The last word of the defendant Vladimir Sakada in Sevastopol

 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 regarding moral, spiritual and criminal concepts.

I especially want to thank the prosecution, thanks to which this process was initiated. She thereby contributed to the fulfillment of biblical prophecies, and we were honored to participate in it. The Gospel of Mark 13:9-11 records the words of Jesus Christ: "You should be ready. You will be put on trial... and will be taken to rulers and kings because of me so that they will hear about me. Also, the good news must first be preached to all nations."

I, like my co-religionists, have been charged with continuing the activities of a legal entity, and recordings of the services of Jehovah's Witnesses have been provided as evidence. Throughout this process, we tried to show that in fact we did not engage in any extremist activity and did not continue the activities of any legal entities, but as believers we exercised our right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is not prohibited in the Russian Federation.

Jehovah's Witnesses have faith and moral principles based on the Bible, it is not something separate, like a hobby or hobby that can easily be abandoned or changed, it is our life. And if someone believes that by banning a legal body with its charter, everything and everything is prohibited, including people's thinking and lifestyle, then this, in fact, means taking the lives of such people.

In my last word, I want to tell you a little more about this. I touch on history because, without knowing the events of the past, it is impossible to avoid repeating mistakes and problems in the future, especially those related to our relationship with the Creator.

An expensive examination was carried out by the investigative authorities. What are her conclusions? There is no extremism on the recordings. The examination only proves that these are the services of Jehovah's Witnesses. So, at the services of Jehovah's Witnesses, they do not teach extremism. Everyone present here has been able to view these recordings more than once and also make sure of this.

By meeting together for worship and fellowship, we fulfill the law of Jehovah God and the guidance of the head of the Christian congregation, Jesus Christ. In the Bible, in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul, the main reason for Christians meeting together is recorded: "Let us show attention to each other in order to encourage love and good deeds. Let's not neglect our meetings, as has become a habit for some, but let's encourage each other" (Hebrews 10:24, 25). This is how, at our liturgical meetings, we learn to love God, love people, do good deeds, develop Christian qualities and be useful to the society in which we live.

Another important reason for holding worship meetings is the worship of God and our relationship with him. In the book of Malachi, in chapter 3, verses 16-18, it is written that God cares about such gatherings of believers. In the Synodal translation, it sounds like this: "But those who fear God say to each other: "The Lord listens and hears this, and a memorial book is written before His face about those who fear the Lord and honor His name." And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, my property in the day that I make, and I will have mercy on them, as a man has mercy on his son who serves him. And then you will see again the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between serving God and not serving Him."

In modern translation, these poems sound more specific and understandable: "At that time, those who feared Jehovah were talking to each other, each with his neighbor, and Jehovah was listening attentively. A memorial book was written in front of him about those who fear Jehovah and reflect on his name. The day I start acting, says Jehovah, the God of Armies, they will become my special property. And I will pity them as a father pities an obedient son. Then you will see again the difference between the righteous and the lawless, between those who serve God and those who do not serve him." I specially read out an excerpt from different translations to show that the meaning remains the same. But the difference between modern translation is that it is easier to understand.

If we return to the meetings, then, as we see, we have a good reason to gather together and learn good things at worship meetings. Moreover, we have nothing to hide from God, and even, on the contrary, we want to please him with our words and right actions. Jesus left his followers the commandments: to love God, to love our neighbor, and to love even those who hate us. Never repay evil for evil. Therefore, this is exactly what the followers of Jesus try to do. We do not have criminal intentions, hatred and prejudice towards different people, regardless of their faith, nationality and social status, and state laws allow us to hold our meetings and worship services. This is written in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Articles 28 and 31.

Then why are we prevented from worshipping our God Jehovah? The main reason is not the people. The first chapters of the Bible tell us that when God Jehovah created the first human couple, Adam and Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden, he instructed them, he was their Father, their generous breadwinner. They should have appreciated this and understood that their future lives depended on obeying God.

