The last word of the defendant Andrey Vlasov in Prokopyevsk

 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 calmness and strength that he gave me all the time, from the search to this day.

I am grateful to my dear half, Natasha, for her wonderful qualities and the attitude she has shown all this time. My dear, you've had to endure a lot. You are the real helper that Jehovah gave me. It is written about you: "Two are better than one... because if one falls, the other will pick up his comrade." Thank you, dear!

I am grateful to all our friends for coming and supporting us at all the court sessions. Your applause when I entered the courthouse gave me confidence and cheerfulness that I was not alone, and when I left, I was incredibly glad that you were with me. And your smiles and encouraging words have been a great support for me. Thank you for supporting us. So you confirmed the words of Jesus Christ from John the 13th chapter, verse 35: "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for each other." Thank you, our dear ones!

I am grateful to the staff of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the city of Prokopyevsk, who treated me kindly, especially the supervising employee Ilya Yurievich.

I thank my lawyer Ksenia Vyacheslavovna for her respectful and kind attitude towards me, for advising me when I had questions about my case, as well as for the work done.

Thanks to the prosecutor for pronouncing God's name correctly. Thanks to the secretaries and your assistants.

Thank you, Your Honor, for allowing my friends to be present at every court hearing, and for today, when so many listeners are present.

A lot depends on you now. This process has come to an end, and you will need to make a balanced and fair decision. A decision on which my life, as well as my wife's life, will depend. Therefore, I ask you, Your Honor, to listen to me very carefully and with great patience.

Each of you probably understands that I did not commit a crime. I don't look like an extremist because I'm not an extremist. I don't look like a criminal because I didn't commit any crime.

I recall a case when investigative actions were completed. The head of the investigation team said: "The case is purely political, you are not a criminal." It was not surprising to hear that. It's obvious. The idea of violence, murder, and drug addiction is alien to me, because I try to live according to biblical principles that are based on love for God and neighbor.

Dear court, I am not ashamed to stand here in front of you. The words of the Apostle Peter help me: "However, I do not want any of you to suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or someone who does evil, or someone who interferes in other people's affairs. And if someone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him continue to glorify God by living as a Christian" (1 Peter 4:15, 16). Today, I am being judged not for having done something wrong, but for being a Christian and glorifying Jehovah God.

Is there any other reason why I'm standing in front of you, Your Honor? Yes. When Jehovah's Witnesses talk about God, it is difficult to find you, lawyers, employees of the courts, the prosecutor's office, the FSB, and the police at home. You are always at work, working hard. Many of you live in protected areas where a simple person like me cannot get into. And Jehovah is kind and just. He wants all people, regardless of status and position, to hear this life-giving message. Therefore, Jehovah God, through his servants, offers each of you a choice: to accept the good news and enjoy eternal life on earth in heavenly conditions or not to accept it. Jehovah provides this choice and respects the decision of each person. So, as they say, if the mountain does not go to Mahomed, then Mahomed goes to the mountain. That's why I'm standing here in front of you.

In confirmation, I want to quote the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew 10:18: "And they will lead you to rulers and kings [i.e., to the authorities] for me, to testify before them." From these words, it is clear that a criminal case has been opened against me not because I committed something illegal, but in order to give testimony to everyone about my God Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ. Thanks to this criminal case, so many employees of the FSB, police, prosecutor's office, courts, bailiffs and lawyers have heard about the God Jehovah and even learned how to pronounce his name correctly. That's great!

Although the name of Jehovah seems incomprehensible and unfamiliar to some, it is found quite often in many translations of the Bible and not only in the "New World Translation". For example, in the translation of Archimandrite Macarius, the name "Jehovah" occurs more than 3,000 times. In the book of Psalms (translated by G. P. Pavsky in 1822), the name "Jehovah" is used 36 times. In his translations of other books of the Hebrew Scriptures, God's name appears hundreds of times. There are 9 scriptures in the Synodal translation where the name "Jehovah" is mentioned. This name is found in the original Hebrew texts of the Bible much more often than any other name.

