The last word of the defendant Nikita Moiseev in Gukovo

 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 worshipping God. Worship as it is written in the Holy Scriptures — the Bible. And how this could undermine the constitutional order or make me a propagator of extremist ideas, I sincerely do not understand. Therefore, I am somewhat perplexed by the words of the public prosecutor, who, when requesting a term, mentioned that imprisonment is necessary for correction.

I don't understand, what should I fix in myself? That is, it turns out that I somehow incorrectly believe in God. In fact, I see that it is not the presence of extremism in my words and my actions that is a crime, but only the name of my religion. That I call myself a Jehovah's Witness.

At one of the meetings, you asked one of the experts the following question: "What is wrong with Jehovah's Witnesses? Why are they being persecuted?" I don't remember what he said then. It seems that someone sees a financial or political background in this. But, in my opinion, the answer has long been written in the Bible. I will quote the words of Jesus Christ. He once told his followers, "If you were from this world, the world would cherish its own. And since you are not of the world, but I have chosen you from the world, the world hates you. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." This is the Gospel of John.

If you have ever heard such an expression "not of this world", then this is just about Jehovah's Witnesses. We really stand out from others: we do not learn to fight, we do not take up arms, we remain neutral in political matters, and so on. People whose beliefs do not fit into the usual framework for most have always been treated with some suspicion, with misunderstanding.

Take the life of Jesus Christ himself. The Bible tells how at one time he faced serious opposition from very influential people. Not everyone liked his work. In the end, how did it end? He was convicted as a criminal and put to death. I wonder what kind of accusation was brought against him? I will quote from the Holy Scriptures again: "We found out that he corrupts our people (his accusers said this), forbids paying taxes to Caesar and says that he is Christ the King." In fact, in today's language, he was accused of a crime against the constitutional order.

Or take the life of one of the followers of Christ. This is the Apostle Paul. He is also a revered saint throughout the Christian world. He was also injured. He was also put to death. But for what? I will quote what he was accused of: "We found that this man is a contagion to society, the instigator of riots among all Jews throughout the inhabited earth and the head of the sect of the Nazarenes. He tried to desecrate the temple. But we captured him." This is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible. Again, we see that he was accused of some extreme views, a crime against the public. And there are a lot of such examples to be found. Not necessarily in the Bible.

You do not need to go far — George the Victorious is depicted on the coat of arms of the Russian Federation. He is also a Christian martyr! He lived under the Emperor Diocletian, and when he became a Christian, his worldview changed. He refused to participate in the bloodshed, refused to fight. He was put to death for this. That is, beliefs brought a person to trial, and after that a massacre ensued.

I want to emphasize that these aforementioned people were not criminals. But their beliefs were different from the views of most people at that time. And, very importantly, their beliefs were based on the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Just like the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses today. They are also not taken from somewhere out there and not invented by some people. They are taken from the Holy Scriptures.

For example, the tradition of gathering together, collectively, to worship the God Jehovah. I would like to point out that the followers of this religion have also been repeatedly persecuted and persecuted in the past. This was the case in the United States, Canada, Germany, and the Soviet Union. What happened then? As a rule, they were rehabilitated and recognized as victims of political repression. But, as history shows, it doesn't teach people anything.

Now, in our time, the same thing is repeated. It's amazing how everything can change and turn around in a short time. Some 10 years ago, we openly gathered in large groups at congresses, including in Rostov-on-Don. These were events attended by thousands of people. The police also came there, but to protect our peace. So that there is order there, so that in no case was there a terrorist act.

Moreover, I personally heard some police officers rave about how decent, kind, peace—loving people are Jehovah's Witnesses. I will even say that some of them later became Jehovah's Witnesses themselves. However, now the situation has changed, just diametrically opposite. Turned 180 degrees. Then the question is: have Jehovah's Witnesses gone bad? Have you become some kind of notorious scoundrels? I'm sure you don't! As a person who is a Jehovah's Witness myself, I can say that the attitude towards us has simply changed. And it has changed largely due to such malicious slander, which was spread, among other things, in the media. Moreover, these prejudices could be found during our trial. Victoria Grigoryevna, the state prosecutor, once said: "That's what it says in your Bible." That is, allegedly, Jehovah's Witnesses have some kind of their own Bible, different from others. She is, of course, forgivable. She's not a religious scholar! What I am quoting from the Holy Scriptures now can be found in any Bible, in any translation and in any language. There will be words with the same meaning. Some will say that these words can be interpreted in different ways, but this is usually what people who are not familiar with the Bible say. Or maybe she's never been held in her hands.

There was also a question during our trial: who conveyed the will of God to you? I will answer: the will of God is clearly and clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures. Here is a simple excerpt. The famous 10 commandments from the Bible. It says: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, honor your father and mother. What is to be interpreted here? Everything is intelligible, clearly stated and understandable even to a child. A person has to do something and avoid something. In this way, we can ingratiate ourselves with our Creator, our Creator. And this is just one of the many passages that regulate the life of a Christian.

To end this conversation about the Bible, this book is amazing in its own way. This is an instruction for life. And as a Christian, as a Jehovah's Witness, I try to live exactly as this book teaches. It tells you how to make family life happy, and how to raise children. There is a lot of talk about what awaits all of humanity in the near future. But most importantly, there is a lot of talk about our Creator, about God. For example, that his name is Jehovah. From this name, in fact, this religion takes its name — Jehovah's Witnesses. The Bible says that the loving, kind God Jehovah is always ready to help anyone who asks him for it. And, moreover, every person has the opportunity to become even a friend of God, that is, to develop a close, close relationship with him. In the Bible, Jehovah is called a judge. In a sense, you are colleagues with him, but He is the only judge of the whole Earth. And this reminds every person of the responsibility they bear before God for their actions.

