused of loving to read the Bible together with my co—religionists and live by it, to share with others what I learned from it - this is my constitutional right, and I just used this right.

Someone may agree with what Jehovah's Witnesses believe or disagree, but that's another matter. The Russian Federation is a multi—confessional country, and many religions teach in different ways and may contradict each other, but this is not a reason to consider them extremists. And why is this attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses?

After all, I repeat, the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation is not prohibited by law. On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint rites and ceremonies in themselves do not constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.

Your Honor, Jehovah's Witnesses are known all over the world as very peaceful 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 as a believer.

One of the famous fables, which many people know by heart from the school curriculum, begins with morality: "for the strong, the powerless is always to blame, we hear a lot of examples in history." This is I. A. Krylov's fable "The Lamb and the Wolf". Dear court, I feel the same way as a defenseless character from this fable, who is attacked by a wolf with unfounded and unfounded accusations and tries to "give the case a legitimate look and sense." And in the end, after the lamb's numerous excuses about his innocence, the wolf utters the true reason for his attacks on the defenseless: "It's your fault that I want to eat."

I would very much like the prosecutor, FSB officers and other law enforcement agencies to ensure law and order and the protection of the law, and not to follow the prayers of believers to God. So that they fight against real extremists, whose actions can actually cause serious harm to people and the state.

In view of the above, I ask you, dear court, I ask you, Your Honor, to rid us and me, in particular, of this loud, undeserved label — "extremist".

Thank you, Your Honor, for allowing me to say everything that I wanted to say in my last word, and I ask you to attach my last word to the materials of the criminal case.

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