A Court in Moscow Handed Down a Harsh Sentence to Three of Jehovah's Witnesses—From Six and a Half to Seven and a Half Years in Prison for Their Faith

On December 22, 2023, the trial of three Jehovah's Witnesses from Moscow was completed. For singing religious songs and prayers, the judge of the Cheremushkinsky District Court, Sergey Khomyakov, sentenced the believers to a penal colony: Aleksandr Rumyantsev to 7.5, Sean Pike to 7, and Eduard Sviridov to 6.5 years.

At the end of the summer of 2021, a series of searches took place in the homes of Moscow believers, as a result of which three ended up in a pre-trial detention center. The investigation of the criminal case for 15 months was carried out by an investigator of the Department for the South-Western District of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Then the case was considered in court for 13 months. As a result, by the time of the verdict, the believers had spent 2 years and 4 months in a pre-trial detention center.

Eduard Sviridov, 59, in whose house the services were audio-recorded, denied the accusation of extremism and mentioned that the investigation did not provide full transcripts of these meetings. In court, he said: "It was not clear what was said at these services. Phrases taken out of context, distortions, free retelling—that's what is presented instead of transcripts. He told what they learned at worship services: "To show love to people, to maintain good relations with others, to settle differences, to treat everyone with an open mind, to show hospitality."

Sean Pike, 52, father of two minor daughters, said: "And there can be no question of hatred for people or a sense of superiority over anyone. This is contrary to the essence of kindness and virtue. This would not be a manifestation of love for God and people. This is not the Christian way. It's unthinkable to me!"

Aleksandr Rumyantsev, 46, who takes care of his mother, a disabled person of group II, also emphasized: "I am sure that my religious beliefs benefit society and the state, because I live in harmony with the words: 'Let everyone not achieve his own, but what benefits the other.'"

The prosecutor considered peaceful religious practice to be the organization of the activities of an extremist organization and requested that each of the defendants be sentenced to 8 years in prison. They have the right to appeal the verdict.

In Moscow, 9 more Jehovah's Witnesses aged 45 to 70 were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for their faith.

A report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance expressed concern that "anti-extremist legislation [of the Russian Federation] is being used against certain religious minorities, in particular against Jehovah's Witnesses."