Yuriy Chernykh
Yuriy Chernykh
Court of Appeal in Kemerovo Left the Verdict Against Yuriy Chernykh Unchanged. As One of Jehovah's Witnesses He Was Sentenced to Forced Labor
Kemerovo RegionOn November 28, 2023, a panel of judges of the Kemerovo Regional Court, chaired by Yelena Fedusova, upheld the verdict against Yuriy Chernykh from the city of Prokopyevsk. The believer will have to serve a sentence of 3 years of forced labor.
This punishment was imposed on the father of a minor child in September 2023 by the judge of the court of first instance, Alyona Novoselova. The believer did not agree with the verdict and appealed to a higher court. In his appeal, he stated: "All my actions were completely peaceful. The prosecution did not state that I incited violence or religious hatred and enmity. I did not do anything that would indicate the continuation of the activity of any extremist organization. According to Article 28 of the RF Constitution, my fellow believers and I had every right to meet to discuss the Bible and associate, which in no way depends on the existence of any religious organization."
The believer has the right to appeal the court's decision in the cassation process.
Chernykh has been defending the right to practice his religion for more than 2 years. Prior to that, Yuriy was a witness in the case of his fellow believer Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person, who is serving his sentence in a penal colony. Yuriy's wife Yelena was also prosecuted; her case is now being considered by the court of first instance.
According to the statement of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 23, 2018, "the decision of the Supreme Court... and the appellate ruling of the Appellate Board... do not assess the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain any restriction or prohibition to individually practice the above teachings." Despite this, more and more believers are being prosecuted for individual religious practice. Often, as in the case of Yuriy and Yelena Chernykh, when one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, is accused of extremism, other family members are then under threat.
