The last word of the defendant Maxim Khalturin in Kirov

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Maxim Khalturin in Kirov

May 23, 2022

Kirov region

From the courtroom

In his address to the court, the believer noted: "When Jehovah's Witnesses participate in the preaching service, they do so not because they are assigned to do so by a certain statute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but because they consider it important for themselves to share with their neighbors what is written in the Bible."

Transcript of the court session in the Pervomaisky district Court of Kirov dated 05/23/2022 in the case 1-2/2022 on charges of Khalturin Maxim Valeryevich and others. of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Khalturin Maxim Valerievich:

Your Honor, at the beginning, I would like to note that the friendly atmosphere that could be felt at the trial was supported by the joint efforts of several representatives of the prosecutor's office, several secretaries, defenders and defendants. And I am very pleased that such a favorable atmosphere was maintained throughout the entire process.

First of all, I will say that I have been a believer since 1994. Over the years, as a Jehovah's Witness, being a fairly young man at that time, I made many discoveries for myself. For example, it turns out that many modern laws are based on those biblical principles that were voiced by Jesus Christ during his lifetime. Some of them are the 10 commandments that people know, although not by heart, thanks to repeated citations, such as: "do not kill," "do not steal," "do not wish evil to your neighbor."

In general, any religion is the pursuit of the ideal. There is a certain ideal of how to think correctly, how to treat others correctly. And over the years that I have been studying the Bible, I have become convinced that many Jehovah's Witnesses, whom I personally know, want to follow exactly the ideals that were proclaimed by Jesus Christ and generally described on the pages of the Bible. At one time, I made the decision to be baptized for myself, and baptism is the dedication of myself to God and following the ideals described in the Bible. And although these ideals are very high, people, recognizing them, are ready to follow them. I decided for myself that although these lofty ideals are unattainable for people, because the Bible says that all people are still in a sinful state, but striving for them, as Jesus Christ said, is a noble goal. And that is why Christianity is following in the footsteps of Christ, as described in the 1st letter of Peter in the New Testament.

Interestingly, during my testimony, I could remember almost nothing about my participation in the MRO. It was so long ago and so insignificant that it did not remain in my memory. And when I left the Kirov region in 2011-2015 — which I also provided documents to the court about — so, the last thing I thought about was my participation or not participation in the MRO. It was unimportant to me. If it were so important, then I would not have left Kirov, but then I would have continued the activities of the MRO in that area in those 2011-2015 years. However, since it was not important to me, I could easily use myself, my opportunities, to carry out religious activities away from Kirov. And in that period of time, I also fully participated in religious activities outside Kirov and outside the Kirov region, and I did not need any MRO.

And, by the way, as I said in my testimony, during those years I could observe other Jehovah's Witnesses in other localities, other cities and draw additional conclusions for myself. What is common to all Jehovah's Witnesses is that in addition to following, so to speak, the prescribed commandments of Christ, there is, for example, such a code of conduct as peacefulness. Although there are no written rules about which words to say and which not to say. This peacefulness was just felt. That is, the atmosphere that was present at meetings and meetings in other cities indicated that all Jehovah's Witnesses strive for peacefulness in their lives, as it is written in the Letter to the Romans: "As far as possible on your part, be at peace with all people." And I have witnessed this for many years of my life.

Yes, and I love all kinds of scientific research, so I attached a journal with psychiatric scientific research for 1991. I got acquainted with the conclusions that were broadcast there in the early 2000s, and it was obvious to me that, in general, I had not seen any other picture. I came to exactly the same conclusions as the researcher, although he studied the Moscow community of Jehovah's Witnesses.

When I found out that the MRO was subject to liquidation and its activities were prohibited, I treated it as a kind of reality that did not depend on me, since it was a court decision. The only thing I did was to contact the presidential administration with a letter so that this court decision would not be used as a reason to ban the entire denomination of Jehovah's Witnesses. The fate of the MRO as such did not interest me at all.

Having repeatedly read that court decision of April 20, 2017, I did not personally see for myself the prohibitions and restrictions that I needed to additionally adhere to for my religious practices. Did that decision limit my personal or joint prayers with someone? No, it didn't, like many other things.

If we also mention my religious practice, which was in the 2000s or even in the 1990s, I also had the opportunity not only to communicate with the Kirov Jehovah's Witnesses, but also with Witnesses from other regions and other cities. That is, I have seen a similar picture in principle, that when Jehovah's Witnesses participate in the preaching service, they do so not because they are assigned to do so by a certain statute of the MRO, but because they consider it important for themselves to share with their neighbors what is written in the Bible. Moreover, it was the instruction of Jesus Christ to carry the good news to others; that when believers gather at meetings, they do this not because it is necessary for some kind of activity of the MRO meeting, but because they share their own religious experience at meetings and explore those aspects of religious service that are important, which from the little things add up to the general, so that from some actions, It was obvious that this man was a Christian.

A Jehovah's Witness does not need to wear any attributes to be distinguished in this way. They should show by their behavior that they follow the ideals that are written in the Bible. Nothing else is required for this. When Jehovah's Witnesses are baptized, they do it not because they need it to join the MRO, but because they want to dedicate their lives to God, to live according to the Bible.

But there are still people who, perceiving the Bible and the creeds of Jehovah's Witnesses, follow it only partially. For example, I knew several people who quit smoking, but did not become members of the meeting, did not attend meetings. Nevertheless, they appreciated the Bible and to some extent adhered to its principles. Therefore, after reading the court's decision, I was able to make sure that it does not restrict my religious activities.

Therefore, I sincerely do not understand the position of the public prosecutor, which was voiced in the debate, that I committed some kind of crime for which I should be sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison. I would like to note that such a verdict will be a blow not only for me personally, but also for my family. I also provided documents about my parents, their health status, and their age. They will also, especially my father, find themselves on the brink of survival without my help, which they will need every day.

I do not understand why the state prosecutor did not give an assessment in the debate, did not take into account the absence of public danger when drawing up procedural conclusions. It was obvious that the prosecution did not distinguish between the concepts of criminal and legitimate religious activity. Therefore, I ask the court to take into account this difference, which was voiced, for example, by Sergey I. Ivanenko, a specialist, and outlined in his personal religious studies study.

Please do not hold me criminally responsible for following the commandments of Christ. One of the important commandments is set forth in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 18, verses 19 and 20, where Jesus Christ said: "Verily I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Verily also I say to you that if two of you agree on earth to ask for any thing, whatever they ask, it will be from my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." It can be seen that this commandment is not prescribed by any legal authority, but is set forth by Jesus Christ.

Many other commandments that I and other defendants follow in my life are based on the Bible, and not on the decisions of any legal structures created in the past. Therefore, taking into account both my religious orientation, as well as other defendants, and in general Jehovah's Witnesses, as a denomination, to follow these commandments, which are lawful from the point of view of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, I ask you to pass an acquittal both against me and against others!

Summary of the case

Region:

Kirov region

Locality:

Kirov

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "meetings of followers and participants of the said association [Jehovah's Witnesses] were organized in various apartments in compliance with the actions characteristic of this association, expressed in joint singing of biblical songs, improving skills in carrying out missionary activities, studying religious literature, the so-called "Holy Scripture" (Bible), which is part of the The Federal list of extremist materials containing the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses."

Criminal case number:

11802330022000044

Case initiated:

October 3, 2018

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Kirov region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (2)

The number of the case in court:

1-2/2022 (1-5/2021; 1-123/2020)

Court of first instance:

Pervomaisky District Court of Kirov

Judge of the Court of first instance:

Timur Yusupov