An Appeal in Chelyabinsk Left Unchanged Snezhinsk-Based Lyudmila Salikova's, 70, Sentence — A Six-Year Suspended Sentence for Practicing Her Faith in Jehovah God

On March 17, 2022, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court, with the participation of state prosecutor Sergey Gorshkov, considered the appeal of Lyudmila Salikova and approved the sentence—6 years of suspende sentence for believing in Jehovah God.

The panel of judges, chaired by Alexandr Rozhnov, considered the verdict of the first instance justified, despite the fact that there is not a single fact of the defendant committing extremist actions in the case file. The testimonies of witnesses also refuted the accusations, and the attached expert examination was carried out by persons without a religious education.

In her last speech, Lyudmila Salikova, a veteran of labor and the nuclear industry, said: “Since I became acquainted with the Bible and became a Jehovah's Witness, the commandments ‘love God’ and ‘love your neighbor’ have become the main principles in my life. I try to show love not only to my fellow believers, but even to those who do not share my religious beliefs, who betray me and oppose me. It is impossible to deny that love and extremism are two completely opposite concepts”.

The verdict has entered into force. The believer considers the decision unfair and insists on her innocence. The criminal prosecution damaged her reputation and she had to resign from the Municipal Administration, where she had worked for many years as an energy engineer. Salikova has the right to file a cassation appeal.

Despite the clarifications of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the appeals of Russian and foreign human rights organizations, Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are becoming victims of repression due to the unlawful application of anti-extremist legislation.