Further, as part of the criminal case, you even had to listen to speeches based on the Bible, analyze articles on spiritual topics, listen to our music, as well as how we pray, hear how we communicate, and generally find out what kind of people we are, Jehovah's Witnesses. When else would you do it? It would take us years to get all this information to you in a normal setting. If at all it would be possible. And now you have heard all this yourself — you have received not distorted facts and media reports, but first-hand information.

And now I will turn to the charges that are imputed to me. I feel like there have been no court hearings for 9 months. The prosecutor based the charges on the testimony and expertise of the preliminary investigation. The state prosecutor believes that I have committed a crime. But what is the crime? The essence of the accusation boils down to the fact that after 2017 I remained a believer and profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

In this way, I imitate the excellent example of the Apostle Paul, who also had the opportunity to speak with his case in front of respected people. He was also grateful to them for their attention and willingness to figure it out. At one of these court hearings, he said: "King Agrippa! I consider myself happy that today I can defend myself before you in everything that I am accused of ... especially since you know all the customs and controversial opinions… Therefore, I ask you to listen to me generously" (Acts 26:2, 3). I also have the great honor to defend the holy name of Jehovah God in court.

Today I am glad to stand here before the court and defend my faith in Jehovah God and I am proud to be a Jehovah's Witness! It is a great honor for me that he allowed me to undergo the trials of my faith and sanctify his name before the authorities! There is no guilt in my heart, and my Bible-trained conscience is clear, which is very important to me.

It is well known that Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world are a religious group "adhering to the principles of pacifism." We have never advocated any calls for violence or incitement to violence, nor have we shown any religious hostility or hatred, and we will never do so.

Why is this all happening to us? John 15:20 records the words of Jesus: "A servant is no greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too." The Apostle Paul also warned of persecution: "And all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). We understand that this is how one of the dozens of prophecies of the Bible about our days comes true.

And what helps us overcome these difficulties and trials? Love! God's love for us, which gives us the strength to endure all this; a love that "endures everything" and "does not lose hope" that those who are participants in this trial will place their hearts in everything that I have said and see in me not a dangerous criminal, but a person who sincerely loves God and his neighbors, that a just decision will be made. And even if this is not the case, God will reward the devotion of His servants. After all, as it says in Zechariah 2:8: "For he who touches you touches the apple of his eye." How long would we allow someone to touch the pupil of their eye? So is Jehovah God.

Today, many people believe various rumors, gossip and direct slander and often do not want to deal with it. Since I became a Jehovah's Witness, I have heard all sorts of statements from people: we were also called an American sect (although in fact only less than 1/7 of Jehovah's Witnesses live in the United States), they claimed that we do not recognize Jesus Christ. Someone thought that we were taking away apartments or living in seclusion and raising children in the same way. And now we're extremists? Most people who live in our city and know this situation are very concerned about what is happening, they think that this is some kind of order, someone's malicious joke. And it's really hard to explain logically.

From the whole process, I conclude that I am being prosecuted only because I remain a believer after the liquidation of legal entities. This is clearly seen in the indictment: "acting illegally, intentionally, in accordance with their religious beliefs, pursuing the goals of spreading the faith." The Prosecutor's office believes that it is a crime to be a Jehovah's Witness and spread this creed. But this, in turn, violates my rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

In all the years since July 2020, I have not seen any grounds not only to condemn me as an extremist, but even to initiate criminal proceedings against me!

I am very attached to my friends and to the places where I was born and grew up. I would like to paraphrase here the words of the prophet Daniel, which he said to the king when he was thrown into a den with lions, but Jehovah did not allow them to harm Daniel: "My conscience is clear, because I am innocent before God, and, Your Honor, I have done nothing wrong to the state."

I have not left and I am not going to leave Russia, but I will not give up my faith, no matter what it costs me, because love is patient, endures everything.

To be honest, I have repeatedly prayed for this whole process and for all its participants. I don't hold a grudge against anyone and I understand that by and large you are just trying to do your job and your duties.

Dear Prosecutor, you asked me to be sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, and I understand that this is not your fault. You simply have no other choice. But know this, dear prosecutor, I have no negative feelings towards you!

