The last word of the defendant Denis Antonov in Saransk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Denis Antonov in Saransk

August 15, 2022

Mordovia

From the courtroom

The believer spoke about the motives that drive him in life: "I made a decision a long time ago to be influenced by the teachings of the Bible. It gives me the strength to love God and people, to remain unable to do evil to anyone."

Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Saransk dated 08/15/2022 in the case 1-13/2022 (1-216/2021) on charges of Antonov Denis Nikolaevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Antonov Denis Nikolaevich: First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the participants in the process. Thank you, Elena Vitalievna, for allowing us to speak out as much as we needed to. Thanks to your secretaries. We managed to get to know a few, but they all tried to behave respectfully and kindly.

I would like to thank the representative of the Prosecutor's office, Yevgeny Alexandrovich, for his restraint, politeness and kindness. Although you were on the side of the prosecution, you always smiled at us. For some reason, I thought that it would probably be difficult for real criminals to smile. By the way, our investigator Yevgeny Viktorovich Makeev also said that he had good relations with all the accused. I think that representatives of the law can hardly have good relations with real criminals.

I really want to thank our lawyers. You not only formally defended us, but you were very humanly worried about us and tried to tell us what to do. Thank you!

I really want to thank those who supported me — my co-religionists, who always prayed for me, assured me of God's support and came to support me in court. It was very important to me. Thank you, dear ones, very much!

I called my last word this way: "True love for God exists." Your Honor, I am glad that I can explain my actions and motives in front of the court today. During this trial, a lot has already been told about the legal side of our case, and I think this is quite enough for you to objectively assess this important side of our case. I will not go back to legal terms and laws. During this trial, we all became a bit of lawyers, and I realized that the defendant's motivation plays a crucial role. Probably, this is one of the most important and difficult tasks — to understand a person's motives and treat them with respect. As I saw, it is much easier to build an accusation. Therefore, I want to tell you now exactly about my motives: what my motives are, what they are based on, and how my motives are confirmed by time.

One day Jesus Christ was asked: "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36-39). Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and most important commandment." The first and most important commandment speaks about the love of God. And this love, as you can see, is special. This commandment speaks of the love that God deserves—love "with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind." It is not difficult to understand that only such a motive in the service of God is approved by God himself. People, of course, may have other motives in serving God. Someone, for example, is devoted to his traditions, and therefore believes in God the way people in his area did before him, while someone is devoted to his parents and believes that following their example is the right thing to do. But as can be seen from this commandment, among other things, God expects such devotion, which is based on strong love for him.

Is it really possible to love God as it is written in this commandment? Maybe these are just beautiful words, divorced from the reality of life? If this commandment is called the most important, then it would be right not to turn a blind eye to it and not try to give your own speculative assessment, saying to yourself, for example, like this: "This is a philosophical question." Instead, it is better to try to understand it well. After all, if, say, the president had signed some important decree that would affect us personally, wouldn't we have paid attention to understand this decree very well? Out of respect for the president and out of fear of the consequences, we would certainly do well to think about how to apply this decree in our lives. That's how it is with this commandment about loving God — it affects me personally. And since this commandment comes from the Most High God, I don't want to pass it by. The consequences of observing or not observing this commandment will definitely affect my life.

Many people will say that they believe in God, and that's enough. But is it enough according to this most important commandment? No. I understand perfectly well that God expects me not only to believe in him, but most importantly, to love him. Why? Parents are very pleased when their children can sincerely tell them: "Dad and mom, I love you." This is especially valuable when children become adults and say it consciously, realizing how much effort and money parents have invested to get them back on their feet. And we humans are created in the image and likeness of God, so parents' feelings are a reflection of what God feels, and he also rightly expects people to appreciate his kindness and be able to love him.

