Photo: Evgeny Aksyonov

Photo: Evgeny Aksyonov

Photo: Evgeny Aksyonov

Criminal trial

In the Railway Court of Khabarovsk, the trial of the faith of a 52-year-old employee of a water utility began

Khabarovsk Territory

On October 28, 2019, the trial of Yevgeny Aksyonov continued in Khabarovsk, whose "guilt", according to the investigation, is that he read the Holy Scriptures with his friends. In August, FSB officers searched the apartment of this civilian resident of Khabarovsk and his family, and a written undertaking not to leave was taken from the believer.

On October 21, 2019, the first hearing in the case of Yevgeny Aksyonov, chaired by Judge Tatyana Kalganova, was held in the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Khabarovsk. 15 people came to support him. Despite the fact that Russian law encourages the publicity of legal proceedings, they were not allowed into the courtroom. The judge granted the lawyer's request to postpone the hearing.

At the court hearing on October 28, Aksyonov expressed his attitude to the charges. Yevgeny believes that in fact he is accused not of extremism, but of faith in God, because he did not commit any socially dangerous actions. He recalled that the Supreme Court banned the activities of a legal entity. Being a believer and reading the Bible is not a crime. Freedom of religious activity is guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The next court hearing is scheduled for November 6, 2019 at 11:30 a.m.

On September 2, 2019, the Khabarovsk Railway Court sentenced another peaceful believer, Valery Moskalenko, to 2 years and 2 months of forced labor. This judgment is being appealed.

Case of Aksenov in Khabarovsk

Case History
Yevgeny Aksyonov is the father of two minor children, an employee of the Khabarovsk water utility. In April 2018, he gave a speech in a conference room about faith in Jehovah and the value of the Bible’s commandments to strengthen marriage. The investigation considered it a “socially dangerous crime.” The experts involved found in Aksyonov’s words signs that he was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which the believer never hid. The case is based on the testimony of a secret witness, as well as a video recording of the worship service. Despite the fact that there is not a single victim in the case, on February 18, 2020, Judge Tatyana Kalganova from the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Khabarovsk sentenced the believer to 2 years of suspended imprisonment with restriction of liberty for 6 months. The Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Aksenov
Yevgeniy

Criminal case

Region:
Khabarovsk Territory
Locality:
Khabarovsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation he conducted worship service together with others and read from the Holy Scriptures, which is interpreted as “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” (with reference to a court decision on the liquidation of a local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses)
Court case number:
41907080001000029
Initiated:
July 24, 2019
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for the Khabarovsk Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-9/2020 (1-723/2019)
Considered by the court of first instance:
Zheleznodorozhniy District Court of the City of Khabarovsk
Judge:
Tatyana Kalganova
Case History
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