Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal near the Penza Regional Court

Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal near the Penza Regional Court

Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal near the Penza Regional Court

Unjust Verdicts

The Court of Appeal in Penza Upheld the Suspended Sentence for Viktor Shayapov

Penza Region

On May 31, 2023, the Judicial Chamber of the Penza Regional Court upheld the verdict against Viktor Shayapov - a 2-year suspended sentence. The verdict has entered into force and the believer has the right to appeal against it in the cassation procedure.

The Nikolskiy District Court of the Penza Region ruled in November 2022 that the believer was guilty of the activity of an extremist organization. Shayapov disagrees: “I did not engage in extremist or other unlawful activities. I lead a peaceful life, respect the authorities and obey the law because I believe in God”. The defense also argues that the court had no convincing reasons for the guilty verdict: no evidence of criminal actions by Viktor, no eyewitness testimonies, no victims.

In his final statement, Viktor Shayapov stated: "Jehovah's Witnesses have not committed any crime. However, there are those who try to label the actions of ordinary believers - reading the Bible, preaching, joint meetings, prayers and singing of spiritual songs - as a crime that undermines the order and security of the state." The judges did not allow Viktor to complete his statement and decided to uphold the verdict.

Despite the fact that the European Court of Human Rights has exonerated Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, local law enforcement officers and courts continue to repress believers solely for their religious views.

The case of Shayapov in Nikolsk

Case History
In the fall of 2020, a wave of searches took place in Nikolsk at the homes of local residents who profess the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including Viktor Shayapov. Almost a year later, an investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation separated his case into a separate proceeding from the Krupnov case. The believer was included in the list of Rosfinmonitoring, his accounts were blocked. In February 2022, the believer was detained in the Moscow region and taken to Penza, where he was placed in a temporary detention facility, later the court sent him under house arrest. Shayapov was accused of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. In March 2022, the case went to court, which 7 months later sentenced the believer to 2 years probation with a probation period of 8 months. The appeal upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Penza Region
Locality:
Nikolsk
Court case number:
42102560015000125
Initiated:
October 7, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Penza Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-24/2022
Court of First Instance:
Никольский районный суд Пензенской области
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Николай Раздрогин
Case History