It is quite possible to believe in God and at the same time not feel warm affection and love for God. For example, there are people who believe in aliens. But can we say that at the same time they feel warm affection and love for them? Personally, I haven't heard that. We are so built that if we love someone, it is necessary for something: for good qualities, for good deeds. It is impossible to fall in love with someone from scratch. Therefore, believing in someone and loving someone are two different concepts.

God has great power, and he could easily make all people believe in him. He could keep everyone in fear, make them do his will, and after every mistake punish the person so that he suffers and learns lessons. If life were like this, would people be able to sincerely love God with all their soul, with all their heart and with all their strength, as the first and most important commandment says? Of course not. And what a blessing that God is not like that, that he not only gave life to man, but also endowed him with freedom in decision-making! And a person can decide for himself whether to reflect on his kindness and develop love for God or not. To take into account his laws or not. It is not difficult to love God. But this is possible only if you strive to learn about him and maintain friendly relations with him. Although for many people the concepts of "love of God" and "friendship with God" are difficult philosophical questions, in fact this is not the case at all.

I became convinced that such love exists, and it is a source of joy for me and for many other people too. For me, God is a living person. He is the Creator of everything. He gave life to everything on Earth. He gave rise to the amazing laws of nature. And despite the fact that humans are generally ruining the earth, these laws are impressively preserving life on Earth. God created everything on earth so that a person could enjoy life, discover something new and enjoy it. Even if you do not read the Bible, but just observe how beautifully everything is created on earth, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that the Creator is rightly called Heavenly Father in the Bible, He loves people very much. I remember how my father, who grew up under the influence of atheism, often said: "How wisely nature did everything!" And I jokingly picked up his words and asked: "Dad, where does nature have a brain so that she can come up with all this, and even so wisely?" He tried to explain everything to me, but then he laughed at his explanations. Although my father was a PhD candidate, this did not make him a convinced atheist. He read the Bible himself and only himself and tried to find answers to his questions. His example showed me that all people have spiritual needs, some just humbly admit it and seek help, while others pretend that they do not need any help, they try to figure everything out themselves, but usually unsuccessfully. And as a result, for many people, the Bible is a difficult book to understand.

Natural laws are nothing compared to human ones. People are constantly coming up with new and new laws, and then they often make some amendments to them. Some laws become outdated and are being repealed. This process is endless for people. And why is it not so in nature? The laws of nature have been in effect for millions of years absolutely unchanged. These laws do not require amendments. These laws do not disappear with time. What is behind such amazing stability and very high organization? Could it be that the so-called "blind chance" turned out to be more far-sighted than a reasonable person? While some scientists adhere to the theory of blind randomness, others, no less reputable scientists, are convinced that a reasonable Designer should be behind this.

And since even scientists do not agree, ordinary people, for example, like me, need to use their own thinking abilities and give their assessment of what is happening in nature. And if we talk about myself, I still could not believe that life on earth is just a series of random coincidences, and people are the result of evolution. It is obvious to me that the laws of nature reflect the boundless wisdom of the Creator of these laws. And if you think about how much love everything is created with, how much pleasure it brings to people, then it becomes quite easy to love God in response to his love. For example, people look at funny cats, dogs, parrots and burst out laughing. I really like watching them too. They are very cute and funny. But it is also obvious to me that whoever created such animals probably wanted people to constantly draw pleasant emotions from watching them.

When you begin to love God, interesting processes begin inside any person. I want to give you an example: when a guy starts to really love a girl, interesting processes begin in his heart, too. He wants to do what his girlfriend likes. Even if the guy is not used to it, he is ready to give in, he can make sacrifices for her. He may even do something to his detriment, but for the sake of her well-being. Does the guy suffer from the fact that he makes these sacrifices and inconveniences? No, true love encourages you to consider the interests of your loved one more important than your own. And the guy in this case is not a victim of such love. He feels like a happy person, and he is pleased to take care of his chosen one. Poems, songs, and books are still written about such love. Such love is not hidden, it is glorified.

With human love, of course, everything is clear to all people. And if a person, as it is written in the most important commandment, tries to love God, how will this affect his life? In short, the more a person develops love for God, the more he wants to learn about him, and he wants to do more and more what God thinks is right. I have seen for myself many times that I feel lasting joy only if I satisfy my spiritual needs by trying to learn more about God. No things or money bring me so much joy. The Bible emphasizes many times that when a person truly loves God, it is not difficult for him to live according to his commandments. For example, the Bible says, "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not heavy" (1 John 5:3). In other words, when you love God, doing what he thinks is right is not difficult.

In addition, it is the love of God that protects against many dangers in life now and in the future. As I have learned from the Holy Scriptures, not everyone who simply believes in the existence of God does what he thinks is right. And it's very dangerous. This is how Jesus said it in Matthew 7:21-27: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord! God!"He will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my heavenly Father." As can be seen from these words, God's approval will be given to those who know God's will and try to fulfill it. Jesus went on to say, "Many will say to Me that day, 'Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? And wasn't it in Your name that demons were cast out? And wasn't it in Your name that many miracles were performed?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; get away from Me, you who do iniquity." These words of Jesus, which he speaks to believers, may seem very strange and harsh. After all, these people recognized Jesus as their Lord, and performed impressive deeds on his behalf. Why did Jesus call them doing iniquity? Obviously, these people either did not want to know the will of God, or did not want to fulfill it. We can say that these people lacked the most important thing — the love of God. Only love for God motivates us to find out what God likes, and then do what he thinks is right. Faith in God alone does not provide such motivation.

The Apostle Paul very boldly described what the unwillingness of some people to know God's norms of good and evil leads to. In the letter of the Apostle Paul to Romans 1:25-32, it is said about some people: "They exchanged the truth about God for deception; they worshipped and served man-made things, and not the Creator, forever blessed. Amen. Therefore, God left them at the mercy of shameful passions. Women have exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural ones. Men also refused to have natural intercourse with women, inflamed with an unnatural passion for each other, indulging in shamelessness with other men and subjecting their bodies to the punishment they deserved for this perversion. Since they did not consider it necessary to know God, He left them at the mercy of their own perverted minds, and therefore they committed all these unworthy acts that should not have been committed. These people are full of all kinds of sins: evil, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, lies, craving for murder and strife, and always strive to hurt their neighbor. They gossip, slander each other and hate God, are rude, full of pride, always brag to others, invent ways to commit evil deeds and do not honor their parents. They are stupid, they never fulfill their promises, and they do not show kindness and mercy to anyone. Although they know the law of God, which says that whoever is guilty of such a thing deserves to die, they not only do exactly that, but also approve when others behave the same way."

The people about whom the Apostle Paul wrote exchanged the truth about God for deception. It is also said about them that they did not consider it necessary to know God, hated God, and, accordingly, do what God does not approve of. However, despite this, God shows great mercy, allowing all people to use their freedom to get closer to him. God does not consider anyone hopeless, and this allows even such people to change radically, thanks to knowledge about him.

But there are also many people who really want to learn how to live according to biblical principles. I really like studying the Bible precisely because this way I can get to know God, understand his will and constantly, even if not quickly, change for the better. Fortunately, the Holy Scriptures are very clear about what God wants: "It is good and pleasing to God, our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and fully know the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3, 4). Out of love for all people, God wishes them a good future. Note: to all people.

It was in accordance with this will of God that God's Son, Jesus Christ, gave a clear instruction to his followers what they should do: "Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20).

These words of Jesus make it clear why it is necessary to preach. Jesus said that people in all nations should be taught to observe everything that he commanded. This shows God's love for people. It takes a lot of time to teach a person to observe everything that Jesus taught. This cannot be done in a short conversation. It is also important that a person cannot be taught to observe the teachings of Christ against his will. Unfortunately, in the history of many countries, some religious views have been imposed in this way. Against the will of people, with the help of weapons and fear. Of course, there could be no question of any love for God in such cases. On the basis of fear, love for God cannot appear in any way.

