Photo: Dennis Christensen and his wife Irina

Criminal trial

May 21, 2018. Review of the hearing in the case of a Danish believer in Oryol

Oryol Region

On that day, the court continued the interrogation of the witness Vera Ivanovna Banshchikova, a pediatrician with 35 years of experience, who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Banshchikova was invited to court by the prosecution. The meeting is attended by the Danish television and radio company DR TV.

The court continued to question her about her attitude towards blood transfusions. Having worked as a doctor all her life, Banshchikova spoke in detail about the medical risks associated with blood transfusions, as well as the availability of real alternatives to this procedure. Among other things, Banshchikova mentioned the Order of the Ministry of Health No. 363, which approves instructions for doctors on the use of blood components. According to the instructions, before using donated blood, the doctor is obliged to inform the patient about the risks associated with this and obtain his written consent. In case of refusal, the doctor does not have the right to ignore the patient's decision. The patient is not obliged to inform the doctor of the reason for refusing a blood transfusion.

Who cleaned the worship hall? Who closed and opened the gate? Was it Dennis Christensen? These questions were still of keen interest to the court, as if cleaning and unlocking the building was the very crime that Christensen was charged with. Banshchikova explained that greeting at the entrance to the building is a common practice in Jehovah's Witnesses communities. In addition, in all the worship buildings of Jehovah's Witnesses where she has been, believers participate in cleaning the premises. According to Banshchikova, these are issues of simple hospitality and etiquette. She herself, if necessary and if possible, participated in the cleaning, driven by a personal impulse. She did not remove snow in the yard because her health condition did not allow it, but she saw Christensen come early and clear the snow so that it would be convenient for people to pass.

When prosecutors asked to talk about what happened on May 25, 2017, when law enforcement officers came to their worship service and Christensen was arrested, Banshchikova said that "I have never seen such a spectacle in my life, it was very scary, like a horror film." Some people then became ill.

The interrogation lasted more than 3 hours and ended at 14:00.

The next day, a secret witness is scheduled to be questioned, whose face will not be visible and whose voice will be changed. The lawyers filed a motion to interrogate this person in the usual manner, since the interrogation of an anonymous witness limits the defendant's ability to defend himself. In addition, such an interrogation is possible only in the event of a threat to the life and health of the witness, but there are no grounds for such fears in the case.

The court postponed the resolution of this petition until the next day, May 22, 2018.

Case of Christensen in Oryol

Case History
Dennis Christensen is the first Jehovah’s Witness in modern Russia to be imprisoned only because of his faith. He was arrested in May 2017. The FSB accused the believer of organizing the activities of a banned organization on the basis of the testimony of a secret witness, theologian Oleg Kurdyumov from a local university, who kept covert audio and video recordings of conversations with Christensen about faith. There are no extremist statements or victims in the case. In 2019, the court sentenced Christensen to 6 years in prison. The believer was serving time in the Lgov colony. He repeatedly asked for the replacement of part of the unserved term with a fine. For the first time, the court granted the request, but the prosecutor’s office appealed this decision, and the prison administration threw the believer into a punishment cell on trumped-up charges. Christensen developed illnesses that prevented him from working in prison. On May 24, 2022, the believer was released after serving his sentence and was immediately deported to his homeland, Denmark.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Oryol Region
Locality:
Oryol
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, together with the others he conducted religious services, which is interpreted as “organising the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the court’s decision on the liquidation of the local organisation of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11707540001500164
Initiated:
May 23, 2017
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
UFSB of Russia in the Oryol region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-37/1
[i18n] Рассмотрено судом первой инстанции:
Железнодорожный районный суд г. Орла
Judge:
Алексей Николаевич Руднев
[i18n] Суд апелляционной инстанции:
Орловский областной суд
[i18n] Суд апелляционной инстанции:
Льговский райсуд Курской области
Case History