Yes, no matter how many trials of the Bible and believers there were in history, the truth from the Word of God did not suffer at all, but only found more and more those who were sincerely interested in it and accepted it with all their hearts. Even now, when the trials are taking place in Russia, millions of Jehovah's Witnesses around the world continue to show love and share the beautiful hope from the Bible for a heavenly future. And what about the courts? The Gospel of Matthew 10:18 says: "You will be brought to the judgment of rulers and kings, because you are My disciples, so that you can testify about me before them." Today, this prophecy has been fulfilled in our city.

To be honest with 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.

Besides, when would I see so many blessings from God — the love and care of close relatives. By the way, this proves the falsity of the claims that we are calling for the severance of family relations. I also saw the love and care of my co-religionists. You've probably noticed people standing in front of the court, about 10-20 people, or even more. They all came to support me. Note that they did not miss a single court session. Even the bailiffs were surprised.

Your Honor, the respected prosecutor claims that I "committed a deliberate crime against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state." But this statement is not substantiated by anything. In fact, I try to follow the commandment that encourages me to comply with the laws of our country and show due respect for state authority. "Let every soul be submissive to the highest authorities, for there is no authority not from God… Therefore, one must obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also out of conscience" (Romans 15:1, 5). This obliges me to respect any authority and those who exercise it. I paid my taxes in good faith. I do not participate in strikes. I keep the peace in communicating with people, regardless of their position in society. I am clean before the law and do not deserve such accusations and punishment. The prosecutor asks for 8.5 years in prison. For what? Because I've been learning to obey the authorities for 30 years?

Jesus Christ, when he was accused of various sins, said: "The righteousness of wisdom is confirmed by its works." Yes, deeds speak louder than words, louder than all unfounded accusations! Those who knew Jesus personally saw that he was a sinless man. And those who know Jehovah's Witnesses well are convinced that they are peaceful, honest and useful people for society.

Thinking about all the accusations that the prosecutor voiced, I remembered our Lord Jesus Christ. On the last day of his life, he also found himself in the dock. I wonder what he was accused of? Strangely enough (you will probably even be surprised) He was accused of the same thing that I am accused of today — extremism! His opponents came up with such an accusation: "We found that he corrupts our people and forbids giving tribute to Caesar, calling himself Christ the King" (Luke 23:2). We see that Jesus Christ was accused of sedition and, in fact, of undermining the security of the state, just like me.

It was clearly an insidious lie! Jesus did not corrupt the people, but preached about the Kingdom of God, taught the truth about it, and healed people. Jehovah's Witnesses also, following the example of Christ, preach the truth about God, about his plan and seek out those who want to know the will of God.

The second accusation that Jesus "forbids paying taxes" was also false, because he, on the contrary, encouraged them to do so.

The third charge against Jesus was that he "called himself king." It was a fiction, because a year earlier, when the people wanted to make him king, he refused to be one.… But the mention of Jesus calling himself king caused Pilate, a representative of the Roman government, to worry. And today, the accusation against Jehovah's Witnesses that they allegedly promote their exclusivity causes concern among the rulers, as well as law enforcement agencies.

So, everyone knows perfectly well that Jesus was not really an extremist. He was a loving, kind, humble and law-abiding man. Pontius Pilate understood this too and told those who accused Jesus: "I have examined in your presence and have not found this man guilty of anything of which you accuse him" (Luke 23:14). However, Pilate later showed that he was more willing to please the accusers than to do what he thought was right. Succumbing to fear, he eventually gives in to their insistent demands and gives Jesus a guilty verdict — the death penalty!

And even at such a moment, before his death, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing." And although Jesus died a shameful death as a criminal, he was completely justified in the eyes of his Father, Jehovah God. God resurrected him and in our time has made him King in heaven! And his followers became much more numerous than they were, because they believed that Jesus was a righteous man and the son of God! But still, the question arises, why was he persecuted and convicted?

Jesus explained this idea very well when, in a conversation with Pilate, he explained why he came to earth in the first place. He said: "This is why I was born and this is why I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth; everyone who hears my voice from the truth" (John 18:37). Yes, Jesus told people the truth about God and about his Kingdom in heaven. This touched the hearts of sincere people, and they became followers of Jesus, while the opponents were afraid of him and saw him as a competitor.

Jehovah's Witnesses, like Jesus Christ, come to people's homes and tell them about the biblical truth. It touches the hearts of sincere people, and they become Jehovah's Witnesses.

