The last word of the defendant Evgeny Zhukov in Sevastopol

 Crimea 

The last word of the defendant Evgeny Zhukov in Sevastopol

September 27, 2022

Crimea

From the courtroom

In his last word, the believer listed the arguments indicating that he could not have criminal intent, and also voiced the purpose of his visit to the services of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Transcript of the court session in the Nakhimovsky district Court of Sevastopol dated 09/27/2022 in the case 1-13/2022 on charges of Zhukov Evgeny Sergeevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Zhukov Evgeny Sergeevich: Dear court, dear present! There are thousands of languages in the world today — according to some estimates, there are more than 7,151 of them. And each of these languages has its own way of expressing thoughts. It is believed that the language spoken by a person determines his belonging to a certain people.

Many who learn a foreign language say that it is necessary not only to memorize new words and learn how to pronounce new sounds correctly, it is necessary to use the organs of speech in a different way, for example, language. You can learn a language so that you will speak like a native speaker of that language. But only the language in which you learn to think will be your native language.

There is a language that defines a person's behavior, his actions and deeds, his desires and goals. It becomes clear from them that a person belongs to the people of God. What kind of language is this? This is the pure language of truth, coming from the Word of God — the Bible. Its bearers are Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ. It is a language that can change not only a person's thinking, but also his essence, both external and internal. In order to learn to speak the language of biblical truth, it is necessary to refresh your mind and learn to think differently. Such language does not accept lies, deception, or cunning.

The Apostle Paul wrote the following words about the positive influence of the language of biblical truth: "Continue to renew your way of thinking and put on a new personality that was created by the will of God and is distinguished by true righteousness and devotion" (Ephesians 4:23, 24).

To do this, it is not enough just to know the basic biblical teachings. It happens that a person has a huge amount of knowledge, but does not know how to apply this knowledge in life due to lack of wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to put knowledge into practice. And speaking a pure language means living in accordance with God's laws and principles. Such language testifies to moral and spiritual purity.

I am immensely glad that 27 years ago I heard and began to study this language of biblical truth. I am happy that I can not only speak it, but also think, and also live in accordance with biblical laws and principles. It changed me and my life.

Unfortunately, sometimes I had to deal with a negative reaction from people who misunderstand or have a distorted view of Jehovah's Witnesses. Perhaps their point of view was influenced by tendentious broadcasts or someone's misconception about Jehovah's Witnesses. Some even call us a "dangerous sect."

If we turn to history, to the time of the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was faithful to God in everything, it becomes obvious that he was also unfairly accused. Thus, "gluttony and drunkenness" were attributed to him, and he was called a "friend of sinners." To such an outright lie, Jesus replied: "The righteousness of wisdom is confirmed by its works" (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34, 35). In other words, he was saying: "Look at my righteous deeds and behavior, and you will realize that your accusation is a lie." The way of life of Jesus has always testified to wisdom.

So it is in my life. I sometimes meet people who knew me before studying the Bible and were initially dubious about my new faith. Now they wonder how applying principles from God's Word—the Bible—has changed my life for the better.

But I could never imagine that my faith in God, my desire to become a better person, to help others, to protect the weak and disadvantaged would become the subject of a lawsuit. I was accused of extremism — of committing a grave crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state. This perplexes me, as it contradicts my character, way of thinking, and Bible-trained conscience. My lifestyle as a baptized Jehovah's Witness shows that my religious views are based on two basic commandments written in Matthew 22:37-40: "Love your God Jehovah with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and most important commandment. And the second is similar to it: "Love your neighbors as yourself." The whole law and the books of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Therefore, arrogance, dislike of anyone, hostility and many other things that I am accused of are alien to me. For me, "love for God and neighbor" is not just words and emotions, but actions. Because love is a verb, which means to love is to act.

Jesus Christ set a great example in this. He told his students: "But the world needs to know that I love my Father. Therefore, I do as the Father has commanded me" (John 14:31). As Jesus did, so do I want to do, because what matters to me is not how people see me, but how God Jehovah sees me.

Realizing this, and also that love is the most important quality, I devoted my life not to any cause, but to Jehovah God, whose main quality is love. Such love is absolutely selfless, as it is based on principles, not emotions, and is always accompanied by deeds through which it is visible.

I can say that I love God and my neighbor, but the question is: how can this be seen from my deeds? After all, Jesus said, "The righteousness of wisdom is confirmed by its works." Therefore, by reading and researching the Bible daily, I not only learn the pure language of biblical truth, but also conduct a personal self-examination in order to recognize my true motives and intentions of the heart. For me, the most important thing is to understand what I am inside, what motivates me, what values I share, what motivates me to make certain decisions and deeds.

