The court agreed to release Jehovah's Witness from Khakassia on parole

On February 22, the Ust-Abakansky District Court of Khakassia granted the petition of Jehovah's Witness Valentina Baranovskaya for parole. This was reported on the website of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

The prosecutor and the administration of correctional colony No. 28 opposed parole, arguing that Baranovskaya did not repent because she had not stopped professing the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The prosecutor's office has 10 days to appeal the court's ruling.

In February 2021, the Abakan City Court found Baranovskaya guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced her to 2 years in a general regime colony.

• In October 2021, the Ust-Abakansky District Court of Khakassia denied 70-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya parole from the colony. The defense provided the court with a medical report with a confirmed diagnosis of “cerebral infarction,” which Baranovskaya was diagnosed with in the summer of 2020. However, the court did not consider serious illness a sufficient basis for early release.
• In April 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” as an extremist organization, liquidated it and banned its activities in Russia. Later, all organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses were added to the list of prohibited ones. After this, a stream of criminal cases against representatives of the confession began.