The last word of the defendant Alexander Lubin in Shadrinsk

 RUSSIA 

 

The last word of the defendant Alexander Lubin in Shadrinsk

on September 9, 2024

Kurgan region

In his speech in court, the believer asked questions: "Why am I being called an extremist? What actions of mine caused pain, suffering, or harm to those around me? Is it a crime to read the Bible, discuss Bible teachings, and praise God in hymns with your friends?"

Transcript of the court session in the Shadrinsky district Court of the Kurgan region dated 09.09.2024 in the case 1-2/2024 (1-217/2023) on the charge of Lubin Alexander Nikolaevich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Lubin Alexander Nikolaevich:

Dear Court, I would like to begin my last word with words of sincere gratitude to all participants in this process: to you, Your Honor, for striving to be unbiased, objective, for understanding and sympathizing with me because of my state of health; to the public prosecutor for striving to be on guard of the law and showing respect for my religious feelings; to the secretaries courts for hard work in preparing transcripts of court sessions and documentation. I cannot ignore the respected bailiffs who ensured order, but at the same time were not rude to us, remained polite and courteous.

I thank my lawyers for their good training. You put your whole heart and soul into this process, sacrificed your time, strength and health for me. Each time you provided objective evidence that the entire criminal case was based on far-fetched grounds and the wishes of the investigator. And after your convincing speeches in the debate, I wanted to applaud.

Many thanks to everyone who supported me all this time — I came to the meetings, waited outside the courtroom despite the bad weather. The warmest words of gratitude to my dear wife Tatiana. Despite the state of your health, you are steadfastly going through all our trials with me. In these difficulties, you have become even closer to me. Indeed, you are an example of a virtuous and loving wife!

Thank you to my God for giving me a wonderful spiritual family. Everyone here is my friend. Throughout this difficult trial, they were very emotionally supportive of me. I feel your sincere love and attention, as well as physical help during this difficult time. I would like to express special gratitude to my spiritual brothers and sisters around the world who are following the progress of my court case.

Your Honor, during the investigation and consideration of this case, I saw that it was very important for the prosecution what faith I profess and how I express it. But I did not deny that I have been a Jehovah's Witness believer for many years, and faith in God is not a formality for me, but a way of thinking and a way of life.

In the 2000s, I began to think seriously: what is the meaning of life? Will life ever get better? Why do bad things happen to good people? Many other questions bothered me. And today I am being judged for what and how I believe.

But how can I not believe it if I learned from the Bible and became convinced that there is a caring Creator and that he has a wonderful plan to turn the whole earth into a paradise for the eternal peaceful life of people who will be brought to perfection. How can I not believe if I have seen by my own example that there is great wisdom in the Bible? It has a positive effect on people and changes their lives for the better if you read it and reflect on what we learn! So, understanding and applying biblical knowledge to myself, I saw how gradually they changed my thinking in many areas of life.

For example, I learned how to cope with worries and difficulties, establish relationships with people, and make informed decisions. Through the application of principles from the Word of God, my life has improved significantly. She became more intelligent and purposeful. The firm biblical hope for the future has become a real support for me, it helps me to stand up during life's storms and adversities, gives me the strength to cope with everyday difficulties, remain optimistic and be joyful, despite serious health problems.

Drawing knowledge from the Holy Scriptures, I sought to live in such a way as to gain the approval of Jehovah God. While studying the Bible, my faith was strengthened. I became firmly convinced of the reality of the Creator's existence. Through close communication with my co-religionists and attending our meetings, I began to follow more biblical principles, for example, such as: "Take care not only of your own interests, but also of the interests of others" (Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians, chapter 2, verse 4).

I used to think only about my well-being, believing that it leads to happiness and a good life. But the temporary joy of seeming success quickly evaporated, and only thanks to the Word of God did I realize that the desire to give something to others and do them something good can make a person happy. After all, a strong relationship between people is based on a willingness to give, not a desire to receive. By striving to help others, I became more joyful, tolerant and got rid of prejudices. I have a desire to notice the good qualities in people and praise them. I have noticed that this increases mutual respect and trust between people.

And the command "go and prepare disciples in all nations by baptizing them" (Matthew 28:19, 20) is the task of Jesus Christ to his disciples. Therefore, it is the duty of every Christian to tell the good news from the Bible, because people's lives depend on it (1 Timothy 4:16). Selfless love has great power. It can touch the hearts of those who are "disposed to accept the truth leading to eternal life" (Acts 13:48). By listening to biblical truths, sincere and spiritually minded people respond to the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. But there is no coercion on the part of Jehovah's Witnesses in this activity.

Life depends on whether we know the name of God or not, because it says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel, chapter 2, verse 32). The Bible provides an opportunity to get to know the personality of God and get closer to him. If all people studied the Word of God and followed his wise advice, they would stop being angry, insulting each other, envious, hating, irritated, and the like. And following the example of our teacher Jesus Christ, the son of God, we would all become kinder to each other.

I am accused of acting out of extremist motives in my religious activities, which are actually alien to me. I respect authority and obey the government, because the Bible says: "Every person must obey the highest authorities [human rulers], because any authority is from God." In addition, "Whoever opposes authority rebels against the order established by God, and such a person will incur condemnation" (Romans 13:1, 2). Therefore, I never had the intention to violate the laws of the state and undermine the security of society. I understand that, being a Christian, I must faithfully fulfill the commandment to "obey the highest authorities."