Your Honor, I am not tempted by the idea of spending many years without family and friends. But I am firmly confident in my future, no matter what verdict is passed against me in this case. In any case, I will come out of here justified in the eyes of my family and friends, and most importantly — in the eyes of my God Jehovah!

Dear Court, In gathering with my friends for joint religious meetings, I did not follow the Rules of the MRO and not human guidance. I followed the guidance from the Bible. It says, "Let us not forsake our congregation" (Hebrews 10:24, 25).

It was common for me and my co-religionists to get together and study the Holy Scriptures. We tried to deepen our understanding of biblical truth, thereby strengthening our faith and love for God. At the meetings, we learned how to apply what we learned in our lives. Such meetings teach to be obedient to the state authorities, to respect them and to be obedient to God and Jesus Christ.

When we gathered together, we followed the pattern left by the Christians of the first century A.D., who also gathered at home. In the first century, there was no such thing as the MRO of Jerusalem or the MRO of Jericho. They didn't need legal registration, but it was customary to get together. And this is what is happening in our time among Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world.

The prosecutor read out the accusation that we "continued the activities of the MRO, using conspiratorial methods of holding meetings of believers," meaning that we began to gather at home and used the Zoom program. After the prohibition of the Jehovah's Witnesses MRO in Prokopyevsk, we were afraid that law enforcement agencies might misinterpret what exactly was prohibited, so we began to gather at home so as not to attract attention. At the same time, when we gathered in our apartments to discuss the Bible together, we understood perfectly well that this was not prohibited by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated 04/20/2017. But we also understood that illegal actions by law enforcement agencies could be used against us. Therefore, as Christians, we acted in accordance with the wise saying from the book of Proverbs: "The prudent sees trouble and hides himself" (Proverbs 22:3). We did not attract attention and arouse suspicion. And in order to see each other, communicate and encourage, as it was before, we used video conferencing, and there is nothing illegal in this. Many people in our country communicate with each other on the Internet on various topics. The courts are also held via video conferencing. I love my friends, brothers and sisters very much, and I wanted to see and encourage them by discussing biblical topics.

I want to draw attention to the accusation: "The activities of the MRO were continued by Vlasov." Was I a member of the MRO at that time? The case file records that after 2012 Vlasov was not listed as a member of the MRO of Prokopyevsk. After re-registration in 1999, I was not even on the list of founders of the MRO of Prokopyevsk. Why did I need to organize the activities of the MRO? Whether I was a member of the MRO or not did not affect my faith in any way. MRO and professing my religion are two different concepts.

I am also accused of organizing the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses NGO in Prokopyevsk, because, according to the prosecutor, everything was organized during religious meetings: the day, the time of meetings, a certain order at the meeting.

Why are such arguments not justified?

First, I want to say that, according to the Bible, Jehovah is the God of order. In all the works of God, organization and order are visible. Jehovah's Witnesses try to imitate God in this. And with regard to religious meetings, we tried to act in accordance with this rule: "Only everything should be decent and orderly," that is, organized (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Secondly, I want to give you an example. If a large family decides to have a picnic, they will plan the day, time and place where the picnic will take place. They also coordinate the roles: someone will cook food, someone will organize games and other entertainment. Organization is inherent not only in legal organizations… There is also a certain order and organization at the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses, the MRO has absolutely nothing to do with it.

And in refutation of the prosecutor's argument regarding the so-called "propaganda of the exclusivity of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses over other religions," I want to say the following:

First of all, Jehovah's Witnesses really consider themselves true Christians! And there is nothing wrong with this, because everyone who takes their religion seriously considers it right. Any religion considers itself to be true in relation to everyone else, and this is normal. I think every Christian knows that Jesus founded only one religion — the true one. It can be compared to the road that leads to eternal life. Jesus said that only a few find this way (Matthew 7:14). And at the time, I realized for myself that it is important not just to believe that my religion is correct, but to make sure of it. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, "Not everyone who speaks to me: "My God! Lord, "he will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my heavenly Father." Here Jesus says that it is not enough to call yourself a Christian, you need to do the will of his Father. I realized that I needed to be sure that my faith was in accordance with the will of God and was based on the Bible. Only in this way can a Christian have God's approval and a wonderful hope for the future!

