Photo: Viktor Trofimov and Roman Markin

Photo: Viktor Trofimov and Roman Markin

Photo: Viktor Trofimov and Roman Markin

Criminal trial

Announcement: On January 24, the verdict on believers will be announced in the Murmansk region. The prosecutor asks to send them to a colony for 6 years

Murmansk Region

At 11:00 a.m. on January 24, 2020, in the district court of the city of Polyarny (2 Sivko Street), Judge Victoria Loginova will begin to announce the verdict. 45-year-old Roman Markin and 62-year-old Viktor Trofimov pleaded not guilty. Having already spent six months in a pre-trial detention center, they go to court with things that they may need if they are sent to jail.

Brief information about the defendants and their biographies can be found on the relevant pages (Roman Markin, Viktor Trofimov). How the criminal case has developed since November 2017 is described in chronology. There you can also find links to the details of the raids carried out by the FSB, to the texts of speeches in the debates and much more related to this case.

Case of Markin and Trofimov in Polyarny

Case History
In April 2017, the families of Jehovah’s Witnesses came to the attention of the FSB officers in the Murmansk region. A year later, a series of searches took place in Polyarny, after which 13 citizens, including the minor Violetta Markina, were taken for interrogations, which lasted until 6 a.m. the next day. Investigator A. V. Gulin considered prayers and reading the Bible dangerous acts for the state. Roman Markin and Viktor Trofimov were sent to a pre-trial detention center for six months on suspicion of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. They spent another 4 months under house arrest. After 20 court hearings, the prosecutor requested 6 years in prison for Roman Markin and 6 years and 5 months for Viktor Trofimov. On January 24, 2020, Viktoriya Loginova, a judge of the Polyarny District Court, sentenced the believers to fines: Viktor Trofimov in the amount of 350,000 rubles, and Roman Markin - 300,000 rubles. The Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Markin
Roman
Trofimov
Viktor

Criminal case

Region:
Murmansk Region
Locality:
Polyarny
Suspected of:
according to the investigation he together with others 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:
11802470006000031
Initiated:
April 12, 2018
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Murmansk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-23/2019
Case History