At that time, all creations were perfect. Unlike animals, angels and humans had free will. But soon after the creation of man, one of the angels, abusing the amazing ability to make personal decisions, rebelled against Jehovah's sovereignty. Thus, he made himself an opponent, which is the literal meaning of the name Satan. Driven by ambition, Satan sought to distract the first human couple from Jehovah's God and subjugate them to his influence. He saw them as potential suitors who revered him as their god.

The story of what happened in Eden is not a fairy tale. Jesus Christ called it a historical fact. Jesus said of the Devil, "He has been a murderer since he rebelled and rejected the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he does what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). The Devil's first recorded lie was to Eve when he questioned God's truthfulness. He called for rejecting God's law and argued that it would be useful for everyone to set their own standards in life, to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. Thus, Jehovah's sovereignty was called into question there in Eden. As later events have shown, the loyalty to God of all intelligent creatures, the descendants of Adam and Eve, has also been questioned. Did they serve God because they really loved him, or could they be forced to turn away from him?

This is a so-called universal controversial issue, and I want to be on God's side and I want to leave it to him in my life to determine what is good and what is evil. After all, he is the Creator — our heavenly Father. Mayakovsky's lines come to mind: "The little son came to his father, and the little one asked: — What is good and what is bad? — I have no secrets, — listen, kids, — I'm putting this answer in a book for Dad."

God also has no secrets from us, and he also put his answer to this question in a book — in the Bible. For me, as a believer, the Bible is the main charter by which I want to build my life.

And is it so bad to decide for yourself what is good and what is evil? After all, this is freedom. But freedom is only at first glance. In fact, by desiring independence from God and his moral standards, people become slaves to their own desires. Having become imperfect and not measuring their desires with God's principles, people are led by sin, ambition, greed and selfishness. The man says, "This is my life, I do what I want." And he does. And then such a person is tried for distribution and use of drugs, for murder, fraud, theft. But even if this does not happen, sooner or later a person will think: "What am I living for? And why are there so few? What are the real values in life?" I once found answers to these questions with the help of the Bible and Jehovah's Witnesses. Now I can call myself a very happy person. Moreover, my joy and happiness do not depend on external circumstances in any way.

But why are we called Jehovah's Witnesses? Here we had witnesses from the prosecution, witnesses from the defense, there was even a secret witness. We are Jehovah's witnesses. By our deeds and words, that is, by our whole way of life, we testify that he is the Creator of everything visible and invisible, that all his advice serves people for the benefit, that he has condemned all evil, starting with the founder of lies and evil Satan the Devil and ending with his device, or his system of things, on earth, bringing troubles, suffering, wars and hatred.

In this way, our Creator will fulfill his original plan — to return eternal life to people on earth in heavenly conditions. God gave such a life to the first people, but they decided to live independently of God, following Satan. Today we clearly see the consequences of their decision. But the time of this madness is ending. John 3:16-21 says very well about this, even with legal concepts: "God loves the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him would not perish, but would find eternal life. After all, God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but so that through him the world would be saved. Whoever believes in the Son will not be condemned. And the one who does not believe is already condemned, because he did not believe in the only begotten Son of God. And here is the basis for the judgment: light came into the world, but people fell in love with darkness, not light, because they did evil. After all, the one who does evil hates the light and does not go to the light so that his deeds do not become known. And the one who acts righteously goes to the light so that it can be seen that his deeds are in accordance with the will of God."

Please note that Jehovah's Witnesses do not have anything shrouded in mystery. We do not hide from people the truths that we have learned from the Bible. We do not have secret worship services and secret witnesses, unlike those who spoke for the prosecution, because we have nothing to hide, we are not ashamed of our deeds either before God or before people. And this makes no sense, since the Gospel of Luke 8:17 says: "There is nothing secret that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be revealed and known."

What else are we testifying about? The son of God, Jesus Christ, did not give his life for humanity in vain, and now the lives of all people belong to him. But salvation from the bondage of sin and death will not happen automatically or by someone's compulsion. The desire to live forever in heavenly conditions on earth, according to the laws and principles of the Creator, must be voluntary. That is why Jehovah's Witnesses spend so much time and effort telling others about it and encouraging them to think about it. Sharing the good news and encouraging people to read the Bible in order to change their lives for the better now and inherit eternal life in the future is not the same as forcing a person. Jehovah does not force anyone, he respects everyone's right to choose. Moreover, we respect this right as well. But we do not hide from people what is written in the Bible.

