The last word of the defendant Georgy Nikulin from Mordovia

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Georgy Nikulin from Mordovia

August 15, 2022

Mordovia

From the courtroom

In his appeal to the court, the believer drew attention to the fact that he had not committed any crime and could not be dangerous to society just because of his faith.

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 the charges of Nikulin Georgy Nikolaevich and others. the commission of a crime under Part 2 and Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Nikulin Georgy Nikolaevich: Dear court! I will start by thanking you, dear Elena Vitalievna, for listening to us, watching our videos, accepting our petitions, and giving us advice on the process. Thank you for trying to delve into our affairs, which can be classified as extraordinary, because for many people this topic is specific, and such cases are unlikely to have occurred in your career.

In addition, if you look at it from the one hand, the accusation is serious — the resumption of the activities of an extremist organization — and on the other hand, no confirmation of this accusation has been presented. Neither I, nor those who are accused of this here, were engaged in the activities we are accused of, and in general did not commit anything that fits the definition of [a crime] in the Criminal Code.

I also express my gratitude to the secretary of the court, Valeria Viktorovna. It was probably very difficult for you sometimes: there were many terms and expressions in court sessions that you would not understand without special skill. And you also had to put it on the record.

I want to thank Prosecutor Yevgeny Alexandrovich for trying to figure out this difficult case, my beliefs, and my religion. But it is impossible to get acquainted with the creeds and activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in a few hours with the workload of the prosecutor's office and you personally. It is not surprising that you have not been able to get to know Jehovah's Witnesses in general, or my wife and me in particular, better. Otherwise, you would not have asked the court to find us guilty.

I also want to express my gratitude to my lawyers. Vladimir Dmitrievich and Olga Gennadievna provided me with excellent protection, despite the fact that this case was new to them.

And most of all, I am grateful to the God Jehovah, whom I worship. The main support for me and my family is Him. I thank him for the strength He gave us, for peace in our hearts, for perseverance, patience and a positive attitude. This is entirely His merit. Without Him, we most likely would not have survived this period of our lives.

Careful study of the Bible has helped many people on the planet to change their sinful thinking and behavior. There were many so-called criminal and antisocial personalities among them, but they became law-abiding and worthy members of society. Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world are known for their honesty, including in paying taxes, strong families, and caring for nature and the environment.

Our activity, which is mistakenly considered as a consequence as a continuation of the activities of the MRO Saransk (closed two years before the official ban, by the decision of the Supreme Council of 04/20/2017), is free worship of Jehovah God, joint conversations and meetings with friends to study the Bible, in which one of the main teachings is that the Almighty God Jehovah and his son, Jesus Christ, carried out the redemption of man from sin and death.

Thanks to this, all sincere people can inherit eternal life in heavenly conditions on earth, where there will be no crime, wars, evil, disease and even death. In paradise on earth, Jehovah God intends to resurrect billions of people to life, here on Earth, in conditions of peace, love and unity. And this evil world with all its sufferings and vices, Jesus Christ, the appointed king of God's Kingdom by Jehovah, will eliminate. This is believed by millions of people in the world — Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Apostle Paul prophesied in the Second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3, verse 12: "Yes, all followers of Christ Jesus who want to faithfully serve God will be persecuted."

Jehovah's Witnesses have long been tried to exterminate or force them to abandon their beliefs, their faith. This was the case in Nazi Germany, in the Soviet Union. Sometimes such attempts were made in legal democratic states, but the law quickly prevailed.

Jehovah's Witnesses courageously defended their beliefs during the Nazi era. Until the end of World War II, a large percentage of all prisoners in concentration camps were Jehovah's Witnesses. They were recognized by the distinctive sign on their robes – a purple triangle.

Professor Gideon Greif, a researcher on the history of the Holocaust and Auschwitz, mentioned that Jehovah's Witnesses refused to sign the renunciation of faith. "Jehovah's Witnesses," he said, "unlike other prisoners, could easily be released—signing was a matter of minutes. This shows that even in the darkest periods of human history, there were groups of people who adhered to high moral principles not only in words, but also in deeds. They deserve to be known, remembered, and talked about."

