The last word of the defendant Andrey Danielyan in Rubtsovsk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Andrey Danielyan in Rubtsovsk

November 7, 2022

Altai Territory

From the courtroom

The believer explained his non-involvement in illegal activities: "There is no reason to consider the exercise of my right as something criminal. Satisfying one's spiritual needs cannot be a crime. Everything I was doing was peaceful and positive."

Transcript of the court session in the Rubtsovsky City Court of the Altai Territory dated 07.11.2022 in the case 1-501/2022 on charges of Danielian Andrey Emikovich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Danielian Andrey Emikovich: Dear Court, Your Honor, I never thought in my life that I would have to stand in the courthouse and speak the last word in my defense. I did not think that I would ever be a defendant. Moreover, I never had the thought that I would be accused of extremism. For me personally, the word extremism is associated with something terrible, bloody, cruel and inhuman. It's hard to relate to my beliefs. It has always seemed to me that studying the Bible and living according to the laws of the Creator is legitimate and vital for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that.

With good reason and a clear conscience, I would like to affirmatively state once again that I did not commit anything illegal and do not consider myself guilty!

Of course, unfortunately, in the modern world, someone can hide behind religion, faith in God, while doing really bad things. However, personally, I have never even thought about it. I cannot associate Bible study and communication with my co-religionists with something bad, especially extremist. After all, the Bible is the Word of the God Jehovah, the God of love. It is not for nothing that the Gospel of John 4:8 says: "Whoever does not love has not known God, because God is love." The Bible is like a letter from a loving Father to his children. We are all children of God and we need to listen to him through his Word.

When I started studying the Bible in 1991, I was interested in figuring out what kind of book it was. Why is it the most common in the world and the most widely read? What is its benefit and value? How can the Bible help in any way? I didn't find answers to my questions until they helped me find them. I saw the beauty of truth and began to understand the value of the wise advice of this book. How wonderful our life would be if everyone learned to love the Creator of life, whose name is Jehovah, and to love their neighbors as themselves.

The Bible reveals the name of God to all people. Jesus in Matthew 6:9 in the famous prayer "Our Father" says: "Hallowed be Thy name." To sanctify the name of God, you need to know him. Hosea 12:5 speaks of the name of God: "And the Lord is the God of hosts; He is (Jehovah) — His name."

Unfortunately, in many translations of the Bible, the name of God is unfairly deleted, not considering it important. But is it possible to hide the author of a priceless artistic masterpiece, such as a painting, and remove it from the canvas? Sooner or later, the author will be known and his name will be necessarily marked on the work of art. Also with the name of God, the author of the Bible. In the original, this name is in the form of four Hebrew letters, written more than 7,000 times. In Russian, this name usually sounds like Jehovah.

Life depends on whether we know God or not. In the book of Joel 2:32 it is written: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Those who know not only the name of God, but have a close relationship with him, have the opportunity to receive salvation. The Bible provides an opportunity to get to know the personality of God and get closer to him. Later, believers who study the Scriptures have a desire to imitate the Creator and show the wonderful qualities that the Creator Jehovah himself shows. If all people studied the Word of God and followed his wise advice, they would stop being angry, insulting each other, envious, hating, irritated, and the like. And following the example of our teacher Jesus Christ, the son of God, we would all become kinder to each other.

I used to think only about my interests, believing that this leads to happiness. Despite the apparent successes, it was only thanks to the Word of God that I learned that the desire to give something to others and do them something good can make a person happy.

Jesus Christ encouraged all his disciples to do good. He said in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you: with a good measure, smoothed, pressed, and overflowing, they will pour it into your bosom; for with what measure you measure, it will also be measured to you." This advice from Jesus shows that doing good is very important, because good deeds will only be repaid with kindness.

I have made sure that this principle and advice work. If I do something good, it comes back to me even more, and my soul feels warm and good. When I do good to others, I become happier. This is how I try to imitate the Greatest Teacher. Can Jesus' teaching about the importance of goodness be linked to something bad or even extremism?

