The last word of the defendant Igor Mamalimov in Chita

 RUSSIA 

The last word of the defendant Igor Mamalimov in Chita

May 12, 2022

Trans-Baikal Territory

From the courtroom

Speaking before the court, the believer rejected all the accusations against him and drew attention to the biased attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses and the violation of their constitutional right to freely profess their religion. "Jehovah condemns extremism and hates it," Mamalimov stressed.

Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Chita dated 05/12/2022 in the case 1-360/2021 on charges of Mamalimov Igor Rafitovich of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Mamalimov Igor Rafitovich:

Your Honor, I am being tried unfairly, tried as a criminal and accused of extremism. I am not an extremist and have not committed anything for which I can be convicted. God knows that I am clean before him and before you. My conscience is calm and does not torment me, since I have not committed any crime. The criminal is condemned by his heart, because he knows his sin. My conscience, trained according to the Bible, is pure, peaceful and calm, since I have not violated the laws of God and the laws of the state and have not harmed anyone. I dedicated my life to God to do good deeds, not the other way around. Even now, there is no resentment in my heart against anyone who accuses me, and I don't even hold a grudge against them in my thoughts. Deep down, I don't feel any hatred. On the contrary, in my heart there is the peace of God and peace that transcends all thought.

I'm glad. And I am glad that here in court, throughout the whole process, the name of God was revealed to everyone sitting here. We learned about his righteous deeds, that Jehovah is the only true, impartial, righteous and kind God to all people and that he loves people of all kinds, regardless of nationality, origin and race. He is the Creator of all creation, a living God who watches over people — the righteous and the unrighteous, those who serve him and those who do not serve him — and sees all their deeds — good and bad, those that they hide, and those that they commit openly. And you, Your Honor, have had the opportunity to personally see and hear Jehovah's Witnesses who truly and with all diligence love and respect the name of God.

And it is also an honor for me to discover the true truth about God, his faithful servants of the past and present. The Bible speaks of him as the Lawgiver, the Judge of the whole earth. God revealed His name to Moses in ancient times. In the Bible, in the second book of Moses, Exodus, chapter 15, verse 3, the true name of God is revealed: "The Lord is a man of war, Jehovah is his name." The Prophet Jeremiah, a servant of God, in his book, in the 10th chapter, 6th and 7th verses, writes the following about the name of God: "There is no one like You, Lord! You are great, and Your name is great with might. Who will not be afraid of You, King of the nations? For this belongs to You alone; because among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is no one like You." King Solomon, who possesses the wisdom that God Jehovah gave him, in his prayer, in the 3rd book of Kings, the 8th chapter, the 23rd verse, said: "Lord God of Israel! There is no God like You in the heavens above and on the earth below; You keep a covenant and mercy for Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts."

Since ancient times, God has revealed his name to people and has not hidden it, since he is the only one who bears the name Jehovah. In the Synodal translation of the Bible, in the book of the prophet Isaiah, in the 48th chapter, verses 12 and 13, there are such words that God commanded to be written down: "Listen to Me, Jacob and Israel, I am the first and I am the last. My hand has founded the earth, and My right hand has spread the heavens; I will call them, and they will stand together." The Bible reveals to people the name of the true God — Jehovah. There was no God before him and there was no God after him. Jehovah God shows man the right and useful path that he can follow if he listens to his commandments and encourages others to do so. Here is his message through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 48, verses 17 and 18: "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, your God, who teaches you useful things, leading you on the path that you should walk. Oh that you would heed My commandments! then your world would be like a river, and your truth would be like the waves of the sea."

I take the observance of the commandments, principles and laws of God very seriously. I'm doing this out of love for him, and it's very important to me. The Bible says that God is love. He is the personification of love, this is his main quality. Through the Bible, God calls nations to love each other, which is what I am doing. I'm talking about love based on the principles and laws of God. He calls on nations to develop this quality so that it prevails in them. The first conciliar epistle of the Holy Apostle John, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, contains a command to Christians: "Beloved! Let's love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love has not known God, because God is love."