Some witnesses testified in court that Jehovah's Witnesses intimidate people with Armageddon. But is it true? It is worth noting that the doctrine of Armageddon has never been the central teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses, and even more so, the Witnesses never said that Armageddon would lead to the end of the world. We do not use the expression "the end of the world" itself, since the Bible does not teach this.

Jehovah's Witnesses, based on the Bible and driven by love, warn of future events so that people can prepare. Such a warning is similar to the actions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations or the media, which warn of the approach of a tsunami or hurricane. And no one has the idea that they are being intimidated or that the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the media show their superiority in knowing the situation or the exclusivity of the chosen ones, because they are better prepared. Isaiah 44:8 says, "Do not be afraid and do not tremble with fear. Didn't I tell all of you in advance and announce what awaits you? You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? There is no other Rock, I don't know any." And in the book of Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 3, it is written: "The prudent sees trouble, and hides himself; but the inexperienced go forward, and are punished."

In recent years, pressing issues related to our future have been hitting us one after another, and in rapid succession. The conditions are such that people everywhere are in desperate need of help. They may believe in God, but it may seem to them that people themselves will be able to improve the situation. Some are trying to do this through existing governments or mass protests against the decisions of these governments. Others believe that revolution is the only way. They believe that changing laws, replacing rulers or even entire governments will certainly improve living conditions. But what do the facts show? After thousands of years of attempts, people have not created a single government that would bring impartial justice, true security and lasting happiness to all their subjects. All the evidence shows that people harm themselves and others only when they ignore the wise and loving demands of the Creator.

At the same time, Jehovah's Witnesses never join any movements, do not participate in any revolutions, observing complete and strict neutrality. But at the same time, they always tell what is written in the Bible. For example, after the resurrection, Jesus Christ sits in heaven as the King of God's kingdom and the words from the exemplary prayer "Our Father, may your kingdom come and may your will be done on earth as in heaven" will soon be fully fulfilled. When the Kingdom of God begins to rule over the earth, then God's will will be fulfilled on earth — there will be excellent living conditions, in harmony with others, with each other and with the Creator. But at the same time, Jehovah's Witnesses respect the authorities.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, the Apostle Paul calls Christians not to extremism, but to this: "First of all, I urge everyone to turn to God with supplications, prayers, requests and words of gratitude for a wide variety of people, including kings and all those who occupy a high position, so that we can lead a calm and quiet life, showing devotion to God and seriousness in everything. This is good and right in the eyes of our Savior, God, who wants all kinds of people to know the truth and be saved." This is what all Jehovah's Witnesses want. They have never sought to change the world on their own, resisting the authorities, but on the contrary, they are law-abiding citizens, leaving the right to judge and change anything only to God.

I was born and raised in Soviet times in Kiev and was raised as an atheist. At the end of 1990, I was shown in the Orthodox Bible that God has a name — Jehovah. I was wondering: why do Orthodox relatives and other acquaintances say nothing about the God Jehovah, but simply observe religious rituals and holidays? So I started looking for an answer. Comparing the different religious trends of Christianity and not only, I found that many clergymen know that God is called Jehovah, but they keep silent about this fact, and only Jehovah's Witnesses openly talk about it and show where this name is written in the Bible. The name of God is also found in cultural heritage, in musical and artistic works by different authors and different eras.

[...] Jehovah's Witnesses have never sought to make money, have religious or political influence. They were always open in their beliefs, did not have any mysteries of faith, and there was no special elite of believers who live at the expense of their co-religionists. All Jehovah's Witnesses worked, trying to provide for their families, and the rest of the time they preached and helped people. When the stadiums and congress facilities were being prepared, everyone, young and old, came to clean, clean and remove the dirt accumulated at those facilities. I liked these people. And studying the Bible, I understood not only God's plan for the future, but also how to lead a joyful, happy, meaningful life today. Jehovah created us to be different from animals that live by instincts. We can understand God and his plans, we can change for the better, we can get closer to the Creator in our friendship and relationships. That is why we have been given the Bible as a guide or a message to children who receive news and advice from a loving Father.

