The last word of the defendant Andrey Ledyakin in Seversk

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Andrey Ledyakin in Seversk

April 26, 2022

Tomsk region

From the courtroom

In his appeal to the court, the believer drew attention to the fact that "the prosecution arbitrarily confused the concepts of the activities of a local religious organization with a canonical structure, without having grounds for that."

Transcript of the court session in the Seversky City Court of the Tomsk region dated 04/26/2022 in the case 1-11/2022 (1-257/2021) on the charge of Andrei Sergeevich Ledyakin of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Andrey Sergeevich Ledyakin: Dear court! I want to start my last word with thanks!

First of all, I want to thank the respected court, the participants in the trial and you, Your Honor, for your conscientious work and professionalism, for your respectful attitude, for giving you the opportunity to speak in your defense, for the friendly and calm atmosphere during the hearing of the case, for your patience and desire to understand this criminal case. I would like to thank the staff of the Investigative Committee, including Yelokhova Elena Alexandrovna, employees of the Federal Security Service, the Prosecutor's Office and others for their humane attitude during the searches, during the conduct of the criminal case and the trial. I also wanted to thank the staff of the bailiff service, who treated me without prejudice and with respect. Thanks to lawyer Vitaly Alexandrovich Chernikov for defending my interests, beliefs and principles, and for the opportunity to receive legal advice.

I would like to express my great gratitude to my parents and relatives, who worried about me day after day, supported me, showed boundless kindness, understanding and patience. I also wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to my fiancee, who was always there for me, comforted me when I needed it, encouraged me when negative thoughts overwhelmed me, and was a faithful companion and assistant during this difficult time for me. And, of course, I would like to wholeheartedly thank my dear friends from the city of Seversk, who, in difficult moments for me, strengthened, encouraged, were a support and support for me and, despite the heat and cold, came to the courthouse to share my hardships of criminal prosecution. I thank my co-religionists from other places in Russia and around the world for their prayers, words of support that helped me maintain emotional balance and peace in my heart. You are real friends!

In my last word, I would like to highlight several important points concerning my life and this criminal case.

How did I get to know Jehovah's Witnesses and what prompted me to join them

I grew up in a family whose members adhere to the Orthodox faith. I remember how, as a child and in my teenage years, my grandmother took me to church with her for prayers and divine services. At the age of 14, I was baptized in the Orthodox Church.

During the period when I was from 8 to 13 years old, my parents sent me to a children's camp during the summer holidays, and the camp program always included excursions to the churches of the city of Tomsk. When I went inside churches, I always had a lot of questions, for example:

if there is a God, why do we need icons that depict the faces of saints, and why worship them?

There was also a question about Jesus Christ: on the one hand, the church made him God, but at the same time considered him the Son of God. And if he is the Son of God, then there must be a God (but who is he, what is his name?);

Also, I have always been tormented by the question of heaven and hell, for me these places were incomprehensible, and I did not want to accept them. I could not understand why God, if he is really loving, would endlessly torment people in hell.

There were other questions.

And later, in August 2007, my grandfather, whom I loved very much, died, and after that I began to wonder where he was now, what condition he was in, whether I would be able to see him again, and other similar questions.

I met Jehovah's Witnesses in July 2008. I had a friend who knew Jehovah's Witnesses, but was not one himself at that time. And, knowing about my experiences, one day he invited me to go to one of the meetings of the Jehovah's Witness meeting. Yes, at first I doubted whether it was worth going or not, as I had heard some negative facts about this denomination. But the way I was greeted in the hall where Jehovah's Witnesses gathered was just amazing. At the entrance, one of the men met me, he turned to me with a wide smile and such warmth, shook my hand, got acquainted, which I was pleasantly surprised at! Others began to approach me, getting to know me, while giving me personal attention. I have seen how co-religionists communicate with each other in a friendly and warm way. And the most important surprise was that these men and women of different ages and nationalities discussed thoughts from the word of God, the Bible. And what they discussed was understandable. After a while, those negative ideas about Jehovah's Witnesses that I had heard simply disappeared as a myth. I realized that they were someone's speculation and gossip, as I saw firsthand who they were, what they were doing, how they behaved and what they were talking about.

