The Sverdlovsk Regional Court Overturned the Sentence of Three Karpinsk-Based Believers, Finding Them not Guilty of Extremism

On March 15, 2022, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court overturned the conviction of Aleksandr Pryanikov, Venera, and Darya Dulova for being Jehovah's Witnesses. The believers have the right to rehabilitation. Earlier, the same court initiated a retrial of the believers' case.

On July 15, 2021, the Karpinsk City Court of the Sverdlovsk Region again found the believers guilty, giving them a suspended sentence of 1 to 2.5 years.

Venera Dulova has hearing disability. Her youngest daughter Darya faced criminal prosecution when she was only 18. It became difficult for Aleksandr Pryanikov to provide for his family. During the criminal process, all three believers were under house arrest. In addition, they were included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring.

In June 2018, Venera Dulova and Aleksandr Pryanikov were detained for talking about the Bible, which the investigators considered participation in the activities of an extremist organization. A criminal case was initiated. Soon their homes were searched. A year later, Darya became the third defendant in the case.

The trial revealed the inconsistency of the allegations. Secret witness "Osokina" was unable to give examples of illegal actions on the part of the defendants. She stated that the believers did not cause any harm to either her or her property. Another witness stated that he identified one of the defendants by the color of her hair, but it turned out that the investigator showed him only black and white photographs.

In 2020, the Dulovs and Pryanikov became defendants in another criminal case for their faith. They were charged with more serious charges: Venera and Darya - recruitment, and Aleksandr also the organization of extremist activities and the involvement of minors in it. Among the accused were also Alexander's wife Anastasia, Svetlana Zalyaeva and her husband. It is noteworthy that Ruslan Zalyaev does not profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, nevertheless he is suspected of "participating in the activities of the Local Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Krasnoturinsk by [...] holding conversations in order to promote religious exclusivity."

The Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation clarified that worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime.