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 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Nikita Moiseev in Gukovo September 12, 2022 Rostov region From the courtroom The believer drew the court's attention to the fact that the followers of Christ have been persecuted since the beginning of the formation of the Christian faith in the first century, and this continues today. He stressed: "It is not the presence of extremism in my words and my actions that is a crime, but only the name of my religion." Transcript of the court session in the Gukovsky City Court of the Rostov region dated 09/12/2022 in the case 1-710/2021 on charges of Moiseev Nikita Valeryevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Nikita Moiseev: Thank you, Your Honor, for the opportunity to speak in conclusion. I ask you to pay attention to my motives once again. If you suddenly think that I have done something illegal, then please keep in mind that I was only pursuing the goal of w...

 RUSSIA Another Conviction of One of Jehovah's Witnesses in Oryol. Dmitriy Ignatov Sentenced to Two Years of Forced Labor July 25, 2024 Oryol Region Dmitriy Ignatov, 27, believer from Oryol, was found guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. That is how Andrey Tretyakov, a judge of the Sovetskiy District Court of Oryol, classified "active study of religious literature" among fellow believers. The verdict was announced on July 24, 2024. "The accusation that was brought against me is like a Christmas ball: shiny on the outside, but empty on the inside," the believer noted in his last word. "There are a lot of scary words in it, but there is no concrete evidence." According to Ignatov, the materials of the case only confirm that he professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The believer considers himself innocent and intends to appeal the verdict. "Not even once did the state prosecutor voice at the court hearin...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Dmitry Ignatov in Orel July 22, 2024 Oryol region The believer compared the unsubstantiated accusation against himself to a Christmas tree toy — "shiny on the outside, but empty inside." He stressed: "At no court hearing did the state prosecutor voice a single extremist statement or action on my part." Transcript of the court session in the Sovetsky District Court of Orel dated 07/22/2024 in case 1-123/2024 on charges of Ignatov Dmitry Vladimirovich of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Ignatov Dmitry Vladimirovich: Your Honor, I want to start my last word with gratitude. I am grateful to my wife Daria for living in accordance with her vow, which she made at our wedding — to love and take care of me not only when everything is good in life, but also when difficult times come. It would have been even more difficult for us if it hadn't been for our relatives: moth...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Liya Maltseva in Partizansk September 20, 2022 Primorsky Krai From the courtroom In her last word, the believer explained that the Bible had taught her not to hate people. According to her, people who love God cannot be extremists. "I really like the qualities of God. I am learning to apply them in my daily life," Maltseva stressed. Transcript of the court session in the Partizansky City Court of Primorsky Krai dated 09/20/2022 in the case 1-131/2021 on charges of Maltseva Liya Nikolaevna of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Maltseva Liya Nikolaevna: Dear court and dear participants in this process! Thank you all for the way this process went, for the open-minded attitude, for the respect and attention shown to me. Your Honor, thank you for your attitude and understanding. When it was difficult for me to collect my thoughts due to anxiety or my poor health, you helped me rep...

 RUSSIA  The ECHR Recognized the Violation of the Rights of 16 More of Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia July 23, 2024 European Union,   Primorye Territory,   Omsk Region, Saratov Region,   Khabarovsk Territory, Kaluga Region On July 18, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights granted nine complaints by Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia at once, who were subjected to illegal searches, arrests, and convictions for their religion. The Russian Federation is obliged to pay the believers 156,000 euros in compensation and 4,000 euros in legal costs. The court ruling concerns 14 men and two women. Most of them have already served real or suspended sentences: Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, Konstantin Bazhenov, Aleksey Budenchuk, Feliks Makhammadiyev, Gennadiy German, Aleksey Miretskiy, Roman Gridasov, Mariya Karpova, Marat Abdulgalimov, Arsen Abdullaev and Anton Dergalev. Valeriy Moskalenko paid the fine. Irina Buglak continues to serve a suspended sentence....

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Vitaly Omelchenko in Murmansk September 22, 2022 Murmansk region From the courtroom Speaking with the last word in court, the believer stressed that "undermining the foundations of the constitutional order and the non—recognition of authorities is definitely not about Jehovah's Witnesses... The preaching of Jehovah's Witnesses brings not only spiritual benefits to society, but also literally saves lives." Transcript of the court session in the Oktyabrsky District Court of Murmansk dated 09/22/2022 in the case 1-11/2022 (1-83/2021) accusing Omelchenko Vitaly Nikolaevich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Omelchenko Vitaly Nikolaevich: It was the first time I was at a trial where I was accused of a criminal offense. I have observed both positive and negative aspects. I would like to focus on some positive ones. On the part of the operative A. S. Romanov and other FSB...

 JAPAN Hate Crimes Against the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan: The Victims Speak 07/22/2024 The anti-cult campaigns following the assassination of Shinzo Abe generated not only hate speech but physical violence as well. Two women tell their stories. by Massimo Introvigne That hate speech generates hate crimes is being dramatically confirmed in Japan, where a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses were physically assaulted after a campaign against them was started following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The assassin claimed that in 2002 his mother, a member of the Unification Church (now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), went bankrupt because of her excessive donations to the movement. A campaign against the “cults” followed, which also targeted the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including through guidelines published by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare against the alleged “religious abuse of children” who grow up in conservative re...

 RUSSIA  Appeal Upheld Suspended Sentences for Three Elderly Residents of Barnaul for Talking About Jehovah July 19, 2024 Altai Territory The sentence to veteran Mikhail Reshetnikov, 75, 69-year-old disabled person of group III Yuriy Kolotinskiy and 74-year-old Anatoliy Sarychev entered into force with minor changes - the corresponding decision was made by the Altai Territory Court on July 19, 2024. Each of the believers received a 2-year and 3-month suspended sentence. Kolotinskiy, Reshetnikov and Sarychev received suspended sentences on charges of participating in the activities of an extremist organization for participating in peaceful religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. The appellate instance changed the part of the verdict regarding the restriction of freedom: believers are forbidden to visit places of mass events and participate in them without the consent of supervisory bodies, while the ban on participation in other events was excluded from the verdict. The regi...

 CRIMEA  The last word of the defendant Vladimir Sakada in Sevastopol September 27, 2022 Crimea From the courtroom In his last words, the believer told the court that Jehovah's Witnesses are well known as peaceful citizens. He stressed: "I am not an extremist and I have never organized extremist activities, I have not continued any prohibited activities and I am not going to do this." Transcript of the court session in the Nakhimovsky district Court of Sevastopol dated 09/27/2022 in the case 1-13/2022 (1-228/2021) on charges of Sakada Vladimir Fedorovich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Sakada Vladimir Fedorovich: Dear court, state Prosecutor and all those present, I want to thank you for your professional ethics and attention to the case materials and to us personally. I am sure that this court case is a useful practice for resolving misunderstandings that have arisen between legal laws regard...