The last word of the defendant Yuri Kolotinsky in Barnaul

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Yuri Kolotinsky in Barnaul

May 3, 2024

Altai Territory

Addressing the court, the believer asked the question: "Why did respectable, hardworking, caring for their marriage and their children, people who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for decades, turn into dangerous criminals?"

Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Barnaul, Altai Territory dated 05/03/2024 in the case 1-3/2024 on charges of Kolotinsky Yuri Timofeevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Kolotinsky Yuri Timofeevich:

Dear court and all those present in the hall! At the very beginning, I want to thank my God Jehovah for his support, which I have felt all this time. He strengthens my faith, for which I am judged. After all, He knows that I have not committed anything illegal and I am being held accountable only for my faith, which is not prohibited by law.

I thank my dear, beloved wife Natalia from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your positive attitude, your perseverance, and for the support you have given me. All this time you tried not to lose heart and it made me feel good. Proverbs 18:22 says, "Whoever finds a good wife finds good and receives grace from the Lord." I am very grateful that I have you. Thank you, my dear children and grandchildren. I know you're always praying for me.

Thank you, our dear spiritual brothers and sisters, so much for supporting and encouraging us. You stood outside the courthouse for hours, despite the weather conditions, supported us and waited for the trial to end. They greeted us and hugged us.

Thank you, dear neighbors. You honestly don't understand what I'm being judged for. We are doing a common task with you to improve our village. Difficulties are much easier to bear when there are real friends around. Through you all, God strengthened me and gave me the strength to endure everything and not give up. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times and, like a brother, will appear in time of adversity."

Your Honor, Lyubov Viktorovna, thank you for the calm, kind and working atmosphere throughout the entire process. Thank you for allowing us to travel outside the city when we asked for time off. When one of us was ill and couldn't attend meetings, you were always courteous and understanding to us. Thank you for that. Your Honor, your patience (and there was a lot of information, such as audio recordings) has had a very positive effect on us. We saw that you have delved very deeply into the essence of our circumstances, and this indicates your high professionalism.

And of course, many thanks to the wonderful lawyers: my lawyer Evgeny Vladislavovich, as well as Natalia Yurievna and Roman Sergeevich. You are always ready to defend us, although this is an unusual process for you, unusual clients. In fact, you are defending our constitutional right to believe in God. In the legal maze, without your help, without the help of a judge, without the help of a prosecutor, we would get lost and would not understand a lot.

Thanks to Secretary Lyubov Vladimirovna and assistant judge Svetlana Vladimirovna for their respectful and good attitude towards us. Thank you, State Prosecutor Yulia Sergeevna. You have shown us respect and attention. There was no bias, it is clear that you take into account our religious beliefs and feelings.

And I also want to say thank you to the security of the courthouse for treating us with respect. They remembered us and began to recognize us by our smile. They allowed our co-religionists, who came to support us, to enter the building and warm up.

Many thanks to our investigator, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for choosing the mildest measure of restraint for us.

In First Thessalonians 5:18, Paul urges: "Thank you for everything." This is what God expects from the followers of Christ Jesus.

And now I would like to tell you a little about myself and how and why I decided to get to know the teachings of the Bible more closely. It was back in 1992, I was 37 years old. It's time for me, like every person, to think about the meaning of life. I worked in the Far North in Yakutia. I really wanted to find answers to the questions that worried me. The questions were as follows, maybe they will seem naive: what will happen to our beautiful planet Earth and humanity? Why do people age and die? What happens at death? What is the condition of the deceased? Why is there so much suffering and injustice on Earth? If there is an Almighty God, then why does He allow suffering, injustice and wars? Will they ever come to an end?

Wanting to get answers to these questions, I started researching mythology. The first was Greek mythology — how many deities there are in it! Then I started on Roman mythology and noticed that the pantheon of gods had already expanded. Then I started researching Chinese mythology — there are even more gods here. And when I came to the Indian one, I was surprised at all: there are thousands of them here! I did not stop there either — I got acquainted with the Japanese and Babylonian (Sumerian) mythologies. No mythology has answered my questions. In addition to this, I became disillusioned with these gods because of their anger, love of violence, debauchery, etc. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't learn anything good from them.

I realized that I needed to stop researching: I am a sinful person, and my flaws can develop even more in me and harm others. I also realized that these gods are mythical, invented by people, that is, they appeared after people, but this cannot be! Mythology refers to human philosophy. What should I do? I was left without answers.

Over the years, I have heard from many people that my questions are not naive, they are asked by thinking people. I cheered up, and my research continued.

I started researching world religions, but even here I did not get answers to my questions, everything was somehow blurred for me. One day, while waiting for a train at the Novosibirsk train station, I talked to a priest. He told me, "Don't bother your head." I also managed to take an interest in ufology at the time, but in vain.

Of course, I chose a long way, the years were lost. "What if the Bible?"  I thought. But I treated her negatively. I thought the Bible contradicted science, but it turned out the opposite. While researching the Bible, I got answers to all my questions.

