The last word of the defendant Oleg Shidlovsky in Gukovo

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Oleg Shidlovsky in Gukovo

September 12, 2022

Rostov region

From the courtroom

"Accusing me of extremism is not only unfounded, fictitious, not based on facts, but also blasphemous," the believer said in the courtroom. "It offends my religious feelings, as well as contradicts common sense and violates my right to an honest name."

Transcript of the court session in the Gukovsky City Court of the Rostov region dated 09/12/2022 in the case 1-20/2022 (1-710/2021) on the charges of Oleg Grigoryevich Shidlovsky and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Oleg Grigoryevich Shidlovsky: During the court sessions, words from the Bible were repeatedly quoted, biblical principles, examples of ancient and modern servants of Jehovah God were voiced. Therefore, I consider it a great honor for me to speak here in court as a witness of my God Jehovah.

Your Honor, thank you for listening to us carefully and trying to get to the heart of the matter, to the heart of the matter.

I also want to thank the secretary of our court sessions for her kind attitude towards everyone.

I want to thank the prosecution. Thank you for not putting any pressure on me, even helping me, trying to pronounce the name of God "Jehovah" correctly. When you quoted the transcript, you really encouraged us, thank you for that.

I thank my dear friends for the courage they have shown and are still showing. I also wanted to draw attention to the fact that my dear wife Natalia, despite her poor health, sometimes attends meetings, I love her very much. She supports me and, as I said, I want to live with her for another thousand years and more. With Jehovah, this is possible.

I also thank my family and loved ones who support me. I am very glad to see such a circle of support from my friends. Through them, God strengthens me, gives me the strength not to give up, and assures me of his love. Thank you very much! In the Parables, in chapter 17, verse 17, it is said that "a friend loves at all times and will appear in time of adversity." It was my friends who were such a support at this time, and I would like to turn to them as well. You are not just friends, you are real friends, real Christians!

I thank the defenders who were very supportive of me. I have repeatedly said that I do not understand the essence of the crime attributed to me. If I still don't understand what the criminality of my actions is, then how could I intentionally commit a crime, especially such a crime, and even conspiring with someone about it?

Accusing me of extremism is not only unfounded, fictitious, not based on facts, but also blasphemous. It offends my religious feelings, as well as contradicts common sense and violates my right to an honest name. I would like my rights as a believer to be protected by law. The Bible says: "Have a good conscience, so that those who condemn your good life in Christ may be ashamed of what you are slandered for as villains. For, if it pleases the will of God, it is better to suffer for good deeds than for evil ones" (1 Peter 3:16, 17). Moreover, in my case there are no victims. Indeed, I have a clear conscience before God and before people.

It is not a crime to live as Jesus Christ taught, according to high standards of morality and purity. Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states: "Everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to profess any, freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them."

The Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed that after the liquidation of the Management Center and local religious organizations (mPOS), Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to gather together and profess their faith personally or with others. Unfortunately, the investigative authorities illegally deprived me and some of my co-religionists of the right enshrined in the Constitution to worship freely, read the Bible, sing songs and pray. We were, in fact, told: "No, you don't have that right," and now you have to defend your honor and rights in court.

Meetings with believers, which I am accused of as divine services, were held in accordance with the highest law of the state — the Constitution of the Russian Federation. But these actions were misinterpreted as a continuation of the activities of the MRO, which officially no longer exists.

Then why is this trial and investigation going on? I am sure that all this was so that the court, the prosecution, and other participants would be convinced that Jehovah's Witnesses are not criminals. During the trial, we all, figuratively speaking, attended the Christian worship service of Jehovah's Witnesses. We watched videos of the service. You have seen that this is a peaceful meeting, it does not pose any threat to the constitutional order. People pray, discuss religious texts, sing songs, and talk peacefully after the meeting. No one forces anyone, does not force anyone, does not mention any local religious organization. And we saw this on the recording of the meeting of believers. You don't need to be an expert to understand that this meeting is not a legal entity, but a meeting of friends united by one faith.

