The last word of the defendant Naili Kogai in Vladivostok

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Naili Kogai in Vladivostok

May 27, 2022

Primorsky Krai

From the courtroom

Naila Kogai drew attention to the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses freely profess their faith in most countries of the world, which means they do not pose a danger. She also reminded the court that in modern Russia, followers of this denomination were recognized as victims of political repression and rehabilitated.

Transcript of the court session in the Leninsky District Court of Vladivostok dated 05/27/2022 in the case 1-14/2022 (1-136/2021; 1-414/2019) on the charges of Kogai Naili Sunatovna and others. of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Kogai Nailya Sunatovna:

Your Honor, this is my last word before you pass sentence. First of all, I want to thank you for your patience with me and my friends. We have never had to act as defendants before. Secondly, thanks to Prosecutor Ekaterina Vladimirovna for pronouncing the name of God correctly.

I would like to explain to the court how I became a Jehovah's Witness. Since childhood, I have faced the grief and pain of people close to me. And I always asked myself the question: "Why do good people suffer? Why are innocents, children and the elderly dying?" It's unfair. Many, even believers, are convinced that God is to blame for people's misfortunes.

I searched for answers in different religions and at the age of 45 I found them in the Bible. It says: "Reasonable people, listen... it is unthinkable for the true God to do evil, for the Almighty to act unfairly." An evil spiritual personality, Satan the Devil, who masterfully convinced most people that he had nothing to do with it, manipulates entire nations. He is the cause of evil and suffering. Throughout the history of mankind, it confronts people with each other, influences their mindset and incites hatred in people, a sense of superiority over others. This leads to wars, family dramas and mutual distrust.

The next reason is ourselves. It is easier for us to find someone to blame than to admit that we are wrong. Hence the confrontation, the unwillingness to reconcile. And the casket opens simply: we all got a flaw from our forefathers — the inability to do the right thing.

And the last reason is that sometimes we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes someone commits illegal actions or simply pours out their discontent, and we become hostages of their actions — deliberate or spontaneous. This is not my wisdom — these are thoughts from the Bible.

Before I started researching the Bible, I was like everyone else: not particularly angry, not particularly rebellious. And when I looked into the Bible and saw what heavenly Father wanted me to be, I found a lot of flaws in myself. I had to change a lot about myself. For example, the attitude towards people: do not look at mistakes that immediately catch your eye, but try to see the good in people. […]

What else have I learned from the Bible? Jesus gave guidance to his followers to speak wherever they would meet people. And also, imitating his example, Jehovah's Witnesses have always, at all times, met with their friends and acquaintances to talk about God's plan for people, as well as to encourage and support each other. And this is also a biblical commandment. This is what Jesus did, this is what Christians of the first century did, this is what Jehovah's Witnesses did during the time of fascism, this is what the followers of Christ did in the USSR in the 1950s and during the stagnation. So did the Russian Jehovah's Witnesses long before they had legal entities. It is for these actions that we are accused today.

In the time of Jesus Christ, different things were said about him and his followers: that they are sectarians and defame God. And in modern history, as soon as Jehovah's Witnesses were not called! In Nazi Germany, they were considered communists, in the USSR — American spies, and now in Russia — extremists. But one excludes the other. And yet: our co-religionists live in more than 240 countries, in all of them we freely preach and enjoy the reputation of law-abiding citizens and peaceful people. If elements of extremism were found in our activities (and during the process it was often thought that we study the Bible the same way all over the world), do you think that all other authorities in more than 200 countries would not see an extremist orientation in us? Are they all blind? Everyone needs to find out more for themselves, and not trust gossip and propaganda materials, which are often outright false. Those who carry out such a thorough check will not be confused.

An interesting point: there is an accusation, there are prosecution witnesses. There are more than ten volumes of the criminal case. But, paradoxically, there are no victims, no material damage, no facts confirming extremist activity. There is not a single passage of the sermon in which I would promote extremist ideas. There is also no evidence that I have ever talked about superiority over other religions or their inferiority. There is no evidence in the prosecution that I acted on behalf of the MRO. So what is the nature of my crime? That I read the Bible? This is how it is allowed by law. What was I going to do with my friends? There is no article prohibiting this. That I was singing songs and praying? I don't remember that there was an article in the criminal code that forbade me to do this. So what is my extremism?

And if we talk about the victims, then we, the accused, are the victims. My friends, like me, after all the interrogations and court hearings, the set of senile infirmities only increased. We all suffered not only physically, but also financially. The crumbs that we have accumulated over our long lives have been blocked. So who is the victim?

Your Honor, you asked the question: why at different times did the state authorities in Germany, the USA, Canada, Greece and the USSR prosecute Jehovah's Witnesses, despite their peaceful behavior? Your Honor, the answer, in my opinion, is that Jehovah's Witnesses everywhere maintain a position of political neutrality, that is, they do not participate in the political struggle and do not take any of the sides in it, do not participate in military and political conflicts and do not take up arms. John 17:16 records the words of Jesus Christ: "They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world." It should be noted that subsequently all the above-mentioned countries recognized the fallacy and illegality of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. All the victims were rehabilitated, and in Russia, Jehovah's Witnesses were recognized as victims of political repression. In our country, the law protects all believers, including Jehovah's Witnesses, and allows them to worship God freely. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, expressed his bewilderment at the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses at a meeting of the Human Rights Council in December 2018.