One of Jehovah's Witnesses, at my request, began a bible study with me, and I was stunned by the answers I received directly from the Bible to my questions. For example, I learned about the condition of the dead; that the teachings about heaven and hell are false; that God wants to restore pristine conditions on earth; that righteous people will live on earth forever; there will be a resurrection of the dead; I learned facts proving the creation of everything that surrounds people. And most importantly, I was shown that God has a name, and that name is Jehovah, and Jesus Christ is his Son.

All this convinced me that this was the truth, as I received the answers directly from the Bible. And in my research, I used various publicly available translations of the Bible, such as the Synodal Translation, translations of Archimandrite Makarii, Pavsky, Kuznetsova, Modern Russian translation and others. All these translations have the same content and were made in order to update outdated words and expressions, correct mistakes made by scribes and thus restore the original text, which would give people the opportunity to freely read and study the Word of God in their native language. And in these translations, the name of the God Jehovah is found more than once.

And what I learned next aroused even more interest in me. In 2013, I voluntarily accepted water baptism and became a Jehovah's Witness!

What am I accused of and what am I being tried for

Over time, I learned the story of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, how they were brutally persecuted in the twentieth century: imprisoned, sentenced to death, exiled to eternal settlement in Siberia — in the Tomsk and Irkutsk regions, the Krasnoyarsk Territory — just because a Bible was found in their possession during a search, or because they We gathered together to discuss this sacred book. Nevertheless, on March 27, 1991, Jehovah's Witnesses were officially recognized in the Russian Federation, and subsequently those who were persecuted and persecuted were rehabilitated and recognized as victims of political repression by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On measures for the rehabilitation of clergy and believers who became victims of unjustified repression" dated 03/14/1996 No. 378.

And after that, for almost three decades, Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, including me, were able to freely practice their religion, share their beliefs with others and not be afraid of the persecution that existed in previous years.

But in April 2017, a turning point occurred again in the lives of 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses living on the territory of the Russian Federation. The management center and the local religious organizations included in its structure were liquidated by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation allegedly for extremist actions. And this again led to persecution and persecution of believers, although, in passing its decision, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did not address the issue of the rights of individuals who adhere to the teachings and profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, prominent public figures of Russia, as well as international organizations drew attention to this problem: the European Union, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses "do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain restrictions or prohibitions to profess individually the above-mentioned doctrine."

But what can be seen in practice? Over the past five years, 1,750 searches have been carried out, 620 people have become involved in criminal cases under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, 200 people have been convicted and sentenced to fines, suspended and real terms of imprisonment.

And now this decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has also affected me.

I understand that I am formally being tried under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for extremism. But when, where and under what circumstances I committed extremist acts were not revealed during the court hearings.

In the reviewed materials of the criminal case — watched videos of meetings of the assembly, religious texts from leaflets read out during court sessions, read letters intended for residents of the city of Seversk and other material evidence — no facts of my committing any illegal actions were found, but only confirmation that I am a Jehovah's Witness and profess this religion.

In addition, the interrogated witnesses, both from the prosecution and the defense, also did not confirm what I am accused of.

First of all, I have not caused any physical or moral harm to anyone. And this was confirmed at the trial, because there are no victims or victims in the case. I always strive for peace, as the Bible teaches, and also try to follow the words of Jesus Christ, which are written in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 43: "And I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Even if someone hurts me, I don't hold a grudge and I don't respond in kind.

Secondly, I have never felt hatred or dislike for people who profess other religions. When communicating with people, no matter what religious views my interlocutors hold, I always follow the biblical advice from the First Letter of Peter, chapter 2, verse 17, which says: "Treat all kinds of people with respect." I recognize that God has given every person the freedom of choice, and everyone decides which way to go.

