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 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Sergei Kirilyuk in Chita (published with abbreviations) May 12, 2022 Trans-Baikal Territory From the courtroom In his appeal to the court, the believer stressed that it was faith that helped him to leave bad habits, learn to love his family and take care of his neighbors. He said that he committed a crime more than 20 years ago, but then, under the influence of the Bible, "he learned to show love to people." Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai dated 05/12/2022 in the case 1-10/2022 (1-360/2021) on the charges of Sergei Kirilyuk and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Kirilyuk Sergey Nikolaevich: Your Honor, I am against extremism, violence and cruelty. And let me briefly explain why. In the past, I was, to put it mildly, a bad person: I drank a lot, smoked, brawled, did not respect people — I could be rude even in...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Alexander Putintsev in Chita May 12, 2022 Trans-Baikal Territory From the courtroom In his address to the court, Alexander Putintsev told how the Bible saved his life and family, and added: "I am a believer, and I am being judged for my religious views and deeds. We can say that it is not even me who is being judged, but the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses." Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Chita, Zabaikalsky Krai dated 05/12/2022 in the case 1-10/2022 (1-360/2021) on the charges of Alexander Putintsev and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Putintsev Alexander Nikolaevich: I am in front of you thanks to the act of a young man. He is 22 years old, he was raised in a family without a father and did not know what paternal care was. He drank a lot, smoked, used drugs, and when the opportunity arose, he used his fists. His family, whe...

 SPAIN  WHO IS BEHIND THE HATE CAMPAIGN AGAINST JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN SPAIN? The excessive daily attack of the Spanish media on Jehovah's Witnesses, regardless of the fact that the European court of human rights has said on more than 80 occasions that it is a religion and not a sect, is due to a worldwide alliance to attack the people of God. In Spain the extreme left paid by the Russian regime, Iran and China has control of national public television. Most of the private channels in Spain are controlled by the extreme right paid by Russia through the Orthodox sect and its ally in Spain the Catholic sect and organizations related to the Spanish and Italian extreme right that pay and sponsor the money-loving lying apostates. These fascist organizations have led to the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Spain. Many manipulable people have attacked Jehovah's Witnesses when they were preaching, graffiti has been painted in the kingdom halls, insults and taunts have been...

 RUSSIA A Court in Yaroslavl Fined a Believer 75,000 Rubles for Practicing the Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses September 24, 2024 Yaroslavl Region On September 23, 2024, the judge of the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Yaroslavl, Marina Chipilenko, convicted Anton Kokovin, 34, and fined him for participating in the activities of an extremist organization. The decision has not entered into force and can be appealed. About 2.5 years ago, Investigative Committee investigator Aleksandr Grigoriyev opened a criminal case against a believer for participating in an online conference where religious issues were discussed. A day later, Anton was detained on the street, the apartment of his friends, where he was staying, was searched, and after interrogation he was released on recognizance agreement. Rosfinmonitoring added him to the list of terrorists and extremists, and his bank accounts were blocked. In May 2023, Anton Kokovin's case went to court. During the hearings, the defense noted ...

 RUSSIA The case of Tolmazov and Others in Tver Tolmazov Valeriy Name: Tolmazov Valeriy Nikolayevich Date of Birth: December 22, 1954 Current status: defendant Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1) Current restrictions: recognizance agreement Biography In June 2023, a pensioner from the Tver region was prosecuted because of his religion—a criminal case was opened against Valeriy Tolmazov. Valeriy was born in December 1954 in the urban-type settlement of Novozavidovsky, Konakovo District, Kalinin (now Tver) Region. He has a younger brother and sister. When they were little, and Valeriy was not even 18, their father died. The elderly mother is currently in need of constant help. As a child, Valeriy was fond of athletics: he was engaged in running and high jumping. After school, he graduated from the Kalinin Industrial Technical School, where he acquired the specialty "repair and maintenance of electrical equipment at the enterprise". The man worked in this ...