In 1941, when the Wehrmacht troops attacked the USSR, there was not a single Jehovah's Witness among the attackers. They were ready to die at the hands of the executioners themselves, but not to shoot people, not to support the war in any way: even by making military uniforms. For this, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were sent to concentration camps, where many died unable to withstand the inhumane conditions. Hundreds were executed for refusing to serve in the Nazi army.

[After the war] due to the annexation of new territories to the Soviet Union, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses in our country has increased. Many have already ended up in Soviet camps. For what? "Anti—Soviet activity" was the accusation. Jehovah's Witnesses in the USSR did not support the cult of personality, did not work in party structures and military enterprises, as this contradicts the gospel commandments. In 1951, thousands of families of Jehovah's Witnesses from the western regions of the USSR were deported to Siberia and the Far East (these events are known as Operation North). Many died in GULAG institutions. Some Jehovah's Witnesses first went through the horrors of the Nazi camps, and then the Soviet ones.

History repeats itself. Only the term "anti-Soviet activity" was replaced by "extremist activity". Our activity itself has not changed: This is still Bible study and joint worship. In Soviet times, if you believe in God, you are a criminal. If you have a Bible or just a few pages from it, you are the enemy. Today, if you don't believe the way most people believe, then you're a criminal. And the Bible itself has become "extremist material."

What did the FSB and police officers find "criminal" in me? Several notebooks and literature that is not on the federal list of extremist materials, in which, as stated in the case file, FSB and law enforcement officers found the phrases "about Jehovah and Jehovah's Witnesses." So, what were the FSB operatives and counter-extremism department employees interested in? References to Jehovah and Jehovah's Witnesses.

In the case materials and the indictment, the phrase "the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses" was voiced many times as an imputed activity. Is faith in Jehovah God extremism?

An episode from the life of one of God's faithful servants, the prophet Daniel, is noteworthy for our time. This episode is described by Daniel himself in a book bearing his name. It says that envious officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Persia tried to eliminate, physically destroy him. Dignitaries and satraps were looking for a reason to accuse Daniel of mismanaging state affairs. But they could not find anything reprehensible and no grounds for such an accusation, since he was a reliable person — it was impossible to convict him of negligence or dishonesty. Therefore, these people said, "We cannot accuse this Daniel unless we find something against him in the law of his God" (Daniel 6:4, 5) [...]. In the Bible, in Daniel 6:6-9, it is said that these hypocritical and envious officials asked the king, the head of state, to approve the law or decree they had prepared, and to impose a ban on turning to God or any person other than the king. The punishment is practically the death penalty: throw it into a moat with lions.

Is this what the FSB and law enforcement officers were looking for from me: am I turning to some other God, not the one that some officials allow?

What does the materials of the present criminal case say? "Nikulin knew about the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and, nevertheless, did not cease his activities." Just what kind of activity? The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not forbid me to believe, worship, and pray to my God.

What happened next with Daniel? Officials rush into the house of this elderly man in a crowd and see that he is praying, begging God for favor. Daniel is arrested. Even the king tried to save him, but could not (Daniel 6:11, 14).

What [Daniel] was accused of: "Daniel does not consider either you, king, or the decree that you signed, and prays to his God three times a day" (Daniel 6:13). So armed officials rushed into my house in a crowd and accused us of disobeying the authorities, violating the foundations and security of the state, violating the rights of some people, and engaging in extremism.

Thus, like the prophet of God in ancient times, they want to condemn us for showing faith, not for extremism. We did not have and could not have anything extremist. This is alien to all Jehovah's Witnesses, and to us in particular.

There are no victims in our criminal case. Moreover, there are simply no dissatisfied Jehovah's Witnesses. There is not a single fact, not a single document, not a single phone conversation, and not a single frame from video materials in which my wife or I would discuss topics related to extremism or extremist materials. We do not mention the legal organizations banned in Russia "The Management Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" or the MRO "Saransk".

My only fault is that I adhere to the religious views of Jehovah's Witnesses. It turns out that I am not in the dock for having committed any real crime and therefore dangerous to society. I am being prosecuted only because I am a Christian, a Jehovah's Witness.

Did I really lose the right to use Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation after April 20, 2017 [the date of liquidation of all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Supreme Court of Russia]? My last name is not listed in the decision of the Supreme Court.

