In Primorye, the Sentence for Faith to Anton Virich Came into Force. The Court of Appeal Reduced the Sentence to Six Years in Prison

 RUSSIA


In Primorye, the Sentence for Faith to Anton Virich Came into Force. The Court of Appeal Reduced the Sentence to Six Years in Prison

August 6, 2024 Primorye Territory


On August 1, 2024, the judicial board of the Primorye Territory Court approved the conviction of Anton Virich for organizing the activity of an extremist organization but reduced the term by two months. According to the defense, the decisions of the courts erroneously equate the peaceful profession of faith with illegal activity.


During the proceedings in the court of first instance, it was found that four expert opinions were drawn up in violation of the law. They do not contain documents on the education of the experts and do not indicate the religious research methods they used. Because of this, it is impossible to verify whether the conclusions drawn are reasonable and reliable. In addition, as the believer's lawyer noted in his appeal, the court was unable to prove the motives of religious hatred and enmity that Virich was allegedly guided by.


In July 2023, Anton Virich was detained by the traffic police, from whom he learned that he had been on wanted list for some time and under recognizance not to leave. After that, Virich was taken to the village of Luchegorsk, where the believer received a decision to be prosecuted. From that time until the sentencing, he was in pre-trial detention.


At the time of publication of this news, 58 Jehovah's Witnesses faced criminal prosecution for their faith in Primorye Territory, more than in any other region of the Russian Federation.


Case of Virich in Luchegorsk


Case History


In July 2023, Anton Virich’s car was stopped by traffic police in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Then he learned that back in 2021 he became a defendant in a criminal case for organizing the activity of an extremist organization and he was put on the wanted list. The man was detained and subsequently moved several times to pre-trial detention centers in different cities. In October 2023, the case was submitted to the Pozharsky District Court of Primorye Territory in Luchegorsk. In April 2024, the believer was sentenced to six years and two months in a penal colony. The appeal reduced this period by two months.


Criminal case


Region:

Primorye Territory

Locality:

Luchegorsk

Court case number:

42202050012000010

Case initiated:

February 11, 2022

Current case stage:

The verdict entered into force

Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Court case number:

1-37/2024 (1-217/2023)

Court of First Instance:

Pozharsky District Court of Primorsky Krai

Judge of the Court of First Instance:

Vera Novogradskaya

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