The Court Sentenced a Pensioner, Tatyana Sushilnikova, to 4 Years Suspended. "I'm on Trial Simply for Worshipping to God"

On November 15, 2023, the Kuznetskiy District Court finalized its hearing of the case of Tatyana Sushilnikova, 64, one of Jehovah's Witness from Novokuznetsk. Judge Valeriya Shipitsyna found her guilty of extremism for peaceful religious practice and sentenced her to 4 years suspended with a probation period of 3 years, as well as 10 months of restriction of liberty after serving the main sentence.

Sushilnikova faced persecution for her faith in June 2021. The armed security forces raided her and her husband Sergey in the early morning. "My husband was put on the floor like some kind of criminal, I was pressed against the wall," Tatyana recalls. A year later, a case was opened against her. The Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass accused the woman of participating in the activities of an extremist organization. As one of the FSB officers later stated during interrogation in court, Tatyana became a defendant in the criminal case, "because she is Sergey's wife, took an active part in meetings, was engaged in rounds and conducting conversations with the local residents."

The believer does not plead guilty to any crimes against the state and the individual: "I have not violated any law of the state, no one has suffered in any way from my actions." According to Tatyana, during the trial, the prosecution did not present any evidence of her guilt. Neither the testimonies of witnesses nor the expert examinations (religious, linguistic and phonographic) indicated any extremist actions on the part of the believer. It is noteworthy that the examinations themselves were dated to a time when the criminal case had not even been initiated.

As Tatyana says, the unjust persecution brought a lot of deep emotions and difficulties. She receives support from her husband, who himself is serving a 6-year suspended sentence for his faith, and from friends: "During the persecution, we try to encourage each other even more, to support each other in word and deed... When we go to court, we naturally feel excitement. And now we see our dear fellow believers, their smiles, their eyes - the excitement disappears, and it is as if wings are growing behind us".

In the Kemerovo Region, 18 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been subjected to religious repression. Six men were imprisoned for terms ranging from 3 to 7 years for their faith. The other six residents of Kuzbass were given a suspended sentence. The ECHR judgment in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia stated that "the Russian authorities have not presented any evidence which, in accordance with the Court's jurisprudence, could justify an interference with the applicants' rights to freedom of religion, expression or association" (§ 158).