Photo: Arkadya Hakobyan

Photo: Arkadya Hakobyan

Photo: Arkadya Hakobyan

Criminal trial

Announcement: appeal in the case of Arkadi Hakobyan in Kabardino-Balkaria

Kabardino-Balkaria

The Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has scheduled for March 1, 2019 the consideration of appeals against the sentence handed down to a 70-year-old Jehovah's Witness from Prokhladny. On December 27, 2018, the district court found Arkadya Hakobyan guilty under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced him to 120 hours of compulsory labor.

Three appeals were filed from Arkadi Hakobyan himself, as well as from his lawyers, asking for the cancellation of the verdict and full acquittal. There is no real evidence of Hakobyan's guilt in the case, so the verdict was appealed. In the past, all attempts to charge individual Jehovah's Witnesses under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation were unsuccessful.

In addition, a request was submitted by the prosecutor with a request to cancel the sentence and terminate the proceedings in connection with the decriminalization of the criminal article.

The appeal hearing in the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic will be held on March 1, 2019 at the address: Nalchik, st. Pacheva, 12.

Case of Akopyan in Prokhladny

Case History
In the late 1980s, Arkadya Hakobyan, his wife and three children fled ethnic cleansing in Azerbaijan. More than 25 years later, as a peaceful elderly man, Arkadia became a victim of religious repression. In June 2016, a criminal case was opened against him for a public speech in which he allegedly humiliated the dignity of followers of other religions. In May 2017, hearings began in the Prokhladnensky District Court, during which it turned out that the testimony of witnesses underlying the case was false, and the expert’s opinion was replete with errors. The prosecutor demanded 3 years of probation for the believer. In December 2018, Judge Oleg Golovashko sentenced the believer to 120 hours of compulsory labor. In March 2019, the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic overturned the conviction. Hakobyan was cleared of all charges.
Timeline

Persons in case

Akopyan
Arkadya

Criminal case

Region:
Kabardino-Balkaria
Locality:
Prokhladny
Court case number:
73/27-16
Initiated:
June 11, 2016
Current case stage:
case dismissed
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-160/17
Court case number:
1-7/18
Outcome of the case:
дело прекращено, Аркадя Акопян считается несудимым
Investigated:
Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
Considered by the Court of First Instance:
Prokhladnenskiy District Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
Judge:
Oleg Golovashko
Court of Appeal:
Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
Case History
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