During the investigation and the trial, not only my honor suffered, but also the honor of my friend. I met him more than 30 years ago. During this time, there were many occasions when he supported me. He helped to make the right decisions, helped to restore strength, and so on. He literally carried me in his arms. However, he was presented as someone who teaches discord and violence. It's not like that! You've probably heard the expression "for each other like a mountain." For over 30 years, this friend has been a mountain for me. Now it's time to become a mountain for my friend. My friend's name is Jehovah. As already mentioned, this name means "he gives to become." In each individual case, God becomes what is necessary to fulfill his intention. For example, for Moses and the Israelites, he became a deliverer, a lawgiver, a breadwinner when he led them through the desert. Thus, Jehovah decides to become who he needs to be, fulfilling the promises he makes to his people. Although this thought is present in the meaning of the name of God, there is much more to it. His name also means that he allows people to become those who are necessary for the fulfillment of his plan. How does this relate to me and how has God's honor suffered?

I and many of my co-religionists were recognized as extremists. But the God we worship has never taught us to be hostile to anyone. He does not teach to rebel against the state, the Constitution. On the contrary, in the Bible, in the Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, in the 13th chapter, 1st and 2nd verses it says: "Every person must obey the highest authorities, because any authority is from God. The existing authorities occupy the places assigned to them by God. Therefore, anyone who rebels against the order established by God will incur condemnation."

That is why Jehovah's Witnesses do not rebel against the constitutional order and order, otherwise they will receive condemnation from God. Conscience dictates that Jehovah's Witnesses obey those with authority. Jehovah wants his people to respect and obey human governments. Against this background, the accusation against me and other defendants of undermining the foundations of the constitutional order sounds absurd, and in fact article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation also belongs to this category of crimes.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not take up arms. They don't have enmity at all. Can a person brought up according to the Bible, for love, according to biblical norms, become an extremist overnight? No, of course not! And all the video materials, characteristics, and witnesses questioned in the courtroom confirm this. I am proud that we watched and listened to all this, because you could see for yourself that there is no malicious intent in my actions and there cannot be. The only motive that drives me is love. Love for people, love for loved ones and, most importantly, love for God. Such love can be learned only from God, it is simply impossible to cultivate it in the heart by your own efforts. Love is the main quality of Jehovah God. He wants this to become the main quality of every person, and therefore helps to cultivate it through his holy Word, the Bible, and his holy spirit.

Your Honor, throughout the history of mankind, people have believed in different ways. Someone believed that it was necessary to worship the way most people in their area worship. Someone thought it was important to use visible symbols for worship. How to understand how to worship and believe correctly? I believe in what is written in the Bible, it is the truth. For example, in Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 1, it is said that faith is "the fulfillment of what is expected and the certainty of the unseen." In other words, it is a firm conviction based on clear evidence of what is invisible. According to this verse, you need to believe. This right is reserved to me in the Constitution. But is it enough to just believe? No. In the Bible, in the letter of James, chapter 2, verse 19, it is written: "Demons also believe and shudder with fear." It turns out that to be a servant of God, you need something else besides faith. But what is it? If you look at James's letter again, you can see the answer: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). For the manifestation of my faith, and not for extremism, I am judged.

I didn't have and couldn't have anything extremist. This, as I have said at all meetings, is alien to me. I am convinced that I am doing the right thing, and I do not have to blush and feel ashamed. Moreover, my profession is also very peaceful. I'm a teacher. I am proud that I am being judged as a Jehovah's Witness, and not as a thief or a person who violates public order.

In many countries, the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses were initially misunderstood. Starting in the 1930s, the Soviet Union began, in principle, the persecution of all religions, both the main ones, including Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and smaller denominations. Jehovah's Witnesses were not spared either. Various accusations have been made against our denomination at various times, but no specific facts of violations against the society have been cited. As soon as the authorities determined the legality and safety of the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, they allowed them to meet freely and even register in the early 90s, which was done.

If we return to our trial, we will see that the answer to the question has not been received: how should my co-religionists and I practice our religion so that we would not face criminal prosecution? Does the prosecution believe that we should have renounced our religion or practiced it alone, shutting ourselves at home and not communicating with each other? Your Honor, are these creeds so bad for society and for the country?