If you pay attention to the expert opinions, then on each page there is a seal and signature from those who wrote them. What for? This gives weight and points to the original author.

In the found ancient manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures, the tetragrammaton, the spelling of the name of God, is found about 7000 times. Therefore, it is important for God that people know the Holy Scriptures, know his name and use it when addressing him in prayers.

In the Synodal translation of the Bible into Russian in the book of Exodus, chapter 15, verse 3, it says: "The Lord is a man of war, Jehovah is His name." In the book of Hosea 12 chapter 5 verse it is written: "And the Lord is the God of hosts; He who is [Jehovah] is his name."

The reason that the name of God Jehovah has disappeared from various translations of the Bible lies in the fact that God's opponent, Satan the Devil, is trying to distance people from the Creator and take his place in people's minds. And he does it well. He has ruled the world for more than 6,000 years, and his ministers, religious fanatics, superstitious leaders and unscrupulous scribes of the Bible, did everything possible so that the name of Jehovah's God was not known, and the biblical truth was inaccessible and incomprehensible. You probably know well from history what the Inquisition did with translators and printed Bible translations in the Middle Ages. One of them, William Tyndall, translated into plain English a part of the Bible — the New Testament — for which he was persecuted, arrested, executed by strangulation and burned at the stake.

And yet there were many translations and editions of the Bible, some of them used and preserved the name of God Jehovah. In the Synodal translation of the 1876 edition of the Bible, the name of God appears 9 times. In Exodus 6:3, the publisher indicated a clue and indicated in a footnote that in subsequent places in the text the word "Lord" should be understood as the name of the God Jehovah, as it was in the ancient manuscripts found in Hebrew and Greek.

And yet the Bible has become the most widely read book on earth. Why? The answer is in the Bible, in Psalm 11, verses 7 and 8: "The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, melted seven times. You, Lord, will keep them, keep them from this generation forever" (Synodal translation of the Bible). In modern translation, they sound like this: "The words of Jehovah are pure. They are like silver melted down in a clay oven, refined seven times. You will protect them, Jehovah, you will always protect them from this generation."

In the preserved and excavated ancient texts of the Bible in Aramaic and Hebrew, the name of God is written in the form of a tetragrammaton of four consonant letters (YHVH), and this can be seen in various manuscripts that are kept in museums around the world and on display. The name of God in the form of a tetragrammaton can also be seen on coins, frescoes, stained glass windows in various temples, including the Vatican.

In the Orthodox encyclopedia edited by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia (subsection "The Name of God"), the electronic version says: "Since the XVI century, vocalization (Jehovah) began to be used in the West, which appeared as a result of adding vowels to consonants (YHVG), and only in the middle of the XIX century, scientists established that the tetragrammaton should be read like (Jehovah)."

With such clear evidence and evidence, the arguments put forward against the Holy Scriptures on August 22, 2015 in the city of Vyborg, where it is claimed that the Holy Scriptures are not the Bible, become strange. The main argument: "It is not a Bible for the reasons that it does not have such a name, it is based on the translation into English of Hebrew and ancient Greek texts, significant changes have been made to the text, the presence of which is recognized by the authors of the translation of the new world. The most illustrative example is the interpretation of the tetragrammaton in the form of Jehovah."

That court banned that edition of the Bible translation, rejecting all reasonable defense evidence. And this is not surprising.

In the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 23, verses 24 to 28 centuries ago, it was written: "Can a person hide in a secret place where I can't see him?" — says Jehovah. "Is there anything in heaven and on earth that is hidden from my eyes? — says Jehovah. — I have heard the prophets, who prophesy lies on my behalf, say: "I had a dream! I had a dream!" How long will the prophets prophesy lies? They're telling lies that they made up themselves. Through the dreams they tell each other, they want to make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. Let the prophet who had a dream tell his dream, and the prophet to whom I gave my word must convey it faithfully." That is one of the reasons for our persecution. Jehovah's Witnesses try to convey the words of the Bible correctly, as these are the words of the Almighty and living God Jehovah.

