The last word of the defendant Dmitry Ignatov in Orel

 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: mothers, sisters, brothers, as well as loyal friends who have been worrying, comforting and strengthening us all this time since December 9, 2020. We are very grateful to them. Thank you for always coming to the meetings and supporting us. We really appreciate it.

Your Honor, I am grateful to you for being patient with me, being understanding if I said something wrong, and kindly correcting me. I also thank you for scheduling court sessions, considering my work, although you were not obliged to do so. Thanks also to the court secretary for always treating me, my wife and my friends kindly. I am also grateful to the state prosecutors, there were many of them, but everyone treated me with respect. Thanks to my lawyer for helping me figure out some terms or laws.

Of course, first of all I am grateful to my God Jehovah, without his help I would not have been able to pass this test with dignity.

Your Honor, it's just a little bit left, and you will announce the verdict. I never thought that I would stand trial, and even on such a serious charge. I have always tried to be a law-abiding, kind and peaceful person, I have always tried to avoid conflict situations in order to keep peace with others. But, unfortunately, the reality is that even if a person has not committed a crime, he may be considered a criminal. That's what happened to me.

The trial had not even begun yet (and even more so nothing had been proven in court), but some of the officers who conducted the search, some investigators already considered me guilty, and this was reflected in their attitude towards me. I also got on the list of extremists, which is why I could not use bank cards, make any transactions, even at the post office they refused to issue a parcel. The employees of the institutions saw that I was on such a terrible list, and how should they treat me? The very name scared them already, and it was difficult for me to explain anything to them. But in no case do I hold a grudge against anyone. My God teaches me to forgive people who hurt with their words or deeds, even those who can hurt. After all, God himself is patient with a variety of people and is ready to forgive them. In this I strive to imitate him.

If you pay attention to the accusation that was put forward to me, then in general it resembles a Christmas ball: shiny on the outside, but empty on the inside. There are a lot of scary words in it, but there is no concrete evidence. All the evidence, in fact, boils down to the fact that I am a believer and profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. This religion is not prohibited in the Russian Federation, as evidenced by the decision of the Supreme Court. Nothing else was proven during the trial. And if it is not prohibited by law, why should I stop reading the Bible, singing songs, praying in front of others, discussing my beliefs with others?

I remember one of the investigators said these words: "No one forbade you to do this, just do not participate in the activities of an extremist organization." So, if no one forbade, then what am I doing here? In this case, there is no evidence that there are signs of extremism in my words and deeds. Moreover, there is no evidence that I participated in the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses NGO "Eagle". Unfortunately, studying the case materials, it is fashionable to see that the investigator and now the state prosecutor are trying to distort the understanding of the laws so that everything looks as if I not only participated in the activities of a banned organization, but also acted out of extremist motives. Why did the state prosecutor not voice a single extremist statement or action on my part at any court hearing that would show that I am a criminal and dangerous to others? Because I've never done that. If there had been something, then something would have surfaced during the year of collecting information about me.

I want to give you an example. A person living in the territory of another state wanted to become a citizen of the Russian Federation. Russian Russians. Can we say that if he drives a Russian car, cooks Russian dishes and learns Russian, he automatically becomes a citizen of the Russian Federation? Of course not. To do this, he needs to have certain documents and take an oath. The same is true for me — I did not automatically become a participant or a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses NGO "Eagle" only on the basis that I believe in God and profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, as it is professed by Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world.

From the very beginning of my persecution for the faith, I saw that my circumstances were similar to those faced by Jesus Christ. That is why his example of faith and perseverance became so close to me. Despite everything, he showed love to people until his death, even to those who demanded his death and executed the sentence. He was unfairly accused of serious sins against people and God. In the Gospel of Luke 23:1, 2 it is written: "Then they all got up and led Jesus to Pilate. There they began to accuse him: "This man calls the people to revolt, forbids paying taxes to Caesar and says that he is the Christ, the king." This accusation on three counts, in fact, meant that Jesus was charged with high treason, or, as the Romans called it, "insulting majesty." Now this accusation would sound like participation in extremism. Obviously, Jesus did nothing wrong, and all the accusations were false. But Jesus asked God not to impute sin to them, because they did not know what they were doing. And he is a great example for me of how to treat people who hate me or unfairly persecute me — to show love. This is the opposite of any manifestation of extremism.

Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world are known for their peaceful religious beliefs, as evidenced by their history. And those who are really familiar with Jehovah's Witnesses are genuinely surprised: "Why should they be persecuted, let alone sent to prison?" People can't get it into their heads.

Your Honor, I want to say that my conscience is calm and clear, because I have not violated either the Criminal Code or the law of God. I have not caused any harm to anyone by my actions. The Bible says: "It is better to suffer for good deeds, if God allows it, than for evil ones" (1 Peter 3:17); "Even if you have to suffer for righteousness, you are happy" (1 Peter 3:14). Indeed, I am happy that I am not suffering for a crime, but for worshipping God. For me, friendship with family and friends is the most valuable thing in life, and friendship with God is more valuable than life itself. It is unthinkable for me not only to act contrary to the laws of God, but even to think about it. I value my relationship with God and do everything to remain his friend. And that means staying away from anything related to extremism. There are people who are ready to give their lives for their homeland, thereby showing that they love it more than life. So it is important for me to remain a friend of God, even under the threat of imprisonment or death.

In conclusion, I want to say that in the accusation against me, I see a biased attitude towards me as a Jehovah's Witness!

Your Honor, I did not commit any crime, but only exercised my constitutional right to believe in Jehovah God and live in accordance with my religious beliefs. In this regard, I ask the court to acquit me and find me innocent.

Summary of the case

Region:

Oryol region

Locality:

Orel

What is suspected of:

"Actively participated in the study of religious literature" (from the decision on bringing as an accused)

Criminal case number:

12102540005000069

Case initiated:

October 28, 2021

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigating:

From the SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Oryol region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-123/2024

Court of first instance:

Sovetsky District Court of Oryol

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Andrey Tretyakov.