Criminal trial

The Industrial District Court of Khabarovsk hears the case of 6 believers

Khabarovsk Territory

In Khabarovsk, court hearings are being held in the case of Polevodov and others . A friendly party at a local café on November 10, 2018 was the reason to accuse six believers of extremism at once. In the dock are: Nikolai Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, Vitaly and Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and 70-year-old Maya Karpushkina.

From the testimonies of witnesses questioned in court, it is clear that the meeting in the café was not religious in nature and had nothing to do with extremism. The appearance of dozens of riot policemen shortly after the start of the meeting shocked both the café staff and the believers present.

It is noteworthy that two criminal cases were initiated against Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim at once. Believers are forced to defend themselves in two courts, the sessions of which are sometimes scheduled for the same day. More recently, harsh sentences have been handed down in similar cases, each of which also has 6 accused. This is the case of Alushkin and others in Penza and the case Bazhenova and others in Saratov, on which an appeal decision of the court is expected on December 20, 2019.

The Case of Polevodov and Others in Khabarovsk

Case History
Peaceful residents of Khabarovsk, Nikolay Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, Vitaliy and Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and Maya Karpushkina came under investigation after riot police invaded a friendly party in a café in November 2018. Three men were sent to a pretrial detention center, and later placed under house arrest. As a result, the Investigative Committee charged the men with organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and the women with participating in it. The only reason is their faith in Jehovah God and discussing the Bible with friends. The court of first instance took 14 months to determine the groundlessness of the charges, and the case was returned to the prosecutor’s office. In December 2021, it went to court again. In June 2024, Polevodov, Zhuk and Kim were sent to a penal colony for 8.5 years, 8 years and 4 months and 8 years and 2 months, respectively. Tatyana Zhuk and Svetlana Sedova were given a 5-year suspended sentence, and Maya Karpushkina 4 years. Kim and Polevodov simultaneously were defendants in another criminal case for their faith and defended their beliefs in another court.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Khabarovsk Territory
Locality:
Khabarovsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, they organized the activities of a religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of Khabarovsk (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to liquidate all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses)
Court case number:
11802080002000049
Initiated:
November 10, 2018
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Khabarovsk Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-6/2024 (1-15/2023; 1-216/2022; 1-1031/2021)
Court:
Индустриальный районный суд г. Хабаровска
Judge:
Роман Чисковский
Case History