The Appeal Upholds the Verdict for Faith to Yelena Chernykh from Prokopyevsk - Three Years Suspended

 RUSSIA 


The Appeal Upholds the Verdict for Faith to Yelena Chernykh from Prokopyevsk - Three Years Suspended

June 12, 2024 Kemerovo Region


On June 11, 2024, the sentence for Yelena Chernykh, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Prokopyevsk, entered into force. The judicial board of the Kemerovo Regional Court agreed with the three-year suspended sentence assigned to her but excluded from the additional punishment the deprivation of the right to participate in public and religious associations.


"The court has not established that I have any motives of religious hatred or enmity. All my actions were completely peaceful," said the believer, 47, as she appealed. "I believe in God, talk to others about the Bible, share my beliefs with them, pray to Jehovah God, sing songs of praise to him." Yelena concluded that she was convicted for the usual profession of faith for Jehovah's Witnesses, and not for any extremist actions.


Throughout the investigation, Yelena and her husband, Yuri, were not left without help by their fellow believers. She said: "From the very first day I feel the prayerful support of my dear friends. It is also very nice to see how they come to the court even from other cities."


In Russia, 190 women have already been persecuted for their faith in Jehovah, the oldest of them at the time of the initiation of the criminal case was 89 (Rimma Vashchenko), the youngest was 18 (Darya Dulova).


The Case of Yelena Chernykh in Prokopyevsk


Case History


In 2020, as part of the case against Andrey Vlasov, searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Prokopyevsk, among them were the spouses Yuriy and Yelena Chernykh, the parents of a minor son. In May 2023, a criminal case was opened against unidentified persons. Three months later, Yelena was charged with extremism for "performing a joint worship … based on the Holy Scriptures (the Bible)." A written undertaking not to leave the place was taken from the woman. The case went to court in September 2023. Yelena was given a 3-year suspended sentence in April 2024. The appeal upheld this decision.


Criminal case


Region:

Kemerovo Region

Locality:

Prokopyevsk

Suspected of:

"Carried out joint worship with other adherents, based on the Holy Scriptures (Bible), teaching religion, supporting the main forms of activity in the form of worship"

Court case number:

12302320012000084

Case initiated:

May 25, 2023

Current case stage:

The verdict entered into force

Investigating:

Department of Internal Affairs of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the city of Prokopyevsk of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Kemerovo Region

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Court case number:

1-26/2024 (1-343/2023;)

Court of First Instance:

Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Region

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Elena Karamova

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