I am very glad that I met Jehovah's Witnesses in 2008. As I mentioned above, I was depressed at that time, as I had lost my beloved grandfather a year earlier. But what I learned from the Bible helped me find solace. From the book of Acts, chapter 24, verse 15, I learned that I have hope to see my deceased loved ones again. It says, "There will be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous." And I considered it vital to share this knowledge with others and did so in a respectful manner. After all, many people today face various difficulties that knock the ground out from under their feet. For example, someone may have suddenly lost a job to which he devoted many years. Someone was shocked to learn about a terrible diagnosis or to lose a loved one. At such moments, people may wonder about the meaning of life. I really wanted to help them find answers to their questions in the Bible — that's why I preached, showing love to people. But I have never forced people to change their religion.

I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to gain relevant knowledge and make an informed choice. I tried to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who never forced others to accept his teachings. He knew that relatively few would respond to his message. In Matthew, chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, the words of Jesus Christ are recorded: "Enter through a narrow gate, because a wide gate and a wide road lead to destruction, and many enter through these gates. And a narrow gate and a narrow road lead to life, and only a few find them." I did not seek to prove my case to people about what I learned from the Bible, and I did not impose on people what I believe in. And even more so, I did not call for the incitement of religious strife and did not expose in a negative light those who do not share my beliefs.

Thirdly, I have never called for undermining the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state, I have never humiliated the symbols of the Russian Federation and other countries of the world, such as the anthem, flag, coat of arms and the like, I have not insulted government representatives, I have not committed actions that would encourage non-recognition of state authorities and local governments.

Contrary to the statement of the prosecution that I had a conscious criminal intent, I did not understand and still do not understand what danger to the constitutional order is represented by joint prayers, Bible reading, hymns and discussions of biblical texts. […]

For many years, I have been guided by the biblical principle that helps me respect and obey the authorities. He is recorded in the Letter to the Romans, the 13th chapter, the 1st verse: "Every person must obey the highest authorities, because any authority is from God. The existing authorities occupy the places assigned to them by God." From these words, it is clear that as a Jehovah's Witness, I have no reason to resist the order of things allowed by God, so I obey the highest authorities.

It is also not for nothing that the Bible, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 24, verse 21, says: "My son, fear Jehovah and the king. Don't talk to the rebels." As a Jehovah's Witness, I try to carefully fulfill these words... therefore, I do not pose a danger to either the constitutional order or the security of the state. […]

Fourthly, I did not participate in the activities of the liquidated organization represented by the Local Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Seversk. The decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated 04/20/2017 banned the activities of a certain legal entity, and not the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

I have never perceived my actions as a continuation of the activities of a local religious organization. I did not consider the peaceful worship of believers as a continuation of the activities of some liquidated organization. Coming to worship was my constitutional right to freedom of religion. I have never had any intention of committing a crime, including the resumption of the activities of a liquidated local religious organization.

The prosecution arbitrarily confused the concepts of the activities of a local religious organization with the canonical structure, without having any grounds for that.

Is what I was doing a crime? No. I only professed my religious beliefs as an individual, and my involvement in the canonical structure is arbitrarily interpreted as participation in the activities of a legal entity. Why substitute concepts?

Was at least one of my statements, gestures, or any action aimed at participating in the activities of an extremist organization or committing the above-mentioned atrocities? The answer, I think, is obvious: no!

Your Honor, you are well aware that the charges that have been brought against me in extremism are illegal and absurd, the terrible and malicious motives that are imputed to me have not been proven, there is not a single victim in my criminal case.

What is the basis of my worship of Jehovah God

First, as history shows, Christians of the first century gathered together to worship God, learn and encourage each other. There is a confirmation of this in the Bible:

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the 10th chapter, the 24th and 25th verses: "Let us show attention to each other in order to encourage love and good deeds. We will not neglect our meetings, as has become a habit for some, but we will encourage each other. And seeing that this day is approaching, we will be even more diligent in all this.";

In the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 42: "They [that is, the disciples] constantly studied with the apostles and communicated with each other, ate and prayed together." […]

According to these quotes, at such meetings, organized for the worship of God, songs of praise were sung, the Holy Scriptures were read and prayers were said.

Based on these biblical examples, I realized that even today God expects those who want to have a close relationship with him to worship him in an organized Christian congregation. Therefore, this is exactly what I did, following the example of the first Christians and gathering together with my co-religionists.

