The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of Jehovah's Witnesses from Saransk

Previously, believers were sentenced to terms of two to six years in a penal colony.

On January 16, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia upheld the verdict against six Jehovah's Witnesses from Saransk, Vladimir Atryakhin, Denis Antonov, Alexander Korolev, Alexander Shevchuk, Georgy and Natalya Nikulin.

On August 25, 2022, the Leninsky District Court of Saransk sentenced Atryakhin to six years in a penal colony under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization), Georgy and Natalya Nikulin to four years and two months in prison on charges of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization and participation in it (parts 1.1, 2 articles 282.2 of the Criminal Code), Antonova, Korolev and Shevchuk - to two years in a general regime colony only under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code.

A criminal case against the believers was opened in February 2019, when Jehovah's Witnesses in Saransk underwent mass searches. After that, law enforcement officers detained Atryakhin, Shevchuk and Nikulin - later they were sent into custody, the believers spent two to five months in a pre-trial detention center, then they were mitigated by a measure of restraint, appointing a written undertaking not to leave. Later, Korolev, Nikulina and Antonov became defendants in the case. The case materials were submitted for consideration to the court of first instance in May 2021.

The accusation of Jehovah's Witnesses of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization is due to the fact that in April 2017 the Supreme Court of Russia decided to recognize the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations as extremist. We believe that this decision, which entailed the mass persecution of believers under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code, had no legal grounds, and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination. In June 2022, the ECHR issued a ruling on the complaint of Jehovah's Witnesses, in which it recognized that the ban on their materials and organizations and the persecution of believers are contrary to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and demanded that criminal cases be dropped under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code against Jehovah's Witnesses and release imprisoned believers.

Sources

• The appeal upheld the verdict against six believers from Saransk. They will spend in the colony from 2 to 6 years. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2023. January 17.
• Criminal case card No. 22-62/2023 (22-1993/2022;) // Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia. 2023. January 17.