The last word of the defendant Liya Maltseva in Partizansk

 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 repeatedly.

I would also like to thank the state prosecutor Nadezhda Alexandrovna for her approach to the case, kindness and understanding.

I thank the secretaries for their high-quality, accurate and precise work.

I am grateful to my lawyer Natalia Viktorovna for her help and support during the investigation and trial. Thank you, Olga Sergeevna, for not refusing, but picking up and building protection with warmth and understanding.

I am very grateful to everyone who supported and supports me: my dear mother, my brothers and sisters for their prayers and for their personal involvement.

Your Honor, I have been studying the Holy Scriptures for more than twenty years. Thanks to the knowledge I have gained, I have learned not to hate people and not to incite anyone to violence and cruelty. I am against extremism. The video we watched at one of the meetings confirms this.

Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation gives me the right to choose any religion and worship God in accordance with it. And one day I made such a choice. Why did I choose the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and remain in it?

During the process, I talked about studying the Word of God, the Bible. It talks about the name of God, what wonderful qualities he has and why his servants are called Witnesses. The book of Isaiah says, "My witnesses, saith the Lord, are you and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me, and understand that it is I: there was no God before me, and there will be no God after me" (Isaiah 43:10). And in the biblical book of Exodus, it says about God: "Jehovah is his name" (Exodus 15:3). That's why his people are called "Jehovah's Witnesses."

I really like the qualities of God. I am learning to apply them in my daily life. For example, such a quality as mercy. According to the Bible, this is an active action, a manifestation of kind participation and pity, bringing relief to those who suffer and need help and sympathy.

Another distinctive quality of Jehovah is patience. This is the ability to endure mistreatment and resentment for a long time, without losing hope that the relationship with the abuser will improve.

And we've all heard the phrase at least once: "God is love." Yes, this is his main quality, it is multifaceted. The Bible says: "Love is patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful. She does not swell with pride, is not irritable, does not consider her grievances, does not rejoice in unkind things, but rejoices with others in the truth. She always protects, always believes, always hopes, always endures" (1 Corinthians 13:5-7, Modern translation). And heavenly Father shows such love to people of any race, gender, social status. He "does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Thanks to working on these qualities, it is easier for me to put up with the shortcomings of others, not to get annoyed when someone acts rudely, to forgive injustice, insults. Not to engage in forgiveness and connivance, but to help a person understand what he is wrong about, continuing to show him care and kindness.

Looking at nature and animals, I saw such qualities of God as strength, wisdom, generosity, humor. The earth was created in an amazing way not only so that we could exist on it, but also so that we could enjoy life. I realized this because I study the Bible. When you feel a light breeze, bask in the warm rays of the sun, taste a juicy fruit or hear the delightful singing of birds, you get excited. And when you look at the heavens, stars and planets, you can't help but wonder "Who created all this power?". And the prophet Isaiah said: "Lift up your eyes to the height of heaven and see who created them? Who brings out the army by their account? He calls them all by name" (Isaiah 40:26).

And a sense of humor? Looking at the antics of chimpanzees, the color of birds and animals, the play of their cubs, you involuntarily begin to smile and understand that God has a sense of humor. And in practice, you realize that this is a universal defense mechanism in various stressful situations. Laughter and fun help us forget about our worries, it's easier to look at life.

Reflecting on all these qualities, seeing the care of such a strong, wise, loving Father, I wanted to serve Him. I realized that no matter what a person was like before he started researching the Bible, getting to know Jehovah, he changes, becomes like our heavenly Father. As they say: "With whom you will fall in love, you will gain from that." It is unthinkable for me not only to commit a crime, but also to hate or even insult someone.

The Bible says that God never wanted and does not want evil and violence to happen. And he expects his ministers to develop the same mindset, attitude and attitude. And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Happy are the peacemakers… Happy are the meek… Happy are the merciful… Happy are the pure in heart… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, and then you will be children of the Heavenly Father" (Matthew, chapters 5-7, Modern translation).

God has warned through his Word that each of us will have to account for ourselves to him (Romans 14:12, Modern translation). I am fully aware of this and try to lead such a lifestyle that my Father eventually approves of me.

And in order for me to cope with this task, he, like a loving Father, stretches out his hand and says: "Take it. I'll help you. I will support you", "Do not worry, I am with you, I am your God, I will give you strength and support you with My right hand" (Isaiah 41:10, Modern translation).

Your Honor, the more I learn about our loving and caring heavenly Father, the more I want to imitate him and be obedient, to learn and talk about the qualities of God and the promises that are written in the Bible. He is the greatest Legislator, and I want to be a law-abiding citizen in his eyes.

It is alien to me to be an extremist. Taking into account all of the above, I ask you to justify me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Partizansk

Criminal case number:

12002050018000048

Case initiated:

June 1, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The investigative department for the city of Partizansk of the SU IC of the Russia Federation in the Primorsky Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-6/2022 (1-131/2021)

Court:

Partizansky City Court of Primorsky Krai

Judge:

Alexander Yagubkin

Court of Appeal:

Primorsky Regional Court