The actions imputed to me, namely, "singing songs of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses", "prayers to Jehovah God", "reading out a religious text containing the basics of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses", "explaining the basics of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses", "making explanations on religious materials presented during the meeting" — this is nothing else, as the actions of a believer committed to worship God.

At such liturgical meetings, biblical principles are considered that help to monitor one's thinking, respect higher authorities in various spheres of life, and form qualities in oneself that are pleasing to God and benefit people around us.

Secondly, I consider myself a Christian and it is natural for me to follow the example of Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to tell the truth about Jehovah God, his Father, and his heavenly Kingdom, that is, the government that God wants to establish for the benefit of all people on earth. And he also commanded his followers to do this: "Therefore go and prepare disciples in all nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you," says Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19. One Biblical scholar commented on this command: "Walking is a task for every believer, it doesn't matter whether he goes to people on the same street or goes overseas." This commandment of Christ was followed by all Christians of the first century. I tried to imitate them and tell people the same good news as Jesus.

Today, more than 8.6 million Jehovah's Witnesses in 239 countries and territories gather to worship God together, pray, officially preach, build branches, and print shops. Would this be possible if they were considered extremists?

Thirdly, the early Christians considered thinking about the spiritual as part of worship and set aside time for this. The Apostle Paul called for: "Continue to reflect on what is true, what is important, what is righteous, what is pure, what encourages love, what is commendable, what is highly moral and praiseworthy" (Letter to the Philippians, 4th chapter, 8th verse).

Also, the Psalmist regularly read the law of God, and could reflect on what he learned about the Creator. His words are recorded in the Bible: "May my words and reflections of the heart be pleasant to you, Jehovah, my Rock, my Deliverer" (Psalm 19, verse 15).

The Creator has made a wonderful gift to all who wish to praise him. He gave people his Word — the Bible. This book is available in whole or in part in more than 3,000 languages. When I read the Holy Scriptures, I fill my mind with God's thoughts.

Reflecting on God's Word helps me reflect the glory of Jehovah and the wonderful qualities of his personality that are described in the Bible. Can anything compare to this? I am happy to acquire knowledge about God and imitate him. It is a great honor for me!

Fourth, caring for others and helping those in need. My concern for others is not limited to the phrase "everything will be fine." On the contrary, tender feelings of compassion encourage me to actually help those who desperately need help. That's how the Bible talks about such help: "And if someone has everything necessary for life, but seeing his brother in need, refuses to show compassion to him, then how can he say that he loves God?" (John 3, chapter 17). How can such assistance be expressed? To cook food for a sick person, to help an elderly person around the house, if necessary, to take those in need to a hospital or a store.

I try to follow the principle written in the Bible in the 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, the 9th chapter, the 7th verse: "Let everyone act as he has decided in his heart, and not out of compulsion or reluctance, because God loves the one who gives with joy." Sacrificing my time, strength and means for the benefit of others, I strive to follow the call to "love one another not only in word or language, but also in deed and in truth" (First Letter of John, 3rd chapter, 18th verse).

But there is something more important than financial support. This is spiritual help. We are called to "comfort saddened souls, support the weak" (First Letter to the Thessalonians, 5th chapter, 14th verse). Today, depression, or even depression, can occur for various reasons. According to the World Health Organization, one in five people on earth has suffered from depression at some point in their lives. Although I am not a doctor, I can try to give a person something that doctors cannot give: share comforting words from the Bible and pray for him or with him.

Why are Christians being persecuted

Since the 1st century AD and up to the present day, Christians have suffered the most severe persecution. For years, Jehovah's Witnesses have been called communists, American spies, and extremists. [...] In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses strive to be law-abiding, peace-loving and highly moral people. They do not engage in anti-state activities and generally avoid conflicts with the authorities. They do not provoke persecution specifically to become martyrs. These Christians adhere to political neutrality. This position is consistent with the words of Jesus Christ recorded in John, chapter 17, verse 16: "They [my followers] do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world." Faced with persecution, Jehovah's Witnesses, including myself, do not repay our persecutors in kind, but steadfastly endure suffering for the truth and continue to respect the persecutors, no matter what, acting according to God's command.