Jehovah's love for people is comparable to a father's love for his children. For their sake, God spares nothing, no matter how expensive it may cost him. His love surpasses all feelings that a person can experience and show. It was for the sake of people that he committed an act that became the greatest manifestation of love that a father is capable of — he sacrificed his faithful only begotten Son. This is the greatest manifestation of God's love for people. Later in the same epistle, in chapter 4, verses 9-12, John says that "God's love for us was revealed in the fact that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might receive life through Him. This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to propitiate for our sins. Beloved ones! If God has loved us so much, then we must love each other too. No one has ever seen God: if we love each other, then God abides in us, and His love is perfect in us."

People have different ideas about love, there are many statements, comparisons. The Christian feels the effect and power of love that God shows on himself. It opens up unique opportunities for a person to work on himself, helps to change himself as a person and learn to show other qualities that God has. What else is special about this love? The First Epistle to the Corinthians of St. Paul the Apostle, in the 13th chapter, verses 4-6, contains some more of its characteristics: "Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not commit outrages, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything." This is what is included in the definition of Christian God's love.

And Jehovah's Witnesses live in this love, and not just put on a mask and then take it off. Jehovah's Witnesses love all people, even those who do not love them, and do Christian deeds for their benefit. They learn this from God, the Source of love. In order for my love to improve, it needs to be shared. My faith is built on love for God and people, for friends, co-religionists and relatives. Christians should love each other — that's what the Bible teaches.

If a Christian truly loves God, he also loves his neighbor. In the Epistle to the Romans of the Holy Apostle Paul, in chapter 13, verse 10, it says: "Love does not do evil to one's neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law." And there is no law that limits love. It is unthinkable for me to even think about taking the path of extremism, circumventing the laws of God and having malicious intent. It is impossible, Your Honor, to love God, to live by his laws and commit crimes that he condemns. In the Book of Proverbs of Solomon, in chapter 6, verses 16-19, it says: "These are six things that the Lord hates, even seven that are an abomination to His soul: proud eyes, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that forges evil designs, feet that quickly run to villainy, a false witness who tells lies and sows discord between brothers" (Synodal translation). As you have noticed, Jehovah condemns extremism and hates it. A person engaged in such matters cannot bear the name of God and be his witness. I have learned to truly love people (both poor and rich), regardless of their status, I have learned to respect the authorities and obey them, as required by God Jehovah himself.

When I was not a Jehovah's Witness, I did not know God, I did not know what was good and what was bad for him. I thought it was invented. As a child, I grew up a good, obedient boy, I heard positive reviews about myself, I studied well at school. I also enjoyed music, played sports, and helped my parents with housework and household chores. My parents were very pleased with me. But time passed, adolescence came, many different friends appeared, and after them alcohol, smoking, lewd behavior, drugs. Then I did a lot of harm to people and to myself. All this has made my life meaningless.

Due to the fact that I led an immoral lifestyle, I became very ill and lost all meaning in life. I was constantly being treated, it was very difficult for me, I looked at the white light through dark glasses. I have heard disappointing forecasts from doctors. I got hit after hit and thought that I would never be able to live like normal people. This pain became unbearable and did not subside. Sadness, despondency, tears, malaise, depression and depression just ate me up, I found myself over the abyss between life and death. I understood that I had to live, but I did not know how to get on the path of life and recover from my illness. I went to the doctors, spent a lot of money, but to no avail. Years passed, but there were no changes. At the same time, one of my friends with the same disease committed suicide and passed away at the age of 30, because he could not bear the pain. I was a few years younger than him. The drugs and medications that I took did not make me feel better, my liver, back, and pancreas began to hurt a lot, and I began to lose weight. When my mom saw me, she said: "You're all black, what's going on with you?" I said: "It's okay." Then I was seized with fear, I thought: is something like this going to happen to me, as with that acquaintance?