When I came to the meeting and was asked to study the Bible, I gladly agreed. On the one hand, I really wanted to get answers to various questions about God myself. I was pleased to be among Jehovah's Witnesses, because none of them exalted me, did not laugh at my views. No one bullied me. On the other hand, I saw in Jehovah's Witnesses a sincere desire to help me get answers to my questions.

I am convinced that it is in such an atmosphere of respect that it is necessary to help those people who want to learn about God. I am sure that if I had been frightened by the torments of hell or God's curses, I would never have been able to love God. It was only three years after studying that I was able to become a Jehovah's Witness. And why not earlier, say, in a month? If Jehovah's Witnesses were chasing after the number of their parishioners, then this would probably be the case. The thing is that God is not a man, you will not love him at first sight. It takes enough time for knowledge about God to develop love for him. It also takes time for this love to influence a person's lifestyle. For this reason, there are very few Jehovah's Witnesses around the world compared to representatives of other religions.

I have heard the question more than once in court: what is the need for you to preach? I tried to show that this necessity was not invented by Jehovah's Witnesses. God Himself wants people of all nations to know the truth about him. For example, I will say again about the president. Why doesn't a day go by that the news doesn't say something about the president? It is not surprising — he is the first person of the state, he gives force to orders and decrees, it depends on him how the laws and rights of citizens will be respected, they complain to him and seek justice from him. Even the simplest people in society find it easy to talk about their president in everyday life, and they don't expect any special occasion for this. It's natural.

In the same way, it is not difficult for me to talk about the first person in the entire universe — about the Creator, about Jehovah God, about the one who gave life to everything and supports it. It is not difficult for me to always speak about God in a positive way, because all his words recorded in the Bible were exactly fulfilled in the past and are being fulfilled now. Many prophecies have been fulfilled down to the smallest detail. Therefore, it is not difficult for me to believe in the wonderful promises that will soon be fulfilled on earth. It is not difficult for me to talk about the wonderful advice from the Bible for everyday life, for the well-being of the family, for the right attitude to work and many other very useful things. I see no reason why I should keep quiet about it, be shy about it, or be afraid of it. Everything that God has done for people and will do again is many times greater than anything that people, even the most influential, can do.

Besides the president, there are also great scientists who make various discoveries. When another scientist discovers some law in nature and is given the Nobel Prize, everyone pays him honor and glory. The names of these scientists are then called the laws that they discovered. But if you think about it, these scientists are just discovering laws that already existed millions or billions of years before these scientists. Is not the one who created these laws and ensures the force of these laws worthy of much greater glory? This is not a philosophical question for me. I am convinced that Jehovah God is worthy of glory. Is it possible to imagine that the people did not know their president, for example, what his name is or what he has done for his country? It's hard to imagine.

Does God want people to know him and his works well? Of course! If he wants people to love him, naturally he wants people to know him.

This is how God's Word says about it: "Sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord, the whole earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name, proclaim His salvation from day to day. Proclaim His glory among the nations, and His wonders among all the tribes. For Jehovah is great and glorious" (Psalm 95:1-4 translated by Archpriest Paul).

I am very well aware that if I ever feel ashamed or stop talking about God out of fear, then nothing good awaits me. I'm absolutely sure of that. Jesus Christ said this in the Gospel of Mark, in the 8th chapter, verse 38 (New Russian translation): "Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this godless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

I don't want God and his Son to be ashamed of me. I love God for all his good deeds. For this reason, I want to do what he thinks is right. And talking about God, his name and his works is for me a natural expression of my love for him. And no legal entities, existing or non-existent, can allow or forbid me to love God and live in harmony with it.

