A Court of Appeal Upholds the Conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses Spouses from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

 RUSSIA


A Court of Appeal Upholds the Conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses Spouses from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

June 26, 2024 Kamchatka Territory


On June 25, 2024, the Kamchatka Regional Court upheld the sentence of the court of first instance against Yelena and Sergey Chechulin: 2-year suspended sentences for participating in the activities of an "extremist" organization.


The believers do not agree with the decisions of the courts. Yelena Chechulina noted in her appeal: "The court did not establish the presence of motives of religious hatred or enmity in my actions, and it did not establish against which specific social group I acted. All my actions were completely peaceful." She added: "The law does not consider the confession, including together with others, of the religion to which the liquidated religious associations belonged as a sign of extremism. Therefore, the recognition of a legal entity as extremist is not tantamount to imposing a ban on a religious denomination with its inherent creeds, spiritual terminology, and the procedure for holding worship."


The state prosecutor Khramova asked the court of appeal to toughen the sentence and increase the sentence to 6 years of suspended imprisonment "in connection with the aggravating circumstance in the form of committing a crime by a group of persons by prior conspiracy" — this is how Khramova regarded the joint Bible readings by believers.


Due to the guilty verdict, the Chechulins are deprived of the opportunity to travel outside the Kamchatka Territory. Their cars have been seized, their accounts have been blocked, so they cannot make their own monthly mortgage payment.


The authorities of the Kamchatka Territory continue the religious persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses: to date, 10 believers have suffered from the judicial system because of their peaceful beliefs.


The case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky


Case History


Sergey Chechulin and his wife Yelena became defendants in yet another criminal case against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In September 2022, the Investigative Committee initiated a case against them on suspicion of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. A month later, their home was searched, and the couple was placed under a recognizance agreement. In November 2023, the case went to court, where the charge was reclassified as participating in the activity of an extremist organization. The prosecutor requested 6 years in a penal colony for the Chechulins. In April 2024, they were each given a 2-year suspended sentence, a 3-year probation period and additional restrictions of 6 months. In June 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld this decision.


Criminal case


Region:

Kamchatka Territory

Locality:

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Suspected of:

"Convening meetings, organizing collective religious speeches and services, in accordance with the ideology of the religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses at these meetings ... Conducted routine training with other persons on the postulates of the religious association "Jehovah's Witnesses"" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)

Court case number:

12202300011000019

Case initiated:

September 25, 2022

Current case stage:

The verdict entered into force

Investigating:

Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kamchatka Territory

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-70/2024 (1-997/2023)

Court of First Instance:

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Ivan Pantyashin


In the photo: Yelena and Sergey Chechulin.

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