Unjust Verdicts

Konstantin Sannikov Remains in a Penal Colony After Second Appeal

Tatarstan

On December 8, 2023, the Judicial Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan, during the retrial of the case of Konstantin Sannikov, upheld the initial sentence for the believer — 6.5 years imprisonment. He will remain in the penal colony.

In June 2023, the Court of Appeal lifted the additional restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year, imposed on Sannikov by the district court. The prosecutor appealed this decision in October 2023, and the Sixth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Samara returned Sannikov's case for a second appeal hearing comprising different judges. In court, the believer said, "My imprisonment is religious persecution."

For the period between the cassation appeal and the second appeal, the believer was transferred from the penal colony to the pre-trial detention center.

Konstantin Sannikov has been imprisoned since August 2020. He has already spent 2 years and 9 months in a pretrial detention center and 6 months in a penal colony. His detention had a negative impact on his health, and in the penal colony he lost a lot of weight due to malnutrition. Despite this, the believer maintains a positive attitude and good relationship with those around him.

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. He was allowed to see his wife and daughters only after 2 years. The case went to court in August 2021. The testimonies of 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 upheld this decision in June of the same year, removing 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 original sentence against the believer. His chronic illnesses worsened during the time he spent in prison.
Timeline

Persons in case

Sannikov
Konstantin

Criminal case

Region:
Tatarstan
Locality:
Kazan
Suspected of:
"carries out organizational actions aimed at continuing the activity of the local religious organization... by organizing the preparation and conducting meetings for worship" and "K. E. Sannikov financed the activity of a local religious organization with funds of not less than 50,000 rubles" (from the decisions to initiate criminal cases)
Court case number:
12007920001000058
Initiated:
August 25, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Tatarstan
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Court case number:
1-15/2023 (1-129/2022; 1-932/2021)
Court:
Sovetskiy District Court of the City of Kazan
Judge:
Marat Khaertdinov
Case History
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