Court in Primorye Refused to Acquit Three Jehovah's Witnesses from Ussuriysk. Verdict Entered Into Force — 6-year Suspended Sentence

On May 18, 2023, the Primorye Territory Court refused to grant the appeal of Sergey Korolchuk, Anton Chermnykh and Dmitriy Tishchenko against the guilty verdict that imposed a 6-year suspended sentence. The decision has entered into force, but the believers have the right to appeal it in cassation procedure.

The court considered the following to be evidence of extremist activity: the defendants continued to “follow the teachings” of Jehovah’s Witnesses by participating in meetings for worship, “listening to talks," and “singing religious songs.” As noted in the appeal, these actions are not prohibited by the RF CrC as socially dangerous acts, but are guaranteed by the RF Constitution as fundamental human rights and freedoms.

A friendly meeting of fellow believers in a cafe was construed by law enforcement officers as “actions to organize the recruitment of new members, intended to continue the illegal activity of a banned religious organization.” In 2019, a criminal case was initiated against Korolchuk, Chermnykh and Tishchenko, and searches were conducted. Later, all three defendants signed a recognizance agreement, which was in place for almost 3 years. Rosfinmonitoring blocked their bank accounts.

On November 30, 2022, Dmitriy Babushkin, judge of the Ussuriysk District Court of the Primorye Territory, gave Sergey Korolchuk, Anton Chermnykh, and Dmitriy Tishchenko a 6-year suspended sentence with a 4-year probation period and 1 year restriction of freedom.

In their appeal the believers stated that as a result of a miscarriage of justice, they were convicted merely for peacefully practicing beliefs based on the Bible. They confirmed their intention to defend their innocence. Dmitriy Tishchenko observed: “Neither the investigator nor the public prosecutor said what harm or damage I caused to the State or which of my words or deeds incited hatred between people. Not a single person has ever come to court to claim that they have been harmed by my actions.” Sergey Korolchuk explained: “The only motive for all my actions was love for God and neighbor. This has nothing to do with extremism, which I am being charged with.” Anton Chermnykh emphasized: “In Russia you don't need permission to believe in God!”

In Primorye, 57 of Jehovah's Witnesses have been prosecuted for their faith, of which 25 have already been sentenced to various punishments, and 16 are defending their right to worship in court. Fourteen believers are serving suspended sentences.

The court in the city of Ussuriysk ignored the clarification of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which emphasized that the liquidation of legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses does not impose a ban on their worship.