The facts show that Jehovah's Witnesses are law—abiding citizens, useful members of society who are not inclined to commit crimes. None of us has ever been tried before. Your Honor, this may be the first time you have had to deal with a criminal case against people who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. It's hard to imagine that they could have violated the law, especially a criminal one, because for us this is an out-of-the-ordinary case. In general, as you can see, Jehovah's Witnesses live an ordinary life: they have families, work honestly and, like everyone else, face difficulties.

I liked the words of one wonderful woman who spoke out after the Supreme Court decided on April 20, 2017 to ban the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. It was Lyudmila Alekseeva, Chairman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights. She said: "As a human rights defender, I cannot help but be outraged by this decision. Do you want to turn these hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into extremists? It's against our Constitution! They make up that this is a sect, that they are extremists and so on. But the extremism of Jehovah's Witnesses is expressed in the fact that they consider their faith to be true. But, excuse me, what believer does not consider his faith to be true? Jehovah's Witnesses is a church that has its own branches in many countries. They profess their faith everywhere and are not considered extremists anywhere. And we have Jehovah's Witnesses, as sincere believers, they are very exemplary citizens — working, honestly treating their family, their children… Are we really going to get to such a disgrace that not only those generations of Jehovah's Witnesses who were in camps in Soviet times, but also those Russian citizens are exemplary citizens, I say again, hardworking, honest, moral! — who are living now, will they also go to the camps?! It would be a shame! It is a great shame in front of its citizens and a shame at the international level. This is not just another mistake, but, I think, a crime of the Ministry of Justice — to declare this church extremist."

Based on the above, the question may arise: do I want to go to prison for my religious beliefs? No, I don't want to! But am I ready to suffer for my beliefs if I have to? I'm personally ready if I have to. Although I feel unfair to myself, I don't feel like a victim. Persecution has a purpose, and I'm involved in achieving it. The Bible says that the glad tidings of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the earth so that all nations will hear it, and then the end will come. People should receive a testimony, or hear what is being preached about. I am calm for the participants in the trial and for my lawyers. I think we have seen and heard enough to accept with all our hearts what has been said, or close our eyes and not hear anything. This is a personal choice for everyone.

In my defense, I want to add. As a Christian, it is very important for me to be sure that I suffer for righteousness, so I try to be honest in everything: to be neutral in politics, to stay away from conspiracies or any criminal activity and thus not give rise to persecution. The Bible calls for: "Behave with dignity among other people, so that those who accuse you of evil deeds will see your good deeds and glorify God on the day when he will make a check."

When I became a Christian, the meaning of my life began to please God. And the fact that I am accused of having bad motives is completely at odds with both the religion in which I am and profess, and with my inner self.

Dear court, I am not guilty before my God Jehovah, nor before the state, nor before people! The Bible says, "Every person must obey the highest authorities, because any authority is from God."

One of the versions of the address "your Honor" is connected with the history of Roman law. In Rome, the concepts of "honor" and "right" have always been inextricably linked. Honor is a citizen's right. If a citizen was deprived of his rights, he also lost his honor, and the court could restore it. In addition, there was a popular expression among the Romans: "Your honor and conscience are responsible for passing a fair sentence," which over time was reduced to a short "your Honor." Many also believe that the appearance of the address "your Honor" is directly related to the nature of the judges' activities. The judge is the personification of justice, integrity and honor, so the phrase "your Honor" expressed this particular circumstance like no other.

Yes, Your Honor, it is in your power to put an end to these brutal persecutions of believers or to untie the hands of those who, by analogy, continue to blindly and without delving into evidence and facts to pass guilty verdicts.

Your Honor, I ask you to restore me to my rights, make a fair decision and fully acquit me.

Summary of the case

Region:

Rostov region

Locality:

Gukovo

What is suspected of:

According to the investigation, "they called meetings of co-religionists, prayed and sang songs to the God Jehovah"

Criminal case number:

12002600001000874

Case initiated:

August 7, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigates:

From the Department of Internal Affairs of the SU IC of Russia in the Rostov region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-20/2022 (1-710/2021)

Court:

Gukovsky City Court of the Rostov region

Judge:

Natalia Batura.