I tried not to give up, I was looking for different ways. Then the idea came to me to turn to God. One night, while in the forest, I looked up at the sky and in a strong cry with bitter tears I prayed to God and expressed everything that was in my soul. At the end, I asked him, "Are you really there, do you hear me to help me?" and began to sob bitterly again. At that moment, my heart felt lighter and calmer. And so every night I went out, looked at the sky and told him everything — about all my worries and worries. It was getting easy for me. Then I began to wonder: where can I find out about him? I went to worship services of different faiths and asked this question, but I did not receive a definite answer. Later, I met with Jehovah's Witnesses, asked them this question and received the answer that God should be sought in the Bible, since this is his Word that he gave to people, and he wants people to know him. This is stated in the Psalter, Psalm 82, verse 18: "And let them know that You, Whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth."

I began to read the Bible, study it, find out God's intentions, apply what I learned, and get rid of everything that was unacceptable to him. My health has improved, I have gained meaning in life, I have left all unwanted things and everything that I consider rubbish. I became a law-abiding person, a happy, good family man, I have three wonderful children, although the doctors said that I would never have them. So I realized that there is no better guide for a person than this unique, "living" book — the Bible — which helps to find the best advice and learn to truly love people, avoid evil and be knowledgeable in everything and ready for every good deed as a servant of God. At a certain stage, each person gives an assessment of the years they have lived: what they have done good in life and what is bad. Someone in a very old age, someone, being bedridden and very ill, thinks about God and how God will evaluate the deeds he has done. The Bible says that everyone will be judged according to their deeds.

The Apostle Paul, a disciple of Christ, understood this well. At first, he was a persecutor of the followers of Christ and he himself said that he persecuted them and threw them into prisons, forced them to renounce their faith. But then Jesus appeared to him and made it clear that he was persecuting his fans, true Christians. When Paul realized that he was a persecutor of God and his servants, he changed and accepted the true faith in Christ. After that, Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Galatia and warned them against the works that he himself refused, because they went against the teachings of Christ and God. In the Epistle to the Galatians of the Holy Apostle Paul, in chapter 5, verses 19 to 21, there is one important warning: "The works of the flesh are known; they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, magic, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements (temptations), heresies, hate, murder, drunkenness, outrage, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who do this will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Then he talks about the deeds for which a Christian will be justified, about what faith in the true God and relationships with him are based on, what it is important to strive for in order to be approved in his eyes. Galatians, 5th chapter, verses 22, 23: "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, temperance. There is no law against them." Like the Apostle Paul, I have changed my lifestyle and do not want to go back to the old one. Faith in God has radically changed my life for the better, it helps me to look at life through God's eyes and acquire the precious qualities that the Apostle Paul spoke about to Christians in the first century.

A sincere-hearted, God-worshipping person is afraid to break his law and act unfairly, because he loves God. One of the first commandments that are given to man is recorded in the Gospel of Mark, in the 12th chapter, the 30th verse: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength—this is the first commandment." This is the first thing a true Christian does when he gets acquainted with the Word of God. Jehovah's Witnesses love God all the time, and do not follow the principle "when I'm good, I don't remember God, and when I'm bad, I remember." Why did Jesus give this commandment first? Because Jehovah is the God of love. This is the foundation of all foundations and the foundation of a believer's life.

If believers truly love God and Christ, they glorify him with the good news, telling people about what God really is. It is impossible to hide this good news in your heart — you want to tell it to others and you want to share your joy with them. That is why the message about God is called good news. This is good news that concerns the earth and people, the news of a good, wonderful future. Jehovah's Witnesses want to share this good news from the Bible so that others will rejoice.