Every year, on October 30, Russia celebrates the Day of remembrance of victims of political repression. On October 30, 2009, former President Dmitry Medvedev said that this is a day of remembrance for millions of crippled lives. Among them are tens of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses. People without any fair trial and investigation were deprived of their civil rights for "the wrong occupation." This day was introduced with a noble purpose: to remember the mistakes of the past and not repeat them in the future. Those persecutions started small: with skillful manipulation of rumors and sweeping, unconfirmed accusations. Then they escalated into lies and outright slander. Then there were bans, searches, arrests, trials, imprisonment and exile. The charges were written like a carbon copy: extremists, a threat to society, the state and the constitutional order. These accusations were made during the time of fascism, during the time of Stalin, during the "stagnation".

It's sad, but it's happening again today. When someone is called an "extremist", certain associations arise: crimes, violence, aggressive opposition to the authorities. The more often these words are repeated, the more they are believed. I remembered the saying of a well-known politician: "The more improbable a lie is and the more often it is repeated, the more willing they are to believe in it." My friends and I are accused of being dangerous to the state because we claim that only our religion is true. I would really like to see a believer of any denomination who would declare that his religion is not true. There are a lot of false accusations against us, and I don't even want to repeat them — it offends me.

During the trial, Your Honor and you, dear prosecutor, have listened to excerpts from our publications more than once and even read them personally. The purpose of the Watchtower magazine is to glorify Jehovah God as the ruler of the universe. Here are some of the titles of the issues: "Who will heal the wounds caused by the war?", "Why should power be respected?", "Work: punishment or joy?", "World unity is not just a dream", "The Bible can strengthen your marriage". And these are just some of the topics of publications that were considered in court as material evidence. Your Honor, dear Prosecutor, where are there even hints of extremism in them?

No matter how much power and knowledge we possess, we will never be compared to the one who created us. And how not to glorify him? It's just like a child bragging about his father because he loves him. Is it unnatural? Everyone will say that this is normal. God gave me life, endowed me with various gifts, introduced me to himself through the Bible. That's why I'm talking about him. Revelation 4:11 says: "To you, Jehovah, our strong God, glory and honor rightfully belong, because you created everything and by your will everything began to exist and was created."

As I said above, after the collapse of the USSR, Jehovah's Witnesses were declared victims of political repression, given certificates and assigned certain benefits. But what will happen after today's events? Will the number of recognized victims increase?

Dmitry Medvedev said on October 30, 2009: "There are no excuses for repression." Then these words gave hope that this would be the case. Therefore, I sincerely hope for your impartial trial.

When I read Jesus' words that his followers would be hated, I understood that this was so. But when my friends and I were arrested and accused of something that hadn't even occurred to me, I felt it for myself. The world that killed Jesus cannot love those who want to live like Jesus. Jesus always tried to please Jehovah, and I also want to please him. Because he's my Father too. And what kind of child doesn't want to please his father?

It is very difficult for me to be obedient to God. After all, I've lived most of my life without knowing him. Not knowing about his love, about the kindness he always showed to me, as well as to all people. The more I learned about him, the more I realized that all my life, like the king from the cartoon about the golden antelope, I had been collecting shards. And how much blood I've ruined for myself! Therefore, when I learned about Jehovah, I was unbearably eager to share knowledge about him with others. Only by knowing him, you can change a lot in your life, for example, get rid of habits that spoil the life of both the person himself and others.

What are only the words of Jesus worth: "Happy are the meek... happy are the merciful... happy are the peacemakers"! It is impossible to be happy and at the same time be aggressive, belligerent, selfish, greedy. Because a person with such qualities does not appreciate devotion, loyalty, purity, love. I am grateful to Jehovah that he was able to find an approach to me so that I could see what I really am.

We are accused of extremism. Extremism is hatred, anger and intolerance towards others. By sacrificing his son for the sake of the future of people, God thereby proved His love for everyone. God also requires His Witnesses to love people: "Anyone who says, 'I love God,' but at the same time hates his brother is a liar. For he who does not love the brother whom he sees cannot love the God whom he does not see" (1 John 4:20). I am a Jehovah's Witness and I love God. And if I had hatred and anger towards the people I see, how could I say that I love God? This is incompatible with what God requires. Jehovah is the Father of all people, because he gave life to all people. Is he going to teach his children violence? And extremism, like terrorism, is violence against other people. What kind of father would teach his children to be cruel to each other?

Jesus said: "You heard that it was said, 'don't kill.' And I tell you that anyone who does not stop being angry with his brother will answer to the court." People see deeds, but God sees thoughts. Even thoughts can upset Jehovah. How then can one have extremist plans and harm people if God condemns even such thoughts?

And the last thing. Your Honor, the prosecutor, you have always seen us cheerful with smiling eyes (because our faces are not visible because of the masks) - and this despite the fact that we are accused of such a serious article. And all the guards noticed our smiling faces. I want to explain this to you: "Those who rely on him [Jehovah] are beaming with joy. There is no shame on their faces." My conscience is clear before Jehovah and you, and therefore you did not see fear on my face.

Your Honor, I rely on your fairness and impartiality and ask you to acquit me and my friends. We are not guilty.

Summary of the case

Region:

Primorsky Krai

Locality:

Vladivostok

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, he participated in divine services, which is interpreted as participation in the activities of an extremist organization (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the liquidation of all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses)

Criminal case number:

11807050001000038

Case initiated:

April 9, 2018

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Federal Security Service of Russia in Primorsky Krai

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)

The number of the case in court:

1-14/2022 (1-136/2021; 1-414/2019)

Court:

Leninsky District Court of Vladivostok

Judge:

Maxim Anufriev