Konstantin Sannikov speaks in court via video link from the detention center

Konstantin Sannikov speaks in court via video link from the detention center

Konstantin Sannikov speaks in court via video link from the detention center

Unjust Verdicts

The Sentence Against Konstantin Sannikov Entered Into Force After His Appeal in the Supreme Court of Tatarstan — 6.5 Years in a Penal Colony

Tatarstan

On June 6, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan upheld the verdict against Konstantin Sannikov, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kazan. For practicing his religion, he received 6.5 years in a penal colony.

On February 15, 2023, the Sovetskiy District Court of Kazan considered Sannikov's participation in peaceful religious meetings, where believers discussed the Bible, as extremism. The defense appealed this decision. In its opinion, during the hearings in the court of first instance, it became obvious that the testimony of witnesses for the prosecution disagreed with the facts, and that there were no signs of extremism in the actions of the believer. Sannikov still maintains his innocence and can appeal the court's decision through the cassation proceedings.

Konstantin has been behind bars for almost 3 years. His wife and four children were not allowed visits for a long time. In addition, anything to do with work, housing and caring for elderly relatives fell entirely on their shoulders, so Sannikov tries to support his family through friends and encourage them through letters.

Freedom of religion is protected by Russian law and is one of the foundations of a democratic state. Despite this, more than 700 Russian Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted for exercising their rights; 13 of them are residents of Tatarstan.

The Case of Sannikov in Kazan

Case History
In August 2020, the FSB of Tatarstan initiated a criminal case against Konstantin Sannikov, a forensic medical expert and father of 4 children. Conversations about the Bible with friends were considered to be organizing the activity of an extremist organization. The believer was placed in a pretrial detention center, and his bank accounts were blocked. Only after 2 years he was allowed to see his wife and daughters. The case went to court in August 2021. Testimonies of the secret witnesses were untrue and indicated a personal dislike of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Despite this, in February 2023, the court sentenced Sannikov to 6.5 years in a penal colony. The court of appeal court upheld this decision in June of the same year, excluding the additional restrictions from the verdict. The prosecutor appealed this decision, and the court of cassation sent the case back for a second appeal, which in December 2023 upheld the believer’s original sentence. During the time spent in prison, his chronic illnesses worsened.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Tatarstan
Locality:
Kazan
Court case number:
12007920001000058
Initiated:
August 25, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
SO UFSB in the Republic of Tatarstan
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Court case number:
1-932/2021
Court:
Советский районный суд г. Казани
Judge:
Марат Хаертдинов
Case History