The court also repeatedly asked: what is the need for you to gather with others? I also consider this issue important, although it is strange that it is raised in court, because the Constitution unequivocally guarantees me the right to peacefully gather with believers. Many believers come together for various reasons. Someone goes to the temple, someone to the mosque, and someone gathers at home with friends to read and discuss the Bible. But I will be happy to answer this question from the perspective of my motives. My motives are strongly influenced by what is written in the Bible. Jesus Christ called his followers a very clear and simple word. Addressing his followers, he said: "But do not be called teachers, for Christ is your only Teacher, yet you are brothers" (Matthew 23:8).

By calling his followers brothers, Jesus emphasized the need for family relations between them. And just as it is impossible to imagine that family members who love each other would willingly split up to live separately, so I cannot imagine that Christians who call themselves brothers and sisters would avoid each other. This is absolutely unnatural and contrary to Christianity and my beliefs. When believers are together, they serve as support for each other, they can comfort and encourage each other. And this is really a great need. Alone, it is very difficult to withstand the problems in life in such a way as to maintain joy. And for me, communication with my brothers and sisters is a source of comfort and joy.

In this regard, the first Christians are an excellent example for me. Why? After the death of Jesus Christ, according to the book of Acts of the Apostles, Christians faced severe persecution. Because of their faith in Christ Jesus, they were driven out of their homes and their property was robbed. Some were killed, for example, Stephen, who is mentioned in the 7th chapter of the book of Acts of the Apostles, others were forced to flee to remote areas. And the Apostle Peter was imprisoned. But how did those Christians who were still at large behave? After the Apostle Peter was released from prison by an angel of God, it is reported: "When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I really know that the Lord sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and saved me from the evil that the Jewish people wanted me to do." When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, John's mother... where many people had gathered for prayer" (Acts 12:11, 12). As you can see, Christians have not stopped coming together, praying and encouraging each other.

If the Christians of the first century had been afraid of the threats of the leaders of the Jewish people, if they had stopped preaching about Christ as they were ordered, if they had stopped gathering together for prayers and encouragement, what would have become of Christian teaching? It would hardly have gone beyond Jerusalem. But thanks to their courage in the face of brutal persecution, their example still affects people all over the world. Reading and reflecting on these persecutions, one wonders how such a small group of ordinary people without any connections in that society could not only survive under such pressure, but also grow into many Christian congregations of that time throughout Asia Minor. Of course, without God's help, it would have been impossible.

It is not surprising that those who call themselves brothers and sisters today not only want to call themselves that, but they want to know each other, want to support each other, and pray for each other. And this is not some kind of formality, it is really a big necessity. I just can't imagine that I would willingly abandon my co-religionists and stop communicating with them. And if this had not happened voluntarily, it would have been tantamount to violence against me.

The history of persecution of the first Christians recorded in the Bible is also instructive in that it clearly shows that the hatred of some people for others never goes unnoticed. It always turns into specific violent cases with specific victims.

I was genuinely surprised when the prosecutor first stated that our criminal case does not imply the presence of victims. But I was even more surprised when the prosecutor said that the presence of extremism is also optional. What then remains, as they say, in the dry residue? What am I being judged for? It's obvious to me — just because I believe in Jehovah God and because I didn't stop believing in him after April 2017. But, even worse, for the fact that I believed in Jehovah not alone, but together with others. But I think so myself: did God Jehovah disappear somewhere after April 2017? Or have God's commandments lost their power? Of course not! No restrictions created by humans can deprive God of his authority, and his commandments of their power. The fact that I have decided to remain a Jehovah's Witness does not mean that I do not respect the state. It's an expression of my love for God, and I can't give it up.

I also heard the question: why are Jehovah's Witnesses not serving in the army? Our country has a law on alternative civil service. And I must say, in order to use it in our time, you need to try very hard. Someone even had to defend their right in the courts. Why would anyone be willing to make such sacrifices in order not to take up arms? Perhaps someone thinks that this is all because of the fear of being killed somewhere, or out of fear of hazing, or out of fear of losing a comfortable life. No. There is another, more powerful fear — this is a God-pleasing fear. This is when a person is very afraid to do something that God does not like. This can also be called a deep respect for God and his laws. To have such a fear, you need to love God again. Where does such fear or motive come from? This is what Jesus Christ said about how to distinguish his followers: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. You must love each other the way I loved you. And if you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples" (John 13:34, 35, Modern translation).