The idea of extremism is superiority over others, regardless of their interests. This is the imposition of one's views through pressure, cruelty and violence. The Bible teaches the opposite, it teaches you to love and put the interests of others above your own. For example, the Bible gives valuable advice in Philippians 2:4 it says: "Not only take care of yourself, but everyone also takes care of others." It's good to think not only about yourself, but also about making others feel comfortable around us. By following this advice, you can become joyful and happy. This is what the Word of God teaches us all. I'm learning this too.

For me, the Bible is the main textbook of life. It can be called a kind of Constitution for all people on earth. Imagine what life would be like if everyone lived according to such a Constitution?! There will be no thieves, no drunkards, no murderers, no liars, and generally evil people on earth. Because everyone will live according to the laws of goodness, according to the laws of God, the laws of the Bible.

In order to understand this tutorial, it is important to research it. Such research by Jehovah's Witnesses takes place at meetings where the Bible is studied.

What is written about the meetings in the Bible itself? Hebrews 10:24-25 says: "Let us be attentive to one another, encouraging love and good deeds; let us not leave our assembly, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort one another, the more you see the approach of that day." The Bible encourages you to attend meetings of the meeting and not miss them. On them, everyone understands the Word of God better, because this is his guidance.

I am accused of organizing meetings, holding them and participating in them. But is it possible to put harmless talk about the Bible on a par with terrible crimes?

I am accused of continuing the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses NGO Rubtsovsk. The fact that I was once the chairman of the MRO council does not mean that I continue the activities of this MRO. Whether there is a legal entity or not, I still remain primarily a believer in God. First of all, I am a Jehovah's Witness.

Let's imagine if the MPO had been in the days of Jesus Christ, his apostles and the first Christians. If this local organization were banned, what would Jesus' disciples do?

If there was a ban on meetings and they were considered a continuation of the activities of the MRO, as in our time, what would the first Christians do? Of course, they would continue to meet and encourage love and good deeds, despite threats and persecution. They would not have left the meeting, as Paul advised in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in the 10th chapter. They would continue to show love for each other.

This is a natural form of worship of Jehovah God through meetings, singing spiritual songs, communication and preaching. This is how believers worshipped before, in the days of the first Christians, despite prohibitions and persecution, and the servants of God continue to worship him today.

Your Honor, I would like to emphasize once again the idea that the Supreme Court did not prohibit the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and therefore the worship of God.

The Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of October 28, 2021 amended and amended the resolution on what is considered extremist activity. In the new formulation, individual or joint practice of religion is no longer considered as participation in the activities of a prohibited organization, and my worship of God cannot be considered a serious crime. Worship of God should not be blamed and considered a continuation of the activities of the MRO. Indeed, in order to continue legal activity, minutes of meetings, counting of those present, the composition of the audit commission, tax reporting and so on are needed. None of this has happened since 2017.

What really exists now is the spiritual activity of a religious group, which has the right to worship without registration and act independently, according to the 28th article. The Constitution of the Russian Federation.

I am considered guilty on the basis that I was once the chairman of the MRO committee and was the head of the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, dear court, first of all, I am a believer who, together with others, gathers to discuss biblical thoughts and communicate with co-religionists. This should not be a crime.

I once came across an interesting example of a chess club that had a head, administration, assistants and official representatives, as well as its own room where chess competitions, meetings and communication of players took place. And then one day the club is closed, the premises are taken away by the conspiracy of envious people. There are problems. What's next — to run away, stop playing and chatting, forget about chess, give up everything and give up your favorite activity to the delight of envious people? Those who are passionate about chess will not be prevented by the closure of the club, the dissolution of the staff, or the sealing of the building. They will still love chess and will continue to play it. The same applies to beliefs and faith in God. How can it be forbidden to believe, to worship God? These are the impulses of the soul and the heart. They cannot be banned!