No wonder truth and truth are so unpopular in this world. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, also knew about this. Once, in prayer for his followers, he told God: "I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but I'm asking you to protect them from the Devil. They don't belong to the world, just like I don't belong to the world. Sanctify them with the truth. Your word is the truth."

But Satan tried to subordinate even Jesus Christ to his influence and repeatedly provoked him. He once offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth" in exchange for one act of worship. Jesus refused. Later, the people wanted to make him king, but Jesus withdrew. He knew what the global political system was and understood that God's will was not to try to improve or change it.

Jesus demonstrated complete devotion to Jehovah, his God and Father. He loved his heavenly Father and always did what he liked. He knew that the solution to humanity's problems would come through the Kingdom of God, a real government that would rule from heaven and provide the righteous and loving leadership that humanity needed. Only this Kingdom can eliminate the influence of Satan and his demons. Only it can unite people of all races and nations into one global family living in peace. Only it can deliver humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Only it can bring lasting happiness to mankind. This Kingdom is not some kind of agreement created by politicians with the blessing of the clergy. True Christians do not resort to the weapons of carnal warfare to advance their interests. This is God's government, with a perfect heavenly King enthroned by God himself. This is the Kingdom that Jesus preached about and for which he taught his followers to pray.

Jesus was wrongly accused of blasphemy, and because he talked about the Kingdom of God, he was also accused of undermining state power. In 33 AD, Jesus Christ was illegally convicted and sentenced to death. It was the most shameful and perverse trial in the history of mankind. The servants of the Israeli law secretly, at night, with fake false witnesses, could not find a legitimate accusation against Jesus, so they resorted to dirty tactics so that he would incriminate himself and arouse the hatred of religious fanatics.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, in verses 61-66, it is written: "The High Priest said to him, 'Swear by the living God and tell us, are you the Christ, the Son of God?' Jesus answered him, "You said it yourself. I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and walking through the clouds of heaven.“ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He is blaspheming! Why do we need other witnesses? You've just heard blasphemy yourself! What do you say to that?"— "He deserves to die," they answered him."

So, what was Jesus' fault? The fact that he prompted them to compare the prophecies from the holy books of the prophets (we have 39 books of Hebrew Scriptures — part of the Bible, the so-called "Old Testament") and compare his life and the fulfillment of these prophecies. To speak it in modern terms, he suggested that they conduct an examination. But personal ambitions, prejudice, envy and social status prevented the court from doing this and recognizing Jesus' innocence. Even Pontius Pilate tried twice to save Jesus from death and repeatedly stressed that he did not find any guilt in him. But the system at that time needed religious and political fighters who would fight for national ideas against Rome, and the meek, kind and peace-loving people whom Jesus taught interfered with them.

That's why John 11:49, 50 says, "Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, 'You don't understand anything! Is it not clear to you that it would be better for you if one person died for the people than if the whole people died?""

With Jehovah's Witnesses, as with the followers of Jesus Christ, a similar thing happens. Jesus said in John 15:17, 18, 20: "I command you this, that you may love one another. If the world hates you, know that at first it hated me... remember what I told you: a slave is no bigger than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they will keep yours" (John 15:17, 18, 20).

There are no facts against us in murder, hatred of other people, in coups d'etat, in undermining the state or any other legitimate authority. Jehovah's Witnesses are a multinational family that lives for love and has long since got rid of prejudices on national and ethnic grounds. But nationalism, envy and selfishness of individuals push other good people to commit the crime of discriminating against Jehovah's Witnesses on religious grounds. This is a policy of intolerance aimed at making Jehovah's Witnesses afraid to shut up and renounce their beliefs.

But I can say for sure: nothing long-term will come of this. While living on earth, Jesus Christ assured us that "the glad tidings of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole earth so that all nations will hear it, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

In the final book of the Bible, Revelation, 14th chapter, 6th and 7th verses, the Apostle John wrote: "Then I saw an angel flying high above the ground. He brought eternal glad tidings to the inhabitants of the earth, to all nations, tribes and peoples speaking different languages. The angel spoke loudly: "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come! Worship the Creator of heaven, earth, sea and water sources!"

