Valeriy Tibiy with his wife, Aleksandr Skvortsov's wife and their friends before the appeal hearing. Rostov-on-Don, August 2023

Valeriy Tibiy with his wife, Aleksandr Skvortsov’s wife and their friends before the appeal hearing. Rostov-on-Don, August 2023

Valeriy Tibiy with his wife, Aleksandr Skvortsov’s wife and their friends before the appeal hearing. Rostov-on-Don, August 2023

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Appeal Upheld the Verdict Against Jehovah's Witnesses from Taganrog. Aleksandr Skvortsov Became a Prisoner of Conscience for a Second Time for His Religious Beliefs

Rostov Region

According to the decision of the panel of judges of the Rostov Regional Court, on August 22, 2023, the verdict against Aleksandr Skvortsov, Vladimir Moiseyenko and Valeriy Tibiy entered into force: 7 and 6 years in a penal colony, and a 6-year suspended sentence, respectively. They maintain their innocence and have the right to appeal the verdict in cassation proceedings.

The believers were convicted, for practicing their Bible-based beliefs. In the appeal it was noted that "singing songs praising God, turning to God in prayer, discussing the Bible together" — actions for which believers were charged of continuing the activity of an extremist organization — are "a way of practicing religion, guaranteed by both national and international law" and "does not depend on the presence or absence of a legal entity." The lawyer stressed that the court did not provide any evidence that the defendants had a motive of religious enmity or hatred.

The defense pointed to a miscarriage of justice: "Being one of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is not a crime... The RF Constitution allows the convicted person to be a believer. Also, the RF Supreme Court did not ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The RF Government publicly declares that the believers in Russia after April 20, 2017 have the right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses."

In the Rostov Region, prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses on religious grounds has been going on for many years. Back in 2009, in Taganrog the local religious organization was banned. In 2011, a wave of searches in the homes of believers swept through the city. One of those who then became one of the defendants in the "Case of 16" was Aleksandr Skvortsov. Subsequently, the believers were given suspended sentences and fines. In 2020, Skvortsov served his sentence in full, but he has now been imprisoned based on similar charges. In June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights considered an application of a group of applicants, including those convicted in the "Case of 16". The ECHR concluded that the accusations against Jehovah's Witnesses were groundless, and Russia should take "all necessary measures to stop the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and release imprisoned Jehovah's Witnesses."

To this date, 13 believers have been imprisoned in the Rostov Region, including 1 woman.

The Case of Skvortsov and Others in Taganrog

Case History
Aleksandr Skvortsov is one of those convicted in the high-profile “Case of 16”. Shortly after the believer had served his sentence in full, law enforcement officers searched his house. Six months later, in December 2021, searches were carried out at the homes of 30 residents of Taganrog. Aleksandr was taken for interrogation and detained. In March 2022, Valeriy Tibiy also became a defendant in the criminal case. He was detained despite being seriously ill. The third defendant in the case, Vladimir Moiseyenko, ended up in pretrial detention in July of the same year. Investigators charged all three with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. The case went to court in November 2022. During the hearings, it turned out that the FSB had been monitoring them since 2016, and an undercover agent had recorded his conversations about the Bible with the believers. In June 2023, Skvortsov and Moiseyenko were sentenced to 7 and 6 years in a penal colony, respectively, and Tibiy was given a 6-year suspended sentence. The court of appeal, and later the court of cassation, upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Moiseyenko
Vladimir
Skvortsov
Aleksandr
Tibiy
Valeriy

Criminal case

Region:
Rostov Region
Locality:
Taganrog
Suspected of:
"organized the activity of the religious organization LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses Taganrog, declared extremist and liquidated" back in 2009.
Court case number:
12102600017000087
Initiated:
December 7, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the city of Taganrog of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Rostov Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-43/2023 (1-829/2022)
Court of First Instance:
Taganrog City Court of the Rostov Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Georgiy Serebryanikov
Case History
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