This is one of the promises contained in this good news. Revelation of St. John the Theologian, 21st chapter, verses 3, 4: "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them: they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no more crying, no more sickness, for the former has passed away." What a wonderful message from the Bible! God will soon make sure that people on earth will not die or get sick. People have been striving for this for centuries, but they cannot achieve it on their own. No one has been able to defeat death and diseases that exist on earth. Only Jesus, the son of God, when he lived on earth, resurrected people, healed them in front of many and so showed that he could do it. With this he confirmed the words from John 5, verses 28, 29: "Do not be amazed at this; for the time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who have done good will go out into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation."

In the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verses 8-10, 12, 14, 15, Jesus said: "Thus my Father will be glorified if you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and am in His love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, for a slave does not know what his master is doing.; But I have called you friends because I have told you all that I have heard from My Father." In these verses, the Son of God, Jesus, makes it clear that his friends are those who abide in the love of him and his Father and preach to other nations, glorifying God and Christ in all corners of the earth. And only Jehovah's Witnesses speak about him to the ends of the earth and from the bottom of their hearts.

Of course, you can say that you love God and Christ, but something else is hidden in your heart. But God cannot be deceived, because he does not look at a person's appearance, but at what is hidden in a person's heart — at his inner essence, which manifests itself in all his actions. In the First Conciliar Epistle of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, Jesus explains how to determine whether a person is lying. The first John, chapter 4, verse 20: "Whoever says, "I love God," but hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?" Jehovah's Witnesses honor, glorify and love God with all their hearts. They try to look at people like a God who is attracted to people by devoted love and kindness, and not by race, nationality or how a person looks. That's what makes them different. I love God, my faith in him and my beliefs are based on the Bible. Therefore, I preach about God's wonderful, good intentions towards the earth and people, praising him among all nations. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verse 45, Jesus said: "A good man brings out good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings out evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks." And Jehovah's Witnesses preach the same message that Jesus preached in towns and villages. They faithfully follow in the footsteps of Christ and do not shy away from his teachings.

And now we can ask ourselves: what can extremism, love and faith in God have in common? What does light have in common with darkness? Nothing. Is it extremism that I read the Bible and believe in the God Jehovah, who is written about in the Bible? Is it extremism that I meet with friends, invite them to my house and in conversation we share interesting thoughts, verses from the Bible, sing songs praising God? The fact that out of love for each other, we help and support those in need, for example, victims of natural disasters — someone helps them with household issues, someone financially, someone with things, products, materials, someone morally. Is it a crime to help a friend in trouble?

Would a real friend leave a friend? Jehovah's Witnesses don't do that. In the Book of Proverbs, chapter 17, verse 17, it says: "A friend loves at all times and, like a brother, will appear in time of adversity." Am I, a believer, with a Bible-trained conscience, going to look at the sufferings of people, and especially my own by faith, and close my eyes? What kind of love did I tell you about above and what can you call me? Who am I then in the eyes of Jehovah God and Christ? A hypocrite or someone who does not love God with all his heart. If I am a believer, a Jehovah's Witness, and I will do this to people, then I have no love for God and his Son. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 1 to 3, said: "If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have no love, then I am a ringing brass or a sounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and I know all the mysteries, and I have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but I do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but I have no love, there is no benefit to me." You cannot build faith in God without love. Strong friendship and close relationships with people are built on love.

Why, Your Honor, is the right to freedom of religion restricted only to Jehovah's Witnesses, although Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation is provided for all believers? How can Jehovah's Witnesses practice their religion in accordance with this article? Which way to look at this article and how to understand it? What law should we rely on, Your Honor, if it is the same for all believers? I am accused of extremism. But is it true? All my actions described in the case file were peaceful and dictated by faith in God and love for other people. I had no purpose, as you have seen and heard, to stir up hatred and enmity. I did not call anyone to violence or other illegal actions. In the garage, at home with friends, I discussed peaceful actions, how to help my co-religionists. In all the conversations on video and on the phone, I did not incite terrorism, murder, deception. All my actions are dictated by love.