People always do what their hearts want them to do. I like to study the Bible, try to understand it and live by its wise advice. I am sure that only the Word of God successfully helps to solve family difficulties, strengthens the bonds of marriage, promotes peace in the work team, helps to live according to the laws of the state. All the witnesses in the criminal case describe me positively. All this confirms that the advice from the Bible works.

If I were conducting illegal activities, then I would go against the instructions from the Bible — to obey the highest authorities or rulers, which are mentioned in Romans 13:1, 2: "Let every soul be submissive to the highest authorities; for there is no authority not from God, but the existing authorities are established by God. Therefore, he who opposes authority opposes God's establishment; and those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves."

Your Honor, if I were to violate the laws of the country in which I live, I would be going against both the authority of God and the government authority appointed by God. But this is not the case. On the contrary, according to the Supreme Court's decision of October 28, 2021, "the actions of persons ... consisting solely in the exercise of their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, including through individual or joint confession of religion, worship or other religious rites and ceremonies, do not in themselves constitute a crime provided for in part 2 of Article 282.2 The Criminal Code OF THE Russian Federation".

According to the court's ruling, there is no reason to consider the exercise of my right as something criminal. Satisfying one's spiritual needs cannot be a crime. Everything I was doing was peaceful and positive, which was confirmed even by the final words of the guilty verdict, which says: "No one has been recognized as a victim in this criminal case." And that's for sure! Has anyone ever suffered from good deeds?

Meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses, where believers study the Bible, teach only goodness and love. The Bible teaches us to think about the positive and the good. Philippians 4:8 says: "Finally, my brethren, what is only true, what is honest, what is just, what is pure, what is kind, what is glorious, what is only virtue and praise, think about it. What you have learned, what you have accepted and heard and seen in me, then do it— and the God of Peace will be with you."

As the Bible says, God is with those who think about the good, about the good. I am also learning goodness and would like God's approval. I think I'm good at it and it can be confirmed by numerous characteristics about me. Those who know me, my friends, acquaintances and relatives, including the administration from my place of work, speak only positively about me, which is the complete opposite of the spirit of extremism that is attributed to me.

The prosecutor requested 7 years of punishment for my so-called extremist activities. This suggests that I may be separated from my family members, relatives and friends for such a long time. And I still don't know if I'll be able to see some of them again after all this time. Curiously, they give much less for really serious crimes.

Your Honor, I'm counting on your objectivity, judgment, and open-mindedness. I hope for a decision that will give peace of mind to you and those who will be affected by this decision.

Dear Court, I would like to thank you for your patience and restraint due to my mistakes in legal concepts. I admit that I have not always been able to do everything smoothly.

I would like to thank all the secretaries involved in the trial for their tact and gentleness. I also wanted to say a few words to the prosecutor. Thank you for your efforts to show respect to all participants in the process. I am also grateful to my lawyer for his help and advice when something was unclear to me.

I would especially like to mention the care and attention of my many dear friends, who strengthened and supported me during such a difficult time for me. They came to the meetings, despite the bad weather, stood and waited outside. I would like to express special gratitude to all my spiritual brothers and sisters around the world who are following the progress of my case.

I am grateful to my dear family, who always came to court sessions, despite the distance of 700 kilometers from home. I was very glad to see them.

Of course, I would like to express my special gratitude to my dear and beloved wife, who, as a faithful assistant, is always by my side.

Dear court, Your Honor, once again I want to declare my complete innocence, I ask you to acquit me and restore my good name!

Summary of the case

Region:

Altai Territory

Locality:

Rubtsovsk

What is suspected:

"He carried out preaching activities he conducted a prayer for all those gathered and discussed holding subsequent meetings"

Criminal case number:

12107010001000019

Case initiated:

May 25, 2021

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

Department of Internal Affairs of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Altai Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-501/2022

Court of first instance:

Rubtsovsky City Court of the Altai Territory

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Alexey Bezrukov