You must agree that many people do nothing wrong in their lives, because they are well-mannered, taught good manners, but at the same time they can pull away from doing something good. In my opinion, there is even a provision of the law: "criminal inaction." Therefore, I do not want to "do nothing", but I want and strive to help people, both spiritually and physically.

It doesn't matter to me what a person's character is, height, weight, skin color and eye shape. I try to look at people the way Jehovah God sees them. There is even an expression: "Those who look at others through the eyes of God are not disappointed in people, but perceive them as God loves them." Therefore, I try to live by the principle: each of us is as happy as he lives for others. This is the amazing law of the cycle of good deeds (Proverbs 11:24).

I have heard: "Your religion forbids many things." I will answer with words from the Bible: "Everything is allowed, but not everything is useful. Everything is allowed, but not everything strengthens. Let everyone seek the benefit not of himself, but of another" (1 Corinthians 10:23,24). Serving God, every believer makes his own decisions about how to live and how to act. However, it is always worth remembering: freedom of choice is not only a gift, but also a responsibility. For this reason, in my life I try to act not as I want and see it, but as Jehovah God wants it.

To this end, I attended Christian meetings to learn to understand the laws and principles set forth in the Word of God — the Bible. But not at all in order to continue the activities of the liquidated organization.

My goal as a believer has been and remains to acquire biblical knowledge and apply it in my life. The Bible urges me to do this: "seek true knowledge and cherish it." And the fact that I like to talk about God with other people does not indicate any collusion or intent to commit a crime, but the realization of my right to freedom of religion.

My life as a whole, as well as the actions that I am accused of, are exclusively peaceful. Therefore, I have and still have only one goal: to remain a Christian in all circumstances.

I want to conclude my last word with the words from the book of Proverbs 25:11: "Like golden apples in a silver carved frame, that word is spoken at the right time." Imagine how beautiful it is: apples made of gold in a silver frame! Such a thing is very valuable. Words of gratitude are also very valuable. When they thank us, we are happy. And when we thank others, they are happy. They realize that their efforts were not in vain.

Gratitude cannot be overestimated.

Therefore, I want to express my special gratitude to my God Jehovah for seeing my heart receptive to his word; for teaching me the pure language of biblical truth and helping me act in accordance with what he has learned; for revealing to me his amazing and excellent qualities, and He gave me hope for a wonderful future.

Thank you, Your Honor! May I call you by your first name - patronymic — Olga Alexandrovna? Thank you for separating professional and personal during the entire court session, always respecting our human dignity, and telling us what to do if it was unclear to us. Your smile helped me feel comfortable and calm. I am sincere in my words. Thank you for always letting me speak, not interrupting and listening attentively, but, as befits a judge, if something was wrong, they respectfully but authoritatively corrected me.

Thank you, Valery Sergeevich, for your respect for us! You have always asked decent questions, corrected, explained and listened to us.

Of course, many thanks to our defenders, lawyers! You, like the three Musketeers, fought for us. I hope I didn't offend any of you with this comparison.

Sergey Alexandrovich, thank you for defending my position not superficially, but by delving deeply into the case materials! We have spent hours together preparing for court hearings. Thank you for the information in the case file, you saw not only legal terms, but us, simple sincere believers. Thank you for trying to understand our way of thinking, and as a professional in your field, you did not insist on the letter. They have always taken our opinion into account and treated our faith and Christian position in various issues with sincere respect.

Ilya Valeryevich, thank you so much for your sincere emotions when you defended us! You are a professional in your field. Thank you for your ability to suggest and explain legal terms and laws that are incomprehensible to us in an accessible language! Thank you for listening to us to understand our position! Also, thank you for always trying to understand our way of thinking and respecting our Christian faith!

Boris Vladimirovich, you may have been taciturn, but, you know, the Bible says that many "will be acquired without words" — this is about you. Your attitude and respect for us as people has always resonated in our hearts. As a professional in your field, you noticed the details and found the words that supported and strengthened us.

Thanks to the secretary of the court session Elizaveta Dmitrievna! Thank you for helping me fill out the necessary forms and respectfully telling me where to fill out what!

Thanks to our friends and family — Natasha, Olya, Svetlana! You have always been a support for us, and especially during court sessions.

Summary of the case

Region:

Crimea

Locality:

Sevastopol

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "they conducted liturgical meetings, familiarizing people with the Holy Scriptures, performing acts of mercy spreading information in society concerning scientific, social, historical topics" (from the decision on bringing as an accused)

Criminal case number:

12007350001670043

Case initiated:

October 1, 2020

The current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-13/2022 (1-228/2021)

Court:

Nakhimovsky District Court of Sevastopol

Judge:

Olga Berdnikova