I have good relations with friends and co-religionists, no one has resentment or discontent, other people also have no complaints or statements about me. All these years that I have devoted to God, I have been taught and guided by the Bible. The Bible did not make me a terrorist, did not teach me to incite religious hatred and hostility or promote religious superiority, I did not call anyone to violence, to terrorist attacks, did not incite religious strife among other believers, did not agitate for my religion, since everyone has the right to choose their own religion, and this is a personal matter for everyone. My conscience is clear, and I have done nothing reprehensible or criminal. My faith and my beliefs are based on the Word of God, as I said above. I dedicated myself to Jehovah God in order to put my life in order and become a true Christian, to be approved in the eyes of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, to be a Witness of Jehovah and remain him all my life, and even forever, and to proclaim his glory and greatness as the one God throughout the earth.

Being a Jehovah's Witness is a great honor, and not everyone gets it, but only those who are attracted by the Heavenly Father. Jesus said in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me attracts him; and I will raise him up at the last day." I am honored to be a Witness of Jehovah and his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, is the first faithful witness who was on earth and proclaimed the God Jehovah and his glorious name. In John, chapter 17, verses 4, 6, Jesus says: "I have glorified You on earth, I have done the work that You have entrusted to me to do. I have revealed Your name to the people whom You have given Me from the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they kept Your word. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

I glorify the name of God like Jesus, read the Bible, observe the biblical commandments and principles, get to know Jesus Christ and God, follow what is written in the Bible. And I am being judged for believing in God, and, in fact, I am forbidden to believe in God, to profess my religion, which contradicts Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Your Honor, it's hard on my soul, on my heart. It is even difficult to understand what good deeds are blamed for. It's hard to explain to children when they ask and worry about me to tears. They say: "Dad, you love God and do good, you teach us to act justly, honestly, do good deeds at school, to people around us, you always tell us that the Bible teaches that Jehovah does not approve of bad and evil deeds, and if you act badly, he does not even listen to your prayers and he does not bless." In Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 29, it says: "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous." The children are at a loss. At school, they hear praise from teachers for applying biblical principles and commandments in their lives, and dad is judged for this and can be imprisoned. It is difficult for me to realize this myself, Your Honor.

That night, on February 10, 2020, when police and FSB officers broke into our house and searched it, the children were very scared, they are still afraid of the police. The children didn't have the best opinion of them. Children have always thought that police officers protect civilians from criminals, but now they have a different opinion. They worry very much and when they go to bed, they say: "Dad, we pray for you, for the judge, for the prosecutor." They pray for all of you, Your Honor, for your just decision, for your favor to us. And really, Your Honor, if they put me in jail, how will they be alone without their father? What kind of blow will it be for them? How will this affect their further upbringing and life? It will be difficult for my wife alone with three young children, and I am the only breadwinner in the family... My wife is also very worried about how she will cope alone, how everything will affect the family in the future. After the searches, we all had to go through depression, depression, sleepless nights, and malaise. All this has had a very strong impact on the health of his wife and children. We still don't know how it's going to end. All our relatives and friends are very worried. Your Honor, I hope that you will make a fair decision, since I have not committed any crime against people and the state.

I ask you to attach the last word to the materials of the criminal case.

Summary of the case

Region:

Trans-Baikal Territory

Locality:

Chita

What is suspected:

According to the investigation, "he took active actions of an organizational nature expressed in the organization of meetings, the organization of religious performances and worship services fundraising under the guise of donations the involvement of new participants by carrying out preaching activities."

Criminal case number:

12002760023000001

Case initiated:

January 20, 2020

Current stage of the case:

The verdict has entered into force

Investigating:

SU IC of the Russian Federation in the Trans-Baikal Territory

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1)

Case number in court:

1-10/2022

The Court of First Instance:

The Central District Court of Chita

Judge of the Court of First instance:

Marina Kuklina

[i18n] State Prosecutor:

Kovylchenko D. G.