What do these words of Jesus mean to me? Firstly, these words are not some kind of recommendation that can be ignored. Jesus said that this is a new commandment, that is, a necessary requirement. And secondly, suppose that Jehovah's Witnesses began to take up arms and participate in hostilities, will they be able to continue to love each other and fulfill this commandment in this case? I'll explain. Jehovah's Witnesses are not located in a single country, they are all over the world. Having taken up arms in one country, they will certainly take up arms in another country. And sooner or later they will start killing each other. Would it then be possible to say that I or another Jehovah's Witness are following Jesus' commandment to "love one another"? No, it won't be possible to say that anymore. Deep respect for God and a God-pleasing fear of his laws compels me to consider his commandments just, and I do not want to arouse his anger by acting contrary to his will.

And now I want to talk about how the time of my service to God confirms the sincerity of my motives. Before studying the Bible, I served in the army. I, an 18-year-old guy, had to serve in the city of Pechora in a construction unit. During the day we built houses, and in the evening we immersed ourselves in a different atmosphere. There were a lot of people in our unit who had already served time in prison, some of them were 27 years old. There were also those who joined the army instead of prison. It is not difficult to guess that these people created their own specific atmosphere. In such an environment, of course, we young people got hurt. Drunkenness, fights and humiliation occurred regularly. Pretty quickly I realized that no statute can make life calm and give a sense of security. Although the officers tried very hard and used non-standard methods of education, in fact, this also did not give real peace of mind and protection. When I returned home and finally started studying the Bible - which I had wanted for so long — I really liked the biblical principles, and I wanted to live by them. After some time, I met my colleague, who by that time had started serving in the riot police, and he told me that he wanted to take revenge on his abusers in the army, and he even had his own plan. It was obvious that he wanted to understand whether I would support him in this matter or not. Fortunately, by that time I already loved the principles of the Bible so much that I did not support this man. And when I think about this case, I am glad that the Bible has served as a protection for me from a criminal path.

Today, I am very comforted by the fact that soon people will no longer learn military science anywhere on earth. People will find joy in how their own huge and wonderful potential is revealed, which was laid down by the Creator at the creation of man. Today, this is impossible because of our sinful state, because of the transience of life, diseases and great dependence on money. In the near future, the time will come for the fulfillment of the words from the prayer "Our Father": "May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as well as in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

The kingdom of God is a heavenly government, and as can be seen from the words of this prayer, the task of this government is to fulfill God's plan for the earth and people. Under the rule of the Kingdom of God, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ will be fully applied to all living beings. And thanks to this, people will be completely freed from sinful nature. This means that people will no longer be hindered by anything to live forever, and they will finally be able to get rid of all diseases and selfish inclinations. Thanks to the real world, people will no longer destroy each other. People will be able to clearly see the beauty of all nations and races. People will no longer be divided into groups and countries, nor will they defend their independence from each other with borders and weapons. People will be taught the same standards of good and evil. Heavenly Father can be said to be reunited with the people who love him and it will be his family. God Himself, as a Legislator, will protect the lives of all those who love him with his just and unchangeable norms. It will no longer be the case that one court recognizes a person as a criminal, and another court declares the same person a victim of persecution. God's teaching will finally teach people to cooperate with each other in a harmonious and pleasant way. I am very glad that when God's promises to restore paradise on earth are fulfilled, people will rejoice at how many limitless opportunities life gives for useful work and creativity. No one will ever be afraid that he will grow old and die. That's the kind of future I firmly believe in. And believing in such a future calms me down and gives me the strength to endure difficulties now.

