Photo: Sergey Klimov

Photo: Sergey Klimov

Photo: Sergey Klimov

Criminal Investigation and Trial

Six years in prison for Sergei Klimov. A Court in Tomsk Handed Down Another Guilty Verdict for Believing in Jehovah

Tomsk Region

On November 5, 2019, Dmitry Borisov, judge of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Tomsk, announced the verdict for a local resident, Sergey Klimov, who was convicted of professing the "wrong" religion: 6 years in prison in a general regime penal colony.

The judge found that the 49-year-old believer's guilt in grave crimes against the constitutional order of Russia had been fully proven, and all the arguments of the defense had been declared unbased on the law. The only reason for such a harsh sentence is the defendant's religious beliefs, which he did not renounce after the Supreme Court decision of April 20, 2017.

After serving his prison term, the believer will be sentenced to additional punishments: a ban on engaging in educational activities in all types of educational institutions and posting materials on the Internet and other networks for 5 years, as well as another year of restriction of freedom (a ban on attending cultural and entertainment events, including festivals, religious holidays, festivities, a ban on traveling outside Tomsk and on changing one's place of residence without the consent of supervisory authorities).

Sergey Klimov becomes the eighth Jehovah's Witness in modern Russia to be sentenced to a real prison term for his faith. Prior to that, 6 believers from Saratov and a Danish citizen Dennis Christensen received similar sentences.

Sergey Klimov's defense considers the verdict on the basis of religious affiliation illegal and plans to appeal against it.

Case of Klimov in Tomsk

Case History
Sergey Klimov, a native of the Volgograd region, ended up in a pre-trial detention center after a series of raids on believers in the city of Tomsk. Before detaining Sergey, the special services followed him and his acquaintances for about a year and sent informants to him with recording equipment. Such diligence was justified by law enforcement officers in order to combat a “serious crime,” which turned out to be Sergey’s Christian lifestyle and his conversations about the Bible with other people. In November 2019, the court sentenced Sergey to six years in prison. The verdict was upheld by the regional court in February 2020 and by the court of cassation in January 2022. The believer served his sentence in Astrakhan Penal Colony No. 8. In July 2023, Sergey was released from the colony. He is prohibited from engaging in educational activities and from making publications on the Internet for five years; other restrictions on his freedom will also be in effect for one year.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Tomsk
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, together with others he conducted religious services, which is interpreted as “organising the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11802690013000085
Initiated:
June 3, 2018
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-417/19
Court of First Instance:
Октябрьский районный суд г. Томска
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Дмитрий Борисов
[i18n] Суд апелляционной инстанции:
Томский областной суд
Case History