Of course, persecution and persecution are all very unpleasant and even terrible, because life — my life of a peaceful and law—abiding believer — turns inside out, those who have no right to it begin to get into it, conducting searches and other events. What did the law enforcement agencies find by rummaging through my personal belongings and humiliating my dignity at the same time? Papers, things that confirm that I am a believer. It's just senseless and inhumane.

In addition, the criminal prosecution has affected my work activities. I had a job that I loved very much. I appreciated and respected my colleagues. And it is simply impossible to put into words my feelings when the administration asked me to resign because of a criminal case. I lost my regular income. I had to register with the Employment Center to find a new job, which was not successful. Therefore, we have to survive on casual earnings. In addition, Rosfinmonitoring added me to the list of individuals involved in extremist activities, restricting access to my bank accounts and cards, which also caused some inconvenience. What was it for? To find my involvement in extremist activities. During the year I was on this list, more than one check was probably done. And where are the results? Where are the confirmations of my participation in extremist activities? […]

I am sure that any sane person understands that this campaign of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, which began after the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in April 2017 and continues to this day, is senseless and cruel. After all, they persecute not only middle-aged men, but also the elderly, the disabled, patients with cancer and heart diseases, elderly women over 70 and even 80 years old. Riot police, FSB and Rosgvardiya fighters break into their apartments and houses. They try to intimidate believers, show them injustice, and sometimes even cruelty.

The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is unfair because law enforcement officers accuse me and others of extremism, not knowing what the Bible encourages us to do, how it helps aggressive people and even criminals to change and become law-abiding, peace-loving and government-respecting citizens. I have personally met people who have left the rebellious, criminal path. That is, it turns out that the Bible-based creeds of Jehovah's Witnesses help law enforcement agencies in fighting crime using preventive methods, but instead of thanking believers, people are tried and imprisoned. For what? For good deeds, for being law-abiding.

Your Honor, I don't want to be a martyr, but I can't give up on my Father, Jehovah God, either. This is unthinkable for me! Jehovah God has saved me more than once, helped me. And now I'm getting a lot of help from him. I will never, under any circumstances, renounce God and will not stop obeying the commands written in the Bible, even on pain of death. To abandon God for me is tantamount to betrayal. How do you feel about traitors? I'm sure it's very bad. I've never been a traitor, I hate it.

Why am I convinced that what I believe is the truth

The Letter to the Romans, chapter 1, verse 20, says: "The invisible qualities of God have been clearly visible since the world was created, and we can see them by looking at his creations. They all testify to his eternal power and serve as proof that he is God." This convinces me that Jehovah is the Creator of everything that surrounds us. He created everything with love. For example, his love is seen in the fact that he created the earth exactly so that people could live on it. We are pleased with the beauty of creation, space, flora and fauna, a variety of excellent food, close relationships with good friends, and many other things that bring us pleasure. And the Bible helps to understand what qualities God has, to see his love for his servants. When I reflect on what God has done for me personally, it evokes in me a reciprocal feeling — love!

I learned from the Bible what life is for, and especially what we live for. Jesus himself, in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verse 3, said: "In order to gain eternal life, it is necessary to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." The Bible encourages us to get to know God and his son. Our lives depend on this knowledge. I realized that God did not create us to live 70-80 years and die. He gave us the hope of eternal life here on earth. And this became possible due to the fact that he gave the life of his beloved son Jesus Christ for the sake of people so that they could live forever on paradise land.

In John the 13th chapter, verse 35, the following words of Jesus Christ are recorded: "Everyone will know that you are my disciples if there is love between you." With these words, Jesus encourages us to treat people with respect, kindness and love, regardless of their nationality, race, culture, language or origin. He encourages you to show selfless love even when it is very difficult. And I, in turn, perfectly fulfill this command!

For example, what did Jehovah's Witnesses do during the war? History shows that they maintained Christian neutrality. What motivated them to do this? First of all, the example of Jesus, as well as what he taught. Therefore, true Christians, whose conscience is trained according to the Bible, do not learn to fight and do not participate in military operations.