I have been a Jehovah's Witness for more than half my life, and I have always tried to develop love for God and for people. Of course, developing these qualities is not always easy. I am also an imperfect person, and I am influenced by the sinful nature that we all inherited from Adam and Eve. And I have negative qualities that I'm working on. But knowing what I was and what I have become and can still become, I am sure that Jehovah God has been helping me get better and better all this time. I am very pleased to realize this.

I am sure that my beliefs cannot harm anyone. If the "extremism" that is attributed to me is real, then after more than 20 years of my service to God, isn't it logical that real victims should appear? And if this is not the case, then this "extremism" is just made up. Real extremism always brings real victims with it… Real extremism begins inside a person when he does not stand up to the test of the firmness of his good beliefs. If, under the influence of fear or greed, bad qualities take over, then there may be nothing left of good beliefs. And a person can stoop to bad deeds: injustice, threats, revenge, lies, slander and violence. For example, if a person lacks patience, he breaks down and begins to threaten or humiliate. If there is not enough trust in God, a person takes the situation into his own hands and administers his justice. This usually leads to even greater troubles for both the person himself and other people. And when a person does not change his peaceful beliefs, even under the influence of fear, does not threaten anyone, does not humiliate and is ready to suffer for his firm beliefs, it is illogical to call it extremism. Such a person may look like an easy victim, but he does not stoop to hatred and violence, but retains his dignity and hopes in God. That's the kind of person I want to remain.

I made a decision in my life a long time ago to be influenced by the teachings of the Bible. It gives me the strength to love God and people and remain unable to do evil to anyone.

Jehovah's Witnesses have an amazing quality — unity. Personally, I've never seen anything like it anywhere else. And the most important thing is that this unity is achieved not by any fear or any obligations, but by love for God and his Word of the Bible. And just as amazing as the unity of Jehovah's Witnesses is, so is the hatred that is shown towards us. In such cases, you always have to remind yourself that this is how the words of Jesus Christ from the gospel of John, chapter 15, are fulfilled: A slave is no greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too; If they have kept My word, they will also keep yours; but they will do all these things to you for my name, because they do not know Who sent Me." These words assure me that God has everything under control, and the fact that he allows these persecutions means that in the end all this will turn into blessings. I don't hate the state or any representatives of the state because of my position.

And I will also say about the accusation of me and others of some kind of propaganda of the superiority of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. I have seen and heard representatives of different religions talk about their religion with admiration many times. But it didn't offend or humiliate me at all. Why? Because I'm happy with my faith and my beliefs. I really like it. If someone dislikes my beliefs so much that they will call me a sectarian or a zombie, of course, this is unpleasant, but I will not run to complain about this person in court. My real joy does not depend on this person or what he thinks of me, but on what kind of relationship I have with God. If I feel God's approval, that's enough for me to keep happy. I am sure that any truly religious and enlightened person, anyone who is satisfied with his faith, thinks so.

In the end, I want to say: I respect the right of people to serve God in the way that everyone thinks is right. I would really like my right to serve God the way I understand the Bible to be respected too. I am sure that the time will surely come, as the Bible says, when every person will give an account to God for his deeds and for his motives. I really want God not to be ashamed of me.

Your Honor, I have tried to tell you about the motives that moved me and are moving me. The absence of any facts of extremism, the absence of real victims, and purity before the law during my service to God prove that I have exactly such motives.

Please, Your Honor, fully acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Mordovia

Locality:

Saransk

What is suspected of:

He was engaged in "spreading ideology and faith among the residents of the Republic of Mordovia by conducting conversations in public places and residential premises with residents of Saransk and other settlements," which is interpreted as "organizing the activities of an extremist organization"

Criminal case number:

11907890001000003

Case initiated:

February 4, 2019

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Mordovia

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)

The number of the case in court:

1-13/2022 (1-216/2021)

Court:

Leninsky District Court of Saransk

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Elena Simonova