These words assure me that the information from the Bible is very valuable, that it will be available to all people and no one will stop its spread on earth. Today, the Bible has been translated into more than 2,000 languages and is available to everyone. Jehovah's Witnesses share the good news with people in every country of the world. They act as volunteers or volunteers. The message from the Bible is so important and relevant that when you see how the biblical prophecies are fulfilled, it is impossible to remain silent. But I repeat, if a person does not want to talk about it and study the Bible, then this is his right.

And God, as the Creator, will soon put things in order according to his standards, and the key to this is his name Jehovah, which means "he will become who he needs" to fulfill his will.

But God will not destroy our planet and people, the Creator of the earth will make, so to speak, a general cleaning of those who mercilessly destroy our earth and harm people. For kind, sincere, appreciative people, this is encouraging and joyful news, because our planet and life on it will be preserved and improved. The Bible says, "The righteous will inherit the earth and live on it forever" (Psalm 36:29). And only God has the right to decide who these righteous people are. But every person has such a prospect of a happy eternal life.

Jehovah's Witnesses try to apply everything they learn from the Bible in their lives. Thus, current knowledge from the Holy Scriptures helps in overcoming difficulties in modern society. The Bible is a guide to life, and its teachings are our cultural and spiritual heritage. It would be unfair to other people to hide this from them. But we have no right to judge other people, and the Bible says that only to God will everyone personally give an account for himself.

Using the practical methodology and auxiliary tools of Jehovah's Witnesses, I myself better understand the laws of God, and see where they can be applied in everyday life. This makes me really happy, helps me solve various difficulties, and a close relationship with Jehovah gives me confidence in his support and strong hope for the future.

During my life, I was under the rule of three states, and I had no problems with the law and people. And the Bible, with its laws and principles of life, has survived hundreds of forms of government, and it remains practical to this day.

That is why I and those who have become convinced of the truthfulness and practicality of the Bible will continue to act as it says. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 32 and 33, the words of Jesus are recorded: "Whoever openly recognizes me in front of people, I also recognize him in front of my heavenly Father. And whoever denies me in front of people, I will also renounce him in front of my heavenly Father."

There are no casualties in our case. And in general, as it turned out, we are unusual "criminals". In fact, in this situation, it is I, like my co-religionists, who are the injured party.

My secular and religious life does not harm other people, the state and the environment, but only serves as a good example for others, as evidenced by those who know me and my family well. Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious movement is spread throughout the Earth and has legal registration in democratic countries, as it was in the Russian Federation before March 20, 2017. Jehovah's Witnesses are well known as peaceful citizens of the Earth who do not take part in any conflicts anywhere, under any circumstances. This is confirmed by numerous facts. When we were detained, we did not put up any resistance and did not slander those who came to the search. Being in jail and under other types of arrest, there were no negative actions on our part. We are peaceful, law-abiding and cultured people.

On the other hand, various anti-sectarian communities organized various campaigns, pickets and distributed fabricated materials and videos in the media, were engaged in planting prohibited materials, which there is a lot of evidence. They formed a biased opinion of people in the Russian Federation, which clearly violates the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Articles 13, Parts 2, 4, 5, which states: "no ideology can be established as a state or mandatory"; "It is prohibited to create and operate public associations whose goals or actions are aimed at forcibly changing the foundations of the constitutional system, inciting social, racial, national and religious discord."

We live in a country that knows well what repression, genocide, war, terror, fascism are. Many people remember the story well and are rightly outraged if someone tries to rewrite it. It is very important to remember, know and pass on history to future generations, but it is much more important to learn lessons from history so as not to accidentally let down and push society towards the development of events that will bring grief, evil and suffering to people.

Today, some communities have even taken upon themselves the right to prohibit the dissemination of the saving good news and force government officials to violate the country's own Constitution in order to persecute those who help people understand the Bible and get closer to God.

The translation of the Bible entitled "Holy Scripture — Translation of the New World" was unreasonably banned, some biblical literature that used quotations from various Bible translations was also banned, which subsequently caused the liquidation of the Management Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 396 local legal entities on April 20, 2017. This was followed by religious persecution of groups and individuals of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Article 19, Part 2 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states that "the state guarantees equality of human and civil rights and freedoms regardless of gender, race, place of residence, attitude to religion, beliefs, membership in public associations ... Any form of restriction of citizens' rights on grounds of social, racial, national, linguistic or religious affiliation is prohibited."