Here's a short summary of what I believe in. And I want to emphasize once again that I believe not because one of the people invented it or some spiritual leader implemented these ideas, but because it has long been clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures, that is, in the Bible.

There was also a question during our trial: who conveyed the will of God to you? I will answer: the will of God is clearly and clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures. Here is a simple excerpt. The famous 10 commandments from the Bible. It says: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, honor your father and mother. What is to be interpreted here? Everything is intelligible, clearly stated and understandable even to a child. A person has to do something and avoid something. In this way, we can ingratiate ourselves with our Creator, our Creator. And this is just one of the many passages that regulate the life of a Christian.

To end this conversation about the Bible, this book is amazing in its own way. This is an instruction for life. And as a Christian, as a Jehovah's Witness, I try to live exactly as this book teaches. It tells you how to make family life happy, and how to raise children. There is a lot of talk about what awaits all of humanity in the near future. But most importantly, there is a lot of talk about our Creator, about God. For example, that his name is Jehovah. From this name, in fact, this religion takes its name — Jehovah's Witnesses. The Bible says that the loving, kind God Jehovah is always ready to help anyone who asks him for it. And, moreover, every person has the opportunity to become even a friend of God, that is, to develop a close, close relationship with him. In the Bible, Jehovah is called a judge. In a sense, you are colleagues with him, but He is the only judge of the whole Earth. And this reminds every person of the responsibility they bear before God for their actions.

Here's a short summary of what I believe in. And I want to emphasize once again that I believe not because one of the people invented it or some spiritual leader implemented these ideas, but because it has long been clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures, that is, in the Bible.

Anyone who has the goal of unbiased understanding of the biblical teachings will clearly understand why Jehovah's Witnesses hold certain views. And I am sure it will become clear to such a person that those who position themselves as followers of this religion cannot be criminals! Because the main teachings of Christ and, in general, Christianity are to love your neighbors and love your Creator. How can you harm someone, be an extremist, do any evil?

Your Honor, I would really like you to be able to learn something about people who worship Jehovah, but not in a judge-defendant situation, but in everyday life, in everyday life. I am sure that this could dispel a lot of inveterate stereotypes, if there are any, of course.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you once again. I would suggest that this is one of the most unusual cases in your career that you have ever considered. In my opinion, you are an excellent specialist. You have always listened to us, never interrupted us, and let us speak out. It was very pleasant. And I will also assume that there was no such period in your life when so many people prayed for you. Personally, I was constantly praying, and even before our case was brought to court, I asked, of course, that we get the best judge who can understand everything with prudence and take an objective look at this situation. And what happened?

When we were on our way to the first court session (last November it was), one of the guards asked who would judge us, and when he heard your name, he said that we were very lucky. He said that you are the best judge in the city. And a short time later, some of the prisoners who also traveled with us to the IVS talked about you in a similar way. So you have a reputation for being a reasonable, sensible person. In any case, I would regard this as an answer to my prayer. Well, anyway, it was nice to meet you. Thank you very much.

I would like to briefly thank the state prosecutors, especially Victoria Grigorievna. Thank you very much! Everything has always been very tactful on your part towards us.

Please convey my gratitude to your colleagues, too. I'm sure you've figured it out. At least we were able to see that we are not criminals and understand it. There are some circumstances that do not depend on us, and they influence our decisions. And it is also very nice that you are a believer. You told me about it once. It's worth a lot.

I can't ignore Lidia Anatolyevna. Thank you very much for your kindness and humanity. Once, at the first meeting, you said: "If I had my way, I would let you all go!" I thought back then: "It's a pity that you won't be the judge!" In any case, it was always nice to see your warm smile. Thank you very much.

I will also say thank you to the guards. There has never been any rudeness on your part towards us. You have always been understanding of our needs. It's very nice. Thank you very much to your colleagues. Some have already retired, however, while we are suing, but, nevertheless, somehow my words will reach them.

Dear lawyers! I would like to hug you, but circumstances do not allow. Actually, thank you for taking on this difficult task. You have been with us at every stage. They gave us good advice, supported us, and enthusiastically represented and defended our interests. Thank you very much!

Many thanks also to those people who came to support us in the cold and heat. Here, near the courthouse, a huge group of people was gathering. Those prisoners who rode with us in a paddy wagon for the first time were interested in: Who is this, why is this meeting, who are these people? And sometimes we joked, saying: "These are the people from whom we took the apartments away." But then they had a question: "Then why are they applauding, shouting that they love you?" We've already had to show our cards here, tell them that this is our support group. And it always gave me strength!

Yes, we have always felt that we have a huge spiritual family that is ready to come to our aid, that is ready to help us out. Thank you very much! You've done a great job for us by just coming to support us.

I want to say that all these difficulties associated with imprisonment, separation from family and friends, and from my precious wife Sofia — this is probably the most difficult time. But all this only proved once again that, relying on God, you can adequately endure any difficulties, any trials. I was recently told this phrase: "If a person can call God Jehovah his friend, then in any circumstances, in any situation, he will feel safe." And it's true! The fact that we were imprisoned, although it is unpleasant — yes, and sometimes difficult, but nevertheless, it once again showed that in my life I made the right choice — the choice to become a Jehovah's witness.

Summary of the case

Region:

Rostov region

Locality:

Gukovo

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "they called meetings of co-religionists, prayed and sang songs to the God Jehovah"

Criminal case number:

12002600001000874

Case initiated:

August 7, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

From the Department of Internal Affairs of the SU IC of Russia in the Rostov region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-20/2022 (1-710/2021)

Court:

Gukovsky City Court of the Rostov region

Judge:

Natalia Batura.