Not long before the verdict, a group of friends came to the courthouse to support the convicted persons. December 2023

Not long before the verdict, a group of friends came to the courthouse to support the convicted persons. December 2023

Not long before the verdict, a group of friends came to the courthouse to support the convicted persons. December 2023

Unjust Verdicts

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Aleksandr Polozov and Stepan Shevelev Received a 6-Year Suspended Sentence for Their Peaceful Beliefs

Krasnoyarsk Territory

On December 29, 2023, Sergey Kurunin, judge of the Norilskiy City Court gave two local Jehovah's Witnesses, Aleksandr Polozov and Stepan Shevelev a 6-year suspended sentence. According to the prosecution, they entered into a "criminal conspiracy" for studying the Bible.

Their criminal prosecution began back in October 2019, when special police surrounded the camp site, where the believers were relaxing with friends. A criminal case was initiated against Aleksandr Polozov under of Article 282.2(1) of the RFCrC (organizing the activity of an extremist organization), and in May 2021, Stepan Shevelev became the second defendant.

Aleksandr Polozov spent 3 months in a pretrial detention center, and in March 2020 he was included on the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists. Aleksandr is very grateful to his fellow believers for financial assistance after his bank cards were blocked. He was also encouraged by numerous letters: "Some wrote where they had been and what they had seen... Stories of interesting places seemed to push the walls of the prison apart, and I "traveled". Stepan Shevelev said: "Our friends understand that sometimes we need emotional support, and they do everything to encourage us."

In June 2021, the case went to court. In 2022, it was returned to the prosecutor for the absence of corpus delicti. A new trial of the criminal case began in July 2023. Again, the prosecutor was unable to provide evidence of the defendants' guilt. Also, Polozov was credited with words he never said. Despite this, the prosecutor requested 6 years in a penal colony for the believers.

Stepan and Ksenia Shevelev. Norilsk, December 2023
Stepan and Ksenia Shevelev. Norilsk, December 2023
Aleksandr Polozov and his wife, Svetlana. Norilsk, December 2023
Aleksandr Polozov and his wife, Svetlana. Norilsk, December 2023

In his final statement, Polozov noted: "I am a Level 5 rescuer for gas emergencies. More than once I risked my life to save the lives of other people and was rewarded for it... My profession does not give me the right to choose whether or not to save a person, based on whether he is a believer or not, whether he is my friend or my enemy. Every life is valuable in the eyes of God, and therefore in mine too. With this in mind, any accusation of extremism against me looks absurd."

Shevelev said: "I have had the opportunity to talk with many religious people, including Muslims and Orthodox priests. But I did not consider any of them to be beneath me. The fact that we have different religious views does not give me the right to judge them. Besides, that would be contrary to my views."

The believers have the right to appeal the verdict in the court of appeal.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, five of Jehovah's Witnesses have already been sentenced to prison terms, and in total, more than 30 Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected to religious persecution in this region.

The Case of Polozov and Shevelev in Norilsk

Case History
In October 2019, special forces surrounded a camp site in Norilsk, where about 50 friends were spending time together. Some of them were interrogated. The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Stepan Shevelev and Aleksandr Polozov, charging the believers with organizing the activity of a banned organization. Their homes were searched. Polozov was arrested and sent to a pretrial detention center for 90 days, after which he was placed under a recognizance agreement. The same preventive measure was imposed on Shevelev. In June 2021, the believers’ case went to court. The prosecutor requested a 6-year suspended sentence. The judge returned the case of Polozov and Shevelev to the prosecutor, having found no corpus delicti in their actions. In July 2022, the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court upheld this decision. However, in May 2023, the case went back to court. This time, the prosecutor requested 6 years in a penal colony for the believers. In December 2023, the court gave Polozov and Shevelev a 6-year suspended sentence.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnoyarsk Territory
Locality:
Norilsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation he “organized meetings ... in compliance with distinctive —  for this association — actions expressed in religious speeches, services, and propaganda of the activities of the banned organization ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’”
Court case number:
11902040013000096
Initiated:
October 20, 2019
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnoyarsk Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-278/2023
Court:
Норильский городской суд Красноярского края
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Сергей Курунин
Case History