Secondly, the arguments that I called for the propaganda of exclusivity are not supported by the testimony of witnesses, as the prosecutor claims. At the hearing, prosecution witnesses were questioned in order to prove that by coming to people's homes and sharing knowledge from the Bible with them, I was violating the law. In fact, not a single prosecution witness told the court that I had in any way promoted the supremacy of the Jehovah's Witness religion or its exclusivity. None of them said that I had hurt their feelings or offended them in any way when I wanted to share knowledge from the Bible with them. On the contrary, at the court hearing they said that they had not heard me share information inciting religious discord, promoting exclusivity, superiority and inferiority of citizens based on their attitude to religion.

Also, the prosecution and defense witnesses have never heard from me extremist statements, negative assessments of persons who are not Jehovah's Witnesses, and inducements to break off family relations, calls for disrespect of state bodies, to refuse military service.

The calls to sever family relations do not come from me, but from the prosecution, which wants to separate my wife Natalia and me for a long time. This year it will be 19 years since we have been married. According to the Bible, we are "one flesh" and should be together, side by side, support each other and heal the wounds caused by this unfair criminal case.

My physical condition is limited, I constantly need physical help. Due to stiffness in movement, I cannot take care of my feet without help: put on socks, take care of my feet and toes. All this is done by my dear Natasha. I constantly need medical treatment and supervision. Therefore, I appeal to you, Your Honor, to show mercy to my family. Please don't separate me from my wife!

Returning to the accusation of promoting exclusivity. It is unfounded and is not confirmed, but is refuted by the testimony of witnesses. In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that they are better and smarter than others. We treat people of different nationalities, cultures and religions equally — with kindness, respect and love, because we live by the commandment: "Love your neighbor" (Matthew 22:39). And "love... is not exalted," says 1 Corinthians 13:4. […]

In conclusion, I would like to draw attention to the words of the prosecutor: "Punishment will contribute to correction"… I do not know what the prosecutor expects from me. What kind of correction? Before I became a Jehovah's Witness, I was drunk, fighting, swearing. Life was empty and meaningless, in general, "vanity of vanities," as Solomon said. Then he began to apply the advice from the Bible in his life and completely changed his life.

In 1991, I was baptized as a Jehovah's Witness, and all these years, as a Christian, I have been learning to live by the laws of Christ and follow his example: I develop love for my neighbors and even for enemies; I have learned to obey any authority; I continue to strengthen relationships in the family and with other people; I live honestly and morally. And for all this, do I deserve to be punished in the form of 8.5 years in prison and some kind of correction?

What does the prosecution expect from me? For me to renounce my faith? So it was faith in Jehovah that helped me to improve and become a worthy citizen of Russia. I am grateful to God that he helps strengthen our marriage and improve our lives. Thanks to Jehovah, I have found the real meaning of life and confidence in a wonderful future. A close relationship with the God Jehovah is the most valuable thing I have. And I value my friendship with him, no matter what I am wrongly accused of.

And about the prison term, I thought about this: The Bible has taught me to respect state authorities, and what will my imprisonment teach those who know me, my friends and relatives? Will they feel respect for the state? I would like this criminal case in our small town not to become resonant and undermine confidence in the law enforcement system. After all, persecution for faith almost always dealt a blow to those structures that started it. It undermines the reputation of our country.

Your Honor! I want to say again, I am not an extremist and have never been one. What I am accused of is a gross mistake. I am innocent before God and the state. I hope that you were able to verify this.

Your Honor, you have the right to analyze and make your own decisions. Of course, I want to believe that you will have the courage and make a fair decision, as the courts in Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg and Kamchatka have already done. I would like to ask you, please, to make a fair decision, taking into account all the facts.

Your Honor! I ask you to find me innocent, acquit me and restore my honor, recognizing my right to rehabilitation.

Summary of the case

Region:

Kemerovo region

Locality:

Prokopyevsk

What is suspected:

"Using a technical tool that allows for video conferencing organized a religious meeting" (from the verdict of Andrei Vlasov)

Criminal case number:

12007320001000054

Case initiated:

July 2, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia for the Kemerovo region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-21/2022 (1-246/2021)

Court:

Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo region

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Pavel Kotykhov.