The last word of the defendant Mikhail Burkov in Tynda

 Russia 

The last word of the defendant Mikhail Burkov in Tynda

on September 8, 2022.

Amur region

From the courtroom

To learn peace and kindness, to share the good news with people and to sing songs about God — the Bible encourages the believer to do all this. Can this be considered extremism? Mikhail Burkov told about this in his last word.

Transcript of the court session in the Tyndinsky District Court of the Amur Region dated 09/08/2022 in the case 1-9/2022 (1-131/2021) on charges of Mikhail Ivanovich Burkov and others of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail Ivanovich Burkov: Dear judge, prosecutor, lawyers, people present at the trial! My lifestyle, which I lead as a Jehovah's Witness, has shown that I have not caused any harm to anyone. It would be contrary to my beliefs. For example, the commandments "love your neighbor as yourself" and "love your enemies" do not teach what I am accused of. It was precisely these actions that the FSB officers followed, wanting to see in them the continuation of the activities of a legal entity banned in Russia, which in fact did not happen.

Reading the Bible and meeting friends encourage me to be more respectful and kind to other people. I am judged for learning to show positive qualities: kindness, peacefulness, compassion, patience, respect for the feelings of other people. This is what the Bible teaches. I am able to do this thanks to my faith in God Jehovah, as well as the support of my friends.

Your Honor, I hope you will make a fair decision after considering all the facts and arguments. After all, you have not found any signs of crimes against the rights and freedoms of citizens and the foundations of the Constitution in my words, much less in my actions. The accusation that I exalt my faith over other religions has no basis. A description from my place of work, two thanks from the mayor of Tynda, which I attached to the case file, confirm that I am a hardworking, responsive and peaceful citizen, ready for any good deed.

My organized approach to worshipping God is not a crime, I just want to act in a way pleasing to God, following the instruction from the Bible: "Let everything be decent and organized." I didn't have any sense of superiority over other people, so my actions are peaceful. And the songs found on the laptop do not call for illegal actions, but only encourage to honor Jehovah as God, because he is worthy of it, because he created everything (Revelation 4:11), to recognize the God-appointed King of God's Kingdom, Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:6-8), to engage in the task assigned by them — to tell a joyful story a message that brings hope for a better future to people (Matthew 28:19, 20), and to love people by showing kindness to everyone without exception (Matthew 19:19).

Thank you for your attentive and sensitive attitude to this case. I hope for your fair decision!

Summary of the case

Region:

Amur region

Locality:

Tynda

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "they organized meetings of followers religious organizations"

Criminal case number:

11907100001000076

Case initiated:

November 11, 2019

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Amur region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)

The number of the case in court:

1-45/2023 (1-9/2022; 1-131/2021)

The Court of First Instance:

Tyndinsky District Court of the Amur region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Valentina Brikova