A court in Khabarovsk handed down record—breaking harsh sentences to a group of Jehovah's Witnesses - up to 8.5 years in a general regime colony

 RUSSIA 

A court in Khabarovsk handed down record—breaking harsh sentences to a group of Jehovah's Witnesses - up to 8.5 years in a general regime colony

June 24, 2024 Khabarovsk Territory

The longest terms of imprisonment for all time since the liquidation of legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses were appointed by the judge of the Industrial District Court of Khabarovsk Roman Chiskovsky to believers. The decision was made on June 20, 2024, after five years of litigation. For Nikolai Polevodov and Stanislav Kim, this is the second sentence for faith.

Nikolai Polevodov received 8.5 years in prison, Vitaly Zhuk — 8 years and 4 months, and Stanislav Kim — 8 years and 2 months. The men were taken into custody in the courtroom. The court imposed a suspended sentence on the women: 5 years each for Tatyana Zhuk and Svetlana Sedova and 4 years for Maya Karpushkina.

"During the entire trial," Vitaly Zhuk said, "I never heard what exactly in my words and actions was an extremist crime and what I had to stop doing in order not to be considered a criminal." Nikolai Polevodov expressed a similar thought: "All the facts examined during this trial clearly prove that I am not being persecuted for real crimes, but for my religious views. The prosecution, even without providing evidence of this, is trying to instill the idea that I committed a crime."

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against six Jehovah's Witnesses in November 2018. On the same day, riot police raided believers gathered in a cafe for a friendly party. As a result, Kim, Polevodov and Zhuk ended up in jail, where they spent 2 months each. Then they were under house arrest for 6 to 12 months.

The case went to court in July 2019. Judge Vera Pishinnaya examined the case materials for a year, interrogated witnesses, but the essence of the accusation has not been clarified. The case was returned to the prosecutor's office, and 4 months later it was sent back to court.

The defense party challenged Judge Chiskovsky, pointing out the expressed "bias towards the defendants and the desire to impose a guilty verdict" even at the stage of the judicial investigation. In their petition, the lawyers noted, among other things, that the judge limited the right of the accused to familiarize themselves with the evidence in the case, and also allowed himself to chastise them in raised tones, "perceiving" some petitions "as personal insults." Roman Chiskovsky refused his recusal.

Stanislav Kim and Nikolai Polevodov were simultaneously involved in another criminal case for faith. The Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Khabarovsk sentenced them to 2 years of probation "for participating in extremist activities," namely, for discussing the Bible and Christian teachings. This punishment is already considered to have been served.

At the time of publication of this text, out of 811 defendants in criminal cases for faith, 170 people were sentenced to real imprisonment. 108 of them (more than 63%) received sentences of 5 years or more. There are 9 people who have been sentenced to 8 years or more.

The case of Polevodov et al. in Khabarovsk

A brief history of the case

Khabarovsk civilians Nikolai Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, spouses Vitaly and Tatiana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and Maya Karpushkina were under investigation after riot police broke into a friendly party in a cafe in November 2018. Three men were sent to a pre-trial detention center, and later under house arrest. As a result, the UK charged the men with organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and the women with participating in it. The only reason is to believe in Jehovah God and discuss the Bible with friends. 14 months of the trial court revealed the baselessness of the accusation, and the case was returned to the prosecutor's office. In December 2021, it went back to court. In June 2024, Polevodov, Zhuk and Kim were sent to a colony for 8.5 years, 8 years and 4 months, and 8 years and 2 months, respectively. Tatiana Zhuk and Svetlana Sedova received 5 years probation, and Maya Karpushkina received 4 years probation. Kim and Polevodov were simultaneously involved in another criminal case for their faith and simultaneously defended their beliefs in another court.

Summary of the case

Region:

Khabarovsk Territory

Locality:

Khabarovsk

What is suspected of:

According to investigators, they organized the activities of a religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of Khabarovsk (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:

11802080002000049

Case initiated:

November 10, 2018

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has not entered into force

Investigating:

From the SU IC of Russia in the Khabarovsk Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)

The number of the case in court:

1-6/2024 (1-15/2023; 1-216/2022; 1-1031/2021)

Court:

Industrial District Court of Khabarovsk

Judge:

Roman Chiskovsky