For example, if plumbers worked in an organization that was recognized as an extremist and liquidated, and then continued to work as plumbers elsewhere or joined a team and began to work together, can they be accused of continuing the activities of a banned organization? It is clear that this is absurd. However, in my case, this is exactly the kind of absurdity that happens. My only fault is that I continue to believe in Jehovah God.

I have been following the path of Jehovah's Witnesses for more than 15 years. Thanks to my faith in Jehovah and the application of the advice that he passed on to people through the Bible, my life has become better, more purposeful and happier. It was the application of biblical advice that helped me not to have bad habits, such as smoking and swearing, and helped me find real, worthy friends. And one of the main positive aspects is to keep your family together, despite all the difficulties and problems.

I am proud to stand here in the courtroom and speak to you. After all, during this time I remained faithful to my God and even increased my faith. And I am sure that the biblical prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ is being fulfilled at this moment: "You will be brought to judgment before rulers and kings, because you are My disciples, so that you can testify about Me before them..." (Matthew 10:18, translated by the Biblical League of ERV).

So, what do we have? The Bible teaches that rebelling against authority is wrong, but obeying authority is right. Moreover, in Peter's 1st letter, chapter 3, verses 14 and 15, it says: "But if you suffer for the truth, then blessed are you. But do not be afraid of their fear, and do not be confused; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Be always ready to give an answer to anyone who demands an account of your hope, with meekness and respect" (The New Testament of the RBO, 1824). As you can see, the Bible teaches not only to be obedient to authority, but also to treat it with respect, which is what I do as a Christian, and it has not been proven otherwise.

Could I incite religious strife or propagandize the superiority of a person on the basis of religion? What does the Bible teach me in 1 Peter's Letter, 2nd chapter, 17th text: "Treat everyone with respect, love your fellow believers, be in awe of God, honor the king" (The Bible translated by Kulakov). Elsewhere in the Bible, in the Letter to the Galatians, chapter 6, verse 10, it says: "So, since we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people" (translated by the ERV Bible League). So, the Bible says "treat everyone with respect," or with respect. And we need to do good to all people, not just co-religionists, because we all walk "under God."

Jehovah's Witnesses, including me, live by the standards of God and do not harm others, do not rebel against the state and do not incite religious strife.

As my wife has already said, with the help of God, I quit smoking. To make it clear that there was the help of Jehovah as a real person, and not some series of inexplicable coincidences, I will tell you in more detail how it happened. The head of a family we were friends with, which was a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, often asked me half-jokingly when I would quit smoking. I was joking with the phrase "this year." Sometime at the end of the summer, I met two elderly sisters from our congregation in the city. And at that time I was with a lit cigarette. He apologized for the cigarette. To which one of the sisters said that it did not bother them in any way (this is my relationship with God) and told her story. She smoked Belomorkanal (as smokers of that time know, smokers of these cigarettes quit smoking with great difficulty). The sister said that before going to bed she asked God for help in quitting smoking, and by lunch the next day she discovered that she had not even remembered smoking because she had no desire.

I took note of this "technology" and the next day I turned to Jehovah in prayer with the words "if I decide to quit smoking, please help me!". Almost four months have passed since that moment. On December thirty-first of that year, I remembered my excuse: "this year." It was no longer serious to repeat it next year. A joke is a joke, but it turns out that you need to keep your word. I also remembered the request for help.

I smoked my last cigarette at 16:00. I smoked it to the filter, but I still had the feeling that I wasn't full. Asking someone for a cigarette is not serious. It turns out that I'm breaking my promise to myself that this is my last cigarette in my life. I decided to leave it as it is, and come what may, using the advice from Psalm 37:5, "Entrust your way to Jehovah, rely on him, and he will act."

All the subsequent time, about two weeks, I had a feeling as if half the time had passed between smoking a cigarette: it seems you can smoke, but you can still wait. As a result, I stopped smoking, not as in the usual plan (during my life I tried to quit, but not for long — the craving overpowered, especially since it did not affect my health and there was no special need to give up this habit). I just stopped smoking. I did not feel any craving for this process from the very first days and still do not feel it, although more than eleven years have passed, I have not dreamed of wanting to smoke and do not dream. And what is interesting: there was no aversion to tobacco smoke, I can safely be near smokers and even in a tobacco-filled room without feeling worse and without craving for smoking.

[...] Your Honor! None of us are guilty, we did not commit a crime. I ask you to acquit all of us.

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