 RUSSIA  The case of Tolmazov and Others in Tver Barbazyuk Maksim Name: Barbazyuk Maksim Nikolayevich Date of Birth: October 30, 1982 Current status: defendant Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1) Current restrictions: recognizance agreement Biography The criminal prosecution for his faith complicated the life of Maksim Barbazyuk from Tver—due to accusations of extremism, his accounts were blocked, and the man had difficulties with his work. Maksim was born in October 1982 in Moscow. He has an elder brother. Their parents are retired. In his youth, Maksim was interested in computers, loved to travel, kayak, and snowboard. After school, he graduated with honors from the Moscow Automobile College with a degree in Maintenance and Repair of Cars and Engines, after which he worked in the financial sector—at first he had his own business in the field of public procurement and sublease, then he ran a firm for financial consulting and assistance in lending to leg...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Kirill Evstigneev in Nizhny Novgorod May 12, 2022 Nizhny Novgorod region From the courtroom In his appeal to the court, Kirill Evstigneev stressed that his religious views are not compatible with extremism: "I consider all people equal and respect everyone's right to their personal views and beliefs. I treat the state authorities with respect and due respect." Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod dated 05/12/2022 in the case 1-53/2022 (1-519/2021) on the accusation of Kirill Gennadievich Evstigneev of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Evstigneev Kirill Gennadievich: Dear Court, over the past few months you have investigated my act, which the investigator and the prosecutor identified as an extremist crime, demanding that I be found guilty and severely punished. I declare again that I did not commit the crime of which I am accu...

 RUSSIA  New Searches Against Jehovah's Witnesses in Samara. Believer, 52, was Placed in Pre-trial Detention Center September 23, 2024 Samara Region On September 16, 2024, in Samara, law enforcement officers detained Samvel Babayan, who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Despite the poor health of the believer, the court sent him to a pre-trial detention center. A criminal case on extremism has been opened against the man. These events were preceded by a search and interrogations, which took place on the same day. The security forces took Samvel, his wife and 17-year-old son to the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The young man was taken separately from his parents, on the way a police officer threatened him with a long term of imprisonment in a colony if he did not incriminate his relatives. Investigator Yuriy Prokopov charged Samvel Babayan with organizing the activity of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Vladimir Ermolaev in Chita May 20, 2022 Trans-Baikal Territory From the courtroom Addressing the court, the believer consistently refuted the accusation and, using historical examples and quotations, showed why extremism is alien to the worldview of every Jehovah's Witness. According to the defendant, even the investigator understood this. Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Chita dated 05/20/2022 in the case 1-10/2022 (1-360/2021) on charges of Ermolaev Vladimir Vladimirovich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Ermolaev Vladimir Vladimirovich: Dear Court, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with the last word, this is the last opportunity for me to reach the minds and hearts of the participants in the process. It may sound strange to some, but I am proud to stand here in court and speak before you, because during this time I h...

 RUSSIA  A court in Elista has toughened the punishment for three believers. A court in Elista has toughened the punishment for three believers. Over Online Bible Discussions September 19, 2024 Kalmykia On September 17, 2024, the Supreme Court of Kalmykia reclassified Kishta Tutinova's actions from participation to organizing the activity of an extremist organization, appointing her to four years suspended sentence with a probationary period of three years and restriction of freedom for one year. The court added six months to the additional restriction of freedom for Yekaterina Menkova and Tsagan Khalgayeva. In June 2024, the Elista City Court of the Republic of Kalmykia sentenced three believers to suspended sentences: Khalgayeva and Menkova to two years, and Tutinova to three years. The court called it illegal for women to talk peacefully about God and the Bible. Assistant prosecutor Marina Bugdayeva appealed the sentence as "excessively lenient". The decision of the co...

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Andrey Vlasov in Prokopyevsk May 23, 2022 Kemerovo region From the courtroom In his appeal to the court, group II disabled person Andrei Vlasov said: "If we honestly look into the eyes of the facts, how many people have suffered from the so-called "extremist" activities that I carried out "intentionally"? [In this situation] only one person was injured! That person is me." Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo region dated 05/23/2022 in the case 1-21/2022 (1-246/2021) on the accusation of Andrei V. Vlasov of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Vlasov Andrey Valeryevich: Your Honor, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to those who participated in this process and those who supported me. First of all, I thank my God Jehovah, whom I have been serving for more than 30 years. Thank you for the calmn...

 RUSSIA The Regional Court Reduced the Suspended Term of an Elderly Believer from Knyaze-Volkonskoye by a Year September 19, 2024 Khabarovsk Territory On September 17, 2024, the Khabarovsk Regional Court commuted the sentence of Valeriy Rabota, 62, giving him a five-year suspended sentence for participating in peaceful worship services. Prosecutor Taisiya Kovtunova sought tougher punishment: she asked to replace the six-year suspended sentence with a real one. Valeriy Rabota himself completely denies the guilt of extremism. In his complaint, he noted: "My actions were completely peaceful. The prosecution did not claim that I incited violence or religious hatred and enmity. On the basis of Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, my fellow believers and I had every right to meet to discuss the Bible and communicate, which in no way depends on the existence of any religious organization." As noted by the defense, a guilty verdict, in fact, means that if the con...