The Case of Paysov in Zvenigorod

Judge of the Odintsovo City Court Mikhail Ponimatkin chooses detention as a restriction measure for Aleksandr Paisova.

Paisov is in a cell for 6 people. He exercises every day. After the national holidays, the believer was given 50 letters.

Aleksandr Paysov maintains his sense of humor and tries to support those around him. The believer does not have a Bible yet. His main concern is the well-being of his sick, elderly mother, who is completely dependent on her son's care.

Aleksandr's cellmates smoke, which makes him feel worse. His requests to be transferred to a non-smoking cell remain unanswered.

Aleksandr Paysov is being moved to a cell with better conditions, where the inmates do not smoke. There are two other people held there with him.

The believer experiences elevated blood pressure from time to time.

The criminal case against Aleksandr Paysov goes to the Odintsovo City Court of the Moscow Region.

The Odintsovo City Court is considering the issue of a preventive measure. The prosecutor requests another 6 months in a pretrial detention center. The lawyers file a motion to return the case to the prosecutor's office and to release Paysov. In support of this, the defense refers to the Opinion No. 30/2026 of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention dated March 30, 2026, which recognizes that the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is discriminatory and that the detention of believers is arbitrary. Also submitted were documents regarding his mother's health, a reference from his place of employment, and other documents. The court denies the motion and orders 6 months in custody.

The court denies the motion of the defense to terminate the criminal case.

The prosecutor reads the charges against Aleksandr Paysov and presents the case materials upon which the charges are based.

The prosecutor also motions for the testimony of absent witnesses for the prosecution to be read aloud; however, the defense insists on their personal interrogation, including that of the secret witness under the pseudonym Karasev.

The court rejects the defense lawyers' objections to reading the testimony of a deceased witness for the prosecution and reads the protocol of her interrogation. According to the document, after 2017, she did not maintain contact with the defendant, except for a brief greeting in 2025.

The secret witness Karasev fails to appear at the hearing for the second time. The court orders that efforts to locate him continue; therefore, his testimony is not read into the record.

During his interrogation, Aleksandr Paysov explained that the transcripts from the case materials demonstrate his peaceful motives — he encouraged others to do good and discussed how to strengthen the family.

In the closing arguments, the prosecutor motions for 4.5 years' imprisonment for the believer.

Aleksandr Paysov delivers the final statement.