For 45 years of honest work and continuous experience, I have only positive entries in my workbook — letters of thanks and certificates of honor. And so, despite my advanced age and physical infirmity, I, who suffer from severe vascular diseases, hypertension, and an autoimmune disease affecting various organs, am imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center. When I was imprisoned, my life changed overnight. My feelings, as an honest and decent person with a good reputation, are trampled on. My family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, when they found out where I was, were very surprised and asked the same question "for what?". And if I had really committed a crime, then it would be clear to me what I am accused of and what I am recognized as a criminal for. During the trial, I did not hear any evidence that anything in my actions or words could be called a crime or extremism.

The criminal prosecution on a far-fetched charge further worsened my already poor health and deprived me of the opportunity to receive planned medical care. Yes, although I am physically weakening, faith in God and expectation of his promises are getting stronger every day. They give me the strength to cope with daily difficulties.

I want to mention what feelings my wife and I had to go through during the search. Morning, it was not yet 7 o'clock, a loud knock on the window. Tanya, my wife, went to the window and asked: "What did you want?" The man shouted loudly and rudely: "Open it quickly!" — "Why?" —"You will be understood." — "I can't write or read after strokes, what kind of understanding am I?" she replied and went to get dressed in the bedroom. At this time, the investigator pulled out the mosquito net with a bang from the window and climbed onto the window sill. She had not yet managed to enter the kitchen when the investigator jumped through the window into the room and shouted again: "Open it, open it quickly!" Riot police and several other people stormed into the courtyard like a hurricane. The investigator shouted: "Where is Lubin? Where is Lubin?" At this time, his wife lost her speech, as she had after the stroke, and she could not say anything. Although we did not have fear and panic at that moment, our human dignity was trampled on. After all, they knew who would be searched — the elderly disabled of group II, who even move around the room with a cane. It was no less humiliating when the young investigators were sorting through our underwear, and the witnesses were watching all this. Seeing our calm behavior, the investigator also calmed down and stopped shouting. The search lasted until almost 2 p.m., it was a very difficult emotional and physical burden for us.

It has been a long time since the search, but still we cannot approach this window without excitement when there is a knock. Everything we experienced at that time comes back to us again and again, and these feelings seem to never go away.

It was very painful for me to watch the interrogations of elderly witnesses in court sessions in my case. The investigation seemed to deliberately select those over 80. They can't see or hear well anymore, and they don't understand many words. Therefore, it seemed that the investigators compiled the interrogation protocols at their discretion.

According to the interrogation of Valentina Vasilyevna Myasnikova. Her son stated that she was no longer thinking straight, her health was not so good. After the interrogation at the court hearing, having received additional stress, she did not even live a month and passed away.

Dear court, I still strive to follow these words: "Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and most important commandment. And the second one is similar to it: "Love your neighbors as yourself" (Matthew 22, verses 37-39).

My Bible-trained conscience and firm beliefs do not allow me to harm anyone. This is confirmed by the words of neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances with whom I am on good terms.

My beliefs and actions are not illegal. According to Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, every person is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or jointly with others any religion or none, freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.

I was prosecuted only for exercising my right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, for peaceful religious activities.

I consider the criminal case brought against me not legitimate or justified, but politically motivated. I have not committed any crimes in my entire adult life. I have never had any intention or desire to do what I am accused of.

The accusation of extremism contradicts my beliefs based on biblical principles. It is difficult to connect it with the fact that the disciples of Christ are recognized by love. It has always seemed to me that studying the Bible and living according to the laws of the Creator is legitimate and vital for every person, and there is nothing wrong with that.

As a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ, I maintain political neutrality, and this position allows me to carry the good news of the Kingdom of God to people of all political persuasions.

I strive to act honestly in everything, because the Bible says, "Keep your tongue from evil and your mouth from deceit" (Psalm 34, verse 13). My neighbors, acquaintances, and colleagues have always trusted me, and I still enjoy a good reputation in their eyes, as well as with representatives of local government and authorities. This may encourage others to do the same.

Your Honor, I sincerely cannot understand: why am I being called an extremist? What actions of mine caused pain, suffering, or harm to those around me? What have I personally done against the state, society and local governments? Is it a crime to read the Bible, discuss biblical teachings, peacefully practice your religion and praise God in hymns with your friends?

Your Honor, I want to state that I did not commit any extremist actions, I was engaged in peaceful religious activities and did not violate either the law of our state or the law of God. My conscience is clear both before God and before you, Your Honor, because I never had any thoughts of participating in anything related to extremism.

Dear court, Your Honor, once again I want to declare my complete innocence, I ask you to acquit me, drop all charges against me and restore my good name!

Summary of the case

Region:

Kurgan region

Locality:

Shadrinsk

The number of the criminal case:

12102370012000108

Case initiated:

July 13, 2021

Current stage of the case:

Proceedings in the court of first instance

Investigating:

The First department of the SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Kurgan region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-2/2024 (1-217/2023)

Court of First Instance:

Shadrinsky District Court of the Kurgan region

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Natalia Korotneva