In Stavropol Territory, Court of Appeal Upheld Verdict Against Sergey Kuznetsov, a Believer With a Disability — 6 Years Suspended

On June 21, 2023, a panel of judges of the Stavropol Territory Court, chaired by Khalim Terkulov, upheld the verdict against 64-year-old Sergey Kuznetsov from Nevinnomyssk. The court of first instance had given him a 6-year suspended sentence; now this decision has entered into force.

In the appeal, the defense drew attention to the fact that neither the place nor the time of the illegal actions allegedly committed by Kuznetsov had been established. The transcripts of the conversations presented as evidence of guilt, do not contain any signs of extremism, but, on the contrary, refute the motives of a criminal nature attributed to the believer. “I still can’t understand how white suddenly became black, how efforts to live according to God’s standards suddenly became extremism,” said Sergey Kuznetsov during his final statement. “Article 28 of the RF Constitution proclaims my right to freedom of religion. But in reality I am denied this right.” The believer can appeal the verdict through the cassation procedure.

Sergey has been severely disabled for a long time; he has almost lost his sight and has hearing problems. The prosecution of Kuznetsov for his faith has been going on for more than 3 years — in December 2019, the Investigative Committee initiated criminal cases against eight believers, who at that time were from 54 to 89 years old. Later, charges against everyone except Kuznetsov were dropped. In total, 15 Jehovah's Witnesses faced criminal prosecution in the Stavropol Territory.

Human rights activists unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Elizabeth Clark, an international expert on human rights and European Union law, said: “Jehovah's Witnesses... face increasing persecution of its members in Russia for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief. This violates Russia's commitments to international law and its own constitution."