A Cherkessk Appeals Court Affirmed Yelena Menchikova's, a Woman With a Disability, Sentence for Practicing Her Faith

On February 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic upheld the sentence for faith to Yelena Menchikova — 5 years’ suspended. At the same time, she is exempt from paying court costs.

In December 2021, the court of first instance found the believer guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and involving other persons in it, considering it a crime that Yelena Menchikova discussed the Bible with others, including at religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. According to the believer's defense, the accusatory decision was made despite the fact that during the trial some witnesses gave false testimony. One of them said that he first saw Yelena only in court.

The believer denies the accusations of extremism and can appeal the decision of the appellate instance to the Court of Cassation and international structures.

Menchikova is a group II disabled person and needs constant medication. Because of her recognizance not to live, it became more difficult for her to receive medical assistance. The former doctors, having learned about the criminal prosecution of Yelena, stopped helping her. The accounts of the 57-year-old woman were seized.

According to the clarification of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia, religious meetings and conversations about the Bible cannot in themselves be considered extremism. On February 9, 2022, Chairman of the Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev additionally emphasized: “Actions that do not contain signs of extremism and consist solely in exercising the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including through the performance of religious rites and ceremonies, do not constitute a crime.”