Article 29, Part 1 adds: "Everyone is guaranteed freedom of thought and speech"; Part 2 continues: "Propaganda or agitation inciting social, racial, national or religious hatred and enmity is not allowed."

There are no facts in our court case that I have ever engaged in such a thing, that is, I somehow undermined the state or religious foundations of society or incited other people to do so. But at the same time, my rights as a believer and a citizen of the Russian Federation, as well as the rights of my family, were illegally violated, which brought a number of problems, both emotional, physical and material.

And similar actions on the part of the state are widespread. In fact, this is a religious persecution in order to stop believers, Jehovah's Witnesses, so that we do not spread the good news about the salvation of people and about the Kingdom of God.

Such a goal is pursued by law enforcement agencies. This is clearly seen from the words of FSB officer D. I. Shevchenko, when during the interrogation he "suggested" what I should do — become anyone but a Jehovah's Witness, shut up and read the Bible to myself at home, but not gather with co-religionists, not preach about Jehovah to others and even stop calling God by name. Isn't this religious persecution and the imposition of a different point of view, which is prohibited by law and the Constitution?

The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is not a new practice. In Nazi Germany, for refusing to fight and even pronounce "Heil Hitler", they were thrown into concentration camps, imprisoned and exiled to Siberia under the Stalinist regime, in the 1990s Jehovah's Witnesses in our country were recognized as victims of repression and fully rehabilitated, but, as it turned out, not for long.

One day, a story happened to the apostles of Jesus. This is described in the 5th chapter of the book of Acts: "The apostles performed many signs and wonders among people. They all gathered together in Solomon's colonnade. No one else dared to join them, but people spoke well of them. There were more and more believers in the Lord, both men and women. The high priest and his Sadducee supporters, driven by envy, seized the apostles and threw them into the city prison."

After the apostles were interrogated in the Sanhedrin, it turned out that they did not intend to stop preaching. Of course, this caused the fury of the pursuers: "Upon hearing this, they became enraged and wanted to kill them. But then a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, rose up and ordered the apostles to be brought out for a while. Then he said, "Israelis, think carefully before you do anything with these people. Some time ago, Fevda appeared, who called himself the great, and about 400 people joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers scattered and disappeared. After him, during the census, Galileo appearedJudas Yanin took some of them with him. But he also died, and all his followers fled. That's why I'm telling you: leave these people alone, don't touch them. After all, if this plan or business is from people, then it will collapse, and if it is from God, you will not be able to destroy it. Otherwise, it may turn out that you are fighting with God himself" (Acts 5:33-39).

Dear court, 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.

I do not consider myself guilty and I have nothing to repent for. I dedicated my life and everything I have to the living Almighty God Jehovah and became a Jehovah's Witness in order to live according to the laws of God myself and help people learn the biblical truth. I will continue to try to do the same, no matter where I am. This is the Christian way of life, which was taught by Jesus Christ and which shows the true meaning of life for every person. For me, the most important thing is God's approval and the words recorded in Isaiah 54:17 I consider his support. It says: "Any weapon created against you will be useless, and anyone who accuses you will be condemned. This is the legacy of Jehovah's servants. I consider them righteous," says Jehovah." And although, like all servants of God, I am not free from all difficulties today, but I am confident in the support of Jehovah, that he will give strength and help to preserve joy and remain steadfast and faithful.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all the participants in this process: the judge, her assistant and secretary, the public prosecutor, bailiffs, guards, inspectors of the Federal Penitentiary Service, and, of course, our lawyers. I am also very grateful to my friends and my family for their support.

Your Honor, thank you very much for taking so much time and effort to consider this difficult case.

I respectfully ask you to acquit me and the other participants and restore our good name as respectable and law-abiding citizens of the Russian Federation.

Summary of the case

Region:

Crimea

Locality:

Sevastopol

What is suspected of:

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

Criminal case number:

12007350001670043

Case initiated:

October 1, 2020

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