What a blessing it is that all over the face of the earth, in all countries, there are people who fulfill the task of Jesus Christ, recorded in Matthew 28:19, 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 to the end of the world." These people also came to my house, but at that time I did not realize how sincere and loving they were. I treated them coldly, unfriendly, because I received only negative information about them from the media. At this trial, we all made sure that this was not true. These people don't have any extremism. God, through his Word, teaches only good and useful things at Christian meetings, the recordings of which we have reviewed.

Back in 1994, I nevertheless accepted the help of Jehovah's Witnesses and got acquainted with the Bible, with God, with His qualities and intentions regarding the Earth and humanity.

Although a person has the right to choose what he believes in, one should not get carried away with human philosophy. This instruction was given by the disciple of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul. I found it in the Bible, in the New Testament, in Colossians 2:8. God wanted it to be recorded as a warning to all people: "Take care that no one leads you away with philosophy and empty seduction, according to human tradition, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ."

While researching the Bible, I not only got answers to all my questions (because my heart aches for the future of our descendants), but also learned about the one true living God, Creator, Life Giver and Master of the Universe. And what wonderful qualities He has! They affected me. I read about them in the Bible. For example, Psalm 85:15 says: "But You, O Lord, are a generous and compassionate God, long-suffering and full of mercy, and true." Only such a God can teach good things: "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, teaching you useful things, leading you in the way that you should walk" (Isaiah 48:17).

And about the gods invented by people, the Bible also says: "They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; they have nostrils, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not touch; they have feet But they do not walk; and they do not make a voice with their larynx. Let those who make them be like them, and all who hope in them" (Psalm 113:13-16). It turns out that the mythical gods had a beginning, but the true God has no beginning. It is said of him that He is "The King of eternity." If someone had created God, he would no longer be God. If he is a Life-Giver, then who can create him?

I liked one example. Airplanes are similar to birds. They also fly in the sky. But do airplanes lay eggs so that small airplanes can appear? Does a bird need such a long runway? Is the hum of an airplane more pleasant than the song of a bird? The conclusion is obvious: who is wiser — the one who created the plane, or the one who created the bird? Should I study with Him then, if there is no one older, and therefore wiser, in the universe? Moreover, the Author of the Bible is always alive.

Jehovah God gives many more people the opportunity to learn about themselves. For example, nine people from law enforcement agencies who searched our place for eight hours. And how they behaved correctly — well done! They even let me shave. They conduct a search, and we offer them coffee and tea. It seemed to us that they were very surprised. "The worker is worthy of food" — that's what the Bible says. They saw my fishing gear, talked a little about fishing. And when the security forces left, they shook my hand and said: "I'm sorry, Yuri Timofeevich, that we met under such circumstances." I told them, "It would be better to go fishing." People understand that we do not pose any danger.

And those who secretly recorded Christian meetings also learned from Jehovah. While doing their job, they got to know Him. And when the investigation transferred the case to the prosecutor's office, I heard these words:

— Yuri Timofeevich, we will say goodbye.

"Why say goodbye,— I said. — And live in the neighborhood?

— It's good to have good, reliable neighbors nearby. I understand what you're talking about.

Of course, they understand, because so many Christian meetings have been listened to, so many volumes have been recorded. I added:

— In fact, we are doing the same job with you. Imagine if it weren't for you, what kind of chaos there would be in society. Both you and we wish that there are good, reliable people in society.

— Yes, we do the same job, but only with different methods.

Your Honor, I have worked in the Far North, in Yakutia, for 22 years. A veteran of labor, a disabled person of the III group for occupational diseases. Working in the gold mining industry, I saved a man from death by risking my life. An extremist would not dare to take such a step. Although I was not familiar with the Bible at that time, I was kind to people. That's why I've always had a lot of friends.

Five and a half years later, I was invited to work in the coal industry at a coal mine, on heavy trucks. It was at this time that I began to think about the meaning of life. The guys I worked with began to notice the changes taking place in me over time. As I remember now, they gave me a succinct and concise description: "What happened to our Jura? He's crazy." Then I remembered the movie "Trembita", where one hero was running around with his mine detector all the time.

I realized that after such an introduction, the details should follow, and I was not mistaken. The colleagues continued: "Well, he was a normal guy: he smoked, cursed. Everything was as it should be. He did not stand out from the team, he was like everyone else. And now? There are no mats in the conversation, I stopped smoking. Even after the night shift, if he goes with us to nature in the forest, he does not stay long. He stopped drinking with us. He's in a hurry to get home to his family."

Over time, they stopped swearing in my presence. I was very happy for the guys. If they were smoking, they would step aside. We worked in a section of 80-100 cars, and everyone had a walkie-talkie. We had discussions on various interesting topics on them. The topics were set by friends themselves. Thanks to this, even labor productivity increased during night shifts: cars were not idle, because no one stopped to somehow cope with drowsiness - no one wanted to sleep. The Yakutugol association noted that the indicators of our work have become even better. Everyone knew what the secret of such efficiency was.

