Jehovah's Witness Gubin sentenced to probation

Another suspended sentence was given to a Jehovah's Witness from Birobidzhan.

On September 9, 2021, the Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region found Jehovah's Witness Andrey Gubin guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). He was sentenced to two and a half years of suspended liberty with a two-year probationary period, as well as a year of restriction of freedom.

The criminal case against Gubin was initiated on February 12, 2021, in parallel, seven more believers were prosecuted; Gubin was under house arrest. The state prosecutor asked the court to sentence Gubin to four years in prison and two years of restriction of freedom.

The community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan was declared extremist on October 3, 2016 (even before a general ban was issued on the activities of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 other Russian organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses), and on February 9, 2017, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation approved this decision. We believe that the bans of Jehovah's Witness communities in Russia are unlawful and a manifestation of discrimination.

Sources

• In Birobidzhan, Jehovah's Witness Andrey Gubin was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of probation for believing in God. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2021. 9 September.