EX-SCHEMA HEGUMEN SERGIUS RECEIVES 3.5 YEARS IN PENAL COLONY
Interfax-Religiia, 30 November 2021
The Izmailovo court of Moscow sentenced the former schema hegumen Sergius Romanov to 3.5 years in a penal colony of medium security in a case regarding encouragement of suicide and high-handed behavior, an Interfax correspondent related.
"The verdict was announced by Judge Andrei Sedyshev: "To sentence Romanov to punishment in the form of incarceration for a period of three years and six months, the sentence to be served in a correctional colony of medium security."
Romanov was found guilty of encouragement of suicide (points "v" and "d" of part 3 of article 110.1 of the Criminal Code of the R.F.), violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religious confession (part 3 of article 148), and also high-handed behavior (part 1 of article 330 CC RF).
In assigning punishment to Romanov, the court did not find aggravating circumstances in his guilt, while it took into account a number of mitigating circumstances, specifically his retirement age, condition of health, positive character references, and charitable activity.
The court left in place the measure of restriction for Romanov in the form of detention in custody until the sentence takes legal effect.
"Judge not, so that you will not be judged," Romanov declared after sentencing.
According to the gist of the case, he publicly urged at least ten nuns, who were living in the Central Urals convent, to commit suicide, and subsequently, when he realized that his calls could be taken by an indefinitely wide circle of persons and lead to socially harmful consequences, he published on the internet a video recording of his statement containing evidence of encouraging believing Christians to commit suicide.
In addition, the Investigative Committee established that Romanov, who did not agree with the decision to inhibit him from clerical ministry, did not leave the convent and he illegally denied access to the territory of the cloister for all persons, including representatives of the Ekaterinburg diocese, on the basis of his own authority.
Romanov also acted arbitrarily in preventing an inventory of the objects of immovable property on the territory of the convent, in violation of civil legislation.
He did not admit his guilt.
Romanov was arrested in 2020. In the same year he was stripped of his clerical status and subsequently expelled from the church. In June of the same year, with his supporters, he actually seized the Central Urals convent, which he had founded.
In September 2021, Romanov was charged with inciting hatred and strife (point "v" of part 2 of article 282 CC RF) because of several video films on the internet.
Previously Romanov had been sentenced for murder and robbery to 13 years imprisonment. After serving his sentence, he was released in the late 1990s.
Romanov's views and statements provoked special resonance in 2020 because of his public denial of the threat of the coronavirus. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 November 2021)
Background information:
Police detain dissident Orthodox figure,
December 29, 2020
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