Your Honor, I want to say that Jehovah's Witnesses have not changed, they willingly come into contact with all people, both then and now. They have not changed since April 2017. They have not become worse than in other countries, because Jehovah God has not changed. His commandments, laws and principles have not changed.

If God is good, how can His servants be bad? It is foretold in the Book of Isaiah that God will have his own witnesses. In the Book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 12, it says: "You are My witnesses." In verse 13, Jehovah says of himself: "From the beginning of days I am the same, and no one will save me from My hand; I will do it, and who will undo it?" And verse 21 contains a very important thought: "I have formed this people for Myself; they will proclaim My glory." Isn't this prophecy being fulfilled? We are all eyewitnesses to this — it is being fulfilled, although there have always been those who prevented it.

Centuries passed, and already in the time of Jesus, a law teacher named Gamaliel, respected by all the people, spoke at the Sanhedrin (the supreme state Council and the supreme judicial Institute of the Jews): "And now, I say to you, leave these people alone and leave them: for if this enterprise and this work are from men, then it will be destroyed, but if from God, then you cannot destroy it; take care that you do not turn out to be God—defying" (Acts 5:38, 39).

Your Honor, you could see that for both modern servants of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, and for the servants of God of the first century, it is extremely important that their creeds be based on the Bible. As you may have noticed, these teachings encourage love, compassion, mercy, caring for one's neighbor and other good deeds, and not hatred and enmity. How can you call people who try to show such qualities extremists? Why did respectable, hardworking, caring about their marriage and their children, people who have been practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for decades, turn into dangerous criminals overnight?

Russian human rights activist Lyudmila Mikhailovna Alekseeva, respected by the President of the Russian Federation, describing Jehovah's Witnesses only on the positive side, together with the world community, was very much concerned about the state of affairs in our country. And Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, which took place on December 11, 2018, called the inclusion of Jehovah's Witnesses in the list of extremist organizations complete nonsense and promised to deal with it: "Jehovah's Witnesses are also Christians, for what they are persecuted, I also do not really understand."

By the way, on May 31, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the Order of Parental Glory to Jehovah's Witnesses Valery and Tatyana Novik from the Republic of Karelia at a meeting in the Kremlin. This order is awarded to parents with many children who set an example in strengthening the institution of the family and raising children, form a socially responsible family, lead a healthy lifestyle, ensure the full and harmonious development of children's personality, a high level of care for their health, education, physical, spiritual and moral development. Six of the eight Novikov children attended the award ceremony. But 2 months ago, before that, Jehovah's Witnesses were branded as extremists. Criminals are not rewarded.

And so far, the president of Russia, so to speak, cooperates with God on the issue of family. Vladimir Putin declared 2024 the year of the family in Russia. The views of Jehovah's Witnesses correspond to the interests of the State in family matters. But they do not correspond to the estimates given by the specialist in religious studies Mirra Vasilyevna Kashchaeva. For 30 years now, I have been trying to be a useful citizen for society. It is unclear what benefit the state has if Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned. After all, families remain without husbands and fathers for a long time. And although such families are strong, they are torn apart. And enterprises are losing the right, honest workers.

The whole world knows Jehovah's Witnesses as peace-loving Christians. We had the opportunity to make sure of this when we listened to recordings of divine services in court, which are held peacefully and with dignity. And what is being discussed at them can be called the prevention of extremism. It is high time to understand that our activities are only for the benefit of the state.

Evil tongues call us an American sect. But in reality, as Jesus said, we are "not of the world." In no country in the world do we participate in political affairs and military conflicts. As subjects of God's heavenly Kingdom, we are sure that the words written in the Bible will be fulfilled: the whole earth will become paradise, and people will live without fear of evil.

[…]

I am very glad that I did not reject Jehovah's Witnesses and they answered all my questions with the help of the Bible. In the future earthly paradise, the most grandiose and exciting event that Jesus promised is the resurrection of our dear deceased relatives and friends. My wife and I are looking forward to the time when we will be reunited with our firstborn, who lived for only 2 months. No artist wants his paintings to be in the basement. Moreover, God, having created a real masterpiece, a man, does not want him to lie in the ground! "There will be no more death," says Revelation 21:4.

On this optimistic note, I will finish my last word. Thank you, Your Honor, for giving me the opportunity to speak out. Your Honor, I am not a criminal, so I do not plead guilty and I ask you to fully acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Altai Territory

Locality:

Barnaul

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "he carried out activities to support the existence of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses "Barnaul", including by conducting interviews... as well as direct participation in events held by representatives of this organization."

Criminal case number:

12107010001000020

Case initiated:

May 25, 2021

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia in the Altai Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-3/2024 (1-68/2023; 1-826/2022)

The Court of First Instance:

Leninsky District Court of Barnaul, Altai Territory

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Lyubov Kurushina