Vladivostok Cassation Court Upheld the Sentence of Four Believers from Tynda

 RUSSIA 

Vladivostok Cassation Court Upheld the Sentence of Four Believers from Tynda

May 14, 2024 Amur Region

On May 14, 2024, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok finalized the sentence of four Jehovah's Witnesses. Vladimir Bukin, Valeriy Slashchev and Sergey Yuferov will continue to serve their prison sentences of 6 years and 4 months, and Mikhail Burkov — 6 years and 2 months.

The case of the Tynda believers was considered twice — the first verdict was overturned on appeal, but later the Tynda District Court of the Amur Region nevertheless found them guilty and sentenced them to real terms of imprisonment. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal. In their cassation appeal, the believers drew attention to the fact that in the verdict they were named guilty only of participating in religious services, preaching the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, urging others to continue to follow the faith and studying the religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses.

According to the believers, the court of first instance was unable to determine what exactly their guilt was: "Not a single piece of evidence was presented to the court that the actions [of the convicts] were of a socially dangerous nature and caused harm to legal relations protected by law, and also that [the convicts] had a motive for inciting hatred and enmity." "A peaceful conversation about God in the circle of fellow believers or with other people without calls for violence, discrimination and degrading treatment of any social group cannot have such a degree of public danger," they stressed.

The authorities of the Amur Region continue to persecute Jehovah's Witnesses: already 24 people aged 30 to 82 have become defendants in criminal cases for their religious views.

Case of Bukin and Others in Tynda

Case History

In 2018, in the city of Tynda, FSB agent Nurakov, feigning an interest in the Bible, began attending services of Jehovah’s Witnesses and collecting information about them. In November 2019, a criminal case was initiated against Sergey Yuferov, Valery Slashchev, Mikhail Burkov and Vladimir Bukin. A wave of searches took place in the city. The men were accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and being involved in it. In June 2021, the case went to court. A year and a half later, the believers were sentenced to 6 years and 2 months to 6.5 years in prison. In December 2022, the appeal overturned the verdict and sent the case for a new trial, and the believers were released from the pre-trial detention center, where they spent 2 months each. In June 2023, they were again sentenced to a colony: Bukin, Slashchev and Yuferov were given 6 years and 4 months each, and Burkov was given 6 years and 2 months. A second appeal in August 2023 upheld this decision. In May 2024, the Court of Cassation definitively upheld the sentence for all four Jehovah’s Witnesses from Tynda.

Criminal case

Region:

Amur Region

Locality:

Tynda

Suspected of:

According to the investigation, "they organized meetings of followers... religious organizations"

Court case number:

11907100001000076

Case initiated:

November 11, 2019

Current case stage:

The verdict entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Amur Region

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)

Court case number:

1-45/2023 (1-9/2022; 1-131/2021)

Court of First Instance:

Tyndinsky District Court of the Amur region

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Valentina Yurikova

In the photo: 

Sergey Yuferov, Vladimir Bukin, Valeriy Slashchev and Mikhail Burkov near the Tyndinsky District Court of the Amur Region. June, 2023.