KARPINSK
COURT ISSUES
SENTENCES FOR THREE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
by
Yaromir Romanov
This
morning the
Karpinsk district court of Sverdlovsk oblast found three
Jehovah's Witnesses
(the organization is considered extremist and forbidden in the
RF), Alexander
Prianikov, Venera Dulova and her daughter Daria Dulova, guilty
of the crime
specified in part 2 of article 282.2 of the CC RF
("Participation in the
activity of a religious organization prohibited by a court
because of the
conduct of extremist activity"). Znak.com was told about this by
court
consultant Galina Pichuzhkina. Prianikov was sentenced to a
suspended prison
term of 2.6 years with two years probation. Venera Dulova was
given a suspended
prison term of 2 years with two years probation. Her daughter
Daria was
sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended, and one year of
probation.
"If they violate the restrictions established for the
probationary period,
they may be given real imprisonment," Pichuzhkina explained.
The
state prosecution
insisted on a harsher punishment. During the debates, they asked
for 3 years
suspended terms for Alexander Prianikov and Venera Dulova. They
asked to punish
Daria with a two-year suspended term.
Alexander
Prianikov
told Znak.com that now they are waiting to be given the order
and a copy of the
transcript of the judicial sessions. After that, they intend to
appeal the
decision.
As was
stated in the
materials of the case, the man and the mother and her daughter
preached their doctrine
among residents of the city, promoted "ideas of the superiority
of some
groups of people over others," and "incited religious strife."
The investigators consider that the accused circulated
information and printed
materials in the city and they reproduced video and audio
materials about the
Jehovah's Witnesses, "hoping to exert psychological influence
upon society
with a goal of promoting ideas of the superiority of some groups
of people over
others, inciting religious strife, and promoting exclusivity."
The
criminal case was
brought against them after they visited the home of operational
officer OP No.
32, who reported to the police after their visit.
Last
year, the
accused Jehovah's Witnesses described for Znak.com how they
spent a large
portion of their time in religious activity. According to
Alexander Prianikov's
estimate, in Karpinsk and Volchansk the Jehovah's Witnesses
total about 40
persons. And although the organization fears that sooner or
later they all may
find themselves in the defendants' dock, nobody intends to cease
activity.
Znak.com's interlocutors assure that in Karpinsk Jehovah's
Witnesses have a
good reputation and the accused have not noticed a change in
attitude toward
them because of the criminal case, either among relatives or among acquaintances. (tr. by
PDS, posted 28
January 2020)
MAN AND
TWO WOMEN
CONVICTED FOR FAITH ON CRIMINAL ARTICLE IN KARPINSK
Jehovah's
Witnesses
in Russia, 27 January 2020
On 27
January 2020,
Judge Svetlana Gabbasova of the Karpinsk city court of
Sverdlovsk oblast
announced the sentence for three peaceful citizens on part 2 of
article 282.2
of the CC RF. They all received suspended sentences lasting from
one to 2.5
years with probationary terms and additional restrictions.
Alexander
Prianikov
received the harshest sentence—2.5 years, suspended, with 2.5
years of
probation. Venera Dulova was given two years, suspended, and two
years of
probation. Daria Dulova got one year suspended with one year
probation.
In
addition, all
three are forbidden to visit places where people gather and to
move from their
residences. When they change their place of work, they must
inform supervisory
offices. They must report to police twice monthly. Upon
violation of the
conditions of probation, their punishment may be switched to
real prison time.
The
believers intend
to appeal the illegal sentence based on confessional identity.
The religion of
the Jehovah's Witnesses is not forbidden in Russia.
Prianikov
and Dulova
are the latest victims of law enforcement agencies that
interpret ordinary
confession of religion as participation in extremist activity or
its planning.
The case against the believers has been under investigation
since 30 July 2018,
although Alexander and Venera were arrested for the first time
for distributing
(non-prohibited) religious literature back in April 2016. At
that time they
were accused, without evidence, of theft.
Two
years later they
were equally without proof charged with extremism. The case
involves a
religious studies expert analysis of the notes and telephone
conversations of
Alexander and Venera, which established two facts: they talked
about religion
and their religion deals with the God Jehovah. This is the whole
"crime" whose investigation took a year and a half.
Nineteen-year-old
Daria Dulova is the youngest suspect in cases against Jehovah's
Witnesses in
Russia.
After
the sentences
in Karpinsk, the number of unjust convictions for faith in
Jehovah in Russia
has reached 37. (tr. by PDS, posted 28 January 2020)
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