Seeing how firmly Jehovah's Witnesses adhere to the position of strict neutrality, thousands of people around the world, including me, realize that Witnesses truly love God and their neighbors.

There are many prophecies recorded in the Bible that have been fulfilled in great detail. No one can predict the future in all its details. Therefore, the fulfillment of biblical prophecies convincingly proves that the Bible is the Word of God, and everything that is written in it is the truth.

Biblical prophecies are often very specific and fulfilled to the smallest detail. They usually relate to epochal events and sometimes predict a completely unexpected development of what is happening.

I want to tell you about one of the prophecies that has already been fulfilled. Ancient Babylon, fortified on the Euphrates River, was called "the political, religious and cultural center of the Ancient East." Around 732 BC, the prophet Isaiah recorded a terrible prophecy about the fall of Babylon, specifying specific details. He said that his conqueror would be called Cyrus, that the waters of the Euphrates River, which protected the city, would dry up and that the city gates would not be closed (Isaiah 44:27-45:3). 200 years later, on October 5, 539 BC, the prophecy was fulfilled in all its details. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC confirmed that the fall of Babylon happened exactly like this.

Isaiah made another bold prophecy about Babylon: "No one will ever settle in it" (Isaiah, chapter 13, verses 19 and 20). Predicting the destruction of a booming city that occupied a strategic position was indeed a bold statement. Usually, if such a city was destroyed, it was rebuilt. However, although Babylon continued to exist for some time after its conquest, in the end the words of Isaiah were fulfilled. According to Smithsonian magazine, where Babylon once stood is now a "bare, sultry desert."

Isaiah's grandiose prophecy is awe-inspiring. It is as if someone predicted in the same detail that in 200 years some modern large city would be destroyed, and even declared that no one would ever settle in it again. Of course, the most amazing thing is that Isaiah's prophecy has been fulfilled!

All of the above convincingly proves that what I believe is the truth. [...] As one religious scholar said, everyone who takes their beliefs seriously considers their religion, faith to be right or true. This is the truth for me! For someone else, there may be something else true. Everyone has the right to choose what to believe and how to believe.

I know that my faith in Jehovah God is not a crime. Therefore, nothing and no one will force me to give up my beliefs.

Your Honor, dozens of similar criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses are being considered in courts in different regions of the Russian Federation. Bazhenov Konstantin Alexandrovich and Snezhana Evgenyevna (Kamchatka Territory, Yelizovo), Barmakin Dmitry Viktorovich (Primorsky Territory, Vladivostok), Dulov Venera Nikolaevna and Daria Igorevna (Sverdlovsk region, Karpinsk), Zalipaev Yuri Viktorovich (Kabardino-Balkaria, Maysky), Zolotova Vera Ivanovna (Kamchatka Territory, Yelizovo), Pryanikov Alexander Vitalievich (Sverdlovsk region, Karpinsk) are those people who were acquitted by the courts of the first or appellate instances. No corpus delicti was found in their actions, as they enjoyed the legal right to profess the religion they had chosen. In addition, in different regions of the Russian Federation, the cassation courts return criminal cases to the appeal stage with new court compositions. All this suggests that the courts of first instance and appellate instances made mistakes in sentencing civilians who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

And at the same time, I sincerely do not understand why you should bring suffering to me, my family, my friends, separate me from them for 4.5 years or any other period just because I believe in God, like millions of people all over the world. […]

You have the opportunity to put an end to senseless religious persecution and absurd accusations of extremist activity against me.

Your Honor, I hope that this trial has proved my innocence as well. The right to punish and pardon is concentrated in your hands. I ask you to make a fair decision against me, to find me innocent, to fully acquit and restore my good name, recognizing my right to rehabilitation.

Summary of the case

Region:

Tomsk region

Locality:

Seversk

Criminal case number:

12102690003000021

Case initiated:

March 25, 2021

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

The Investigative Department for the city of Moscow Seversk SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Tomsk region

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (2)

Case number in court:

1-11/2022 (1-257/2021)

Court:

Seversky City Court of Tomsk region

Judge:

Ekaterina Soldatenko