Sergey Ananin during the appeal hearing via videoconference, January 30

Sergey Ananin during the appeal hearing via videoconference, January 30

Sergey Ananin during the appeal hearing via videoconference, January 30

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Cassation in Kemerovo Upheld Sergey Ananin's 6-Year Prison Term

Kemerovo Region

Sergey Ananin from the Kemerovo Region is preparing to serve a 6-year term for his faith. On January 30, 2024, the panel of judges of the Eighth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Kemerovo denied his cassation appeal against the verdict.

Sergey Ananin was taken into custody on March 31, 2023, immediately after the Belovo City Court handed down a harsh sentence. That was when judge Galina Proshchenko sent the believer to a penal colony for 6 years. In June of the same year, a court of appeal upheld the decision of the court of first instance .

Actually, the believer was found guilty of extremism only for communicating with fellow believers via video conferencing. In the cassation appeal, the lawyer noted: "In the course of the trial, it was reliably established that the actions of the convicted S.V. Ananin were in fact nothing more than expressing his attitude to religion, for which there is no criminal liability, as the RF Supreme Court emphasized." Sergey Ananin highlighted: "In fact, the courts simply refused to apply the directly applicable norm of Article 28 of the RF Constitution, which guarantees everyone freedom of conscience and freedom of religion."

The lawyer also called the verdict unjust, since the courts did not take into account the state of health of the defendant, who suffered a heart attack on the eve of the searches. He said that under the conditions of imprisonment, Ananin's health could be irreparably harmed.

Contrary to the decision of the ECHR and the explanations of the Plenum of the RF Supreme Court, judges continue to pass guilty verdicts on Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country. In the Kemerovo Region, 15 believers have already been sentenced to various punishments for their faith.

The Case of Ananin in Belovo

Case History
Sergey Ananin from Belovo was detained and placed in a temporary detention facility after his home was searched in February 2021. On that day, the law enforcement officers also went to the homes of his wife's parents and several fellow believers. It became clear, that the peaceful believer was made a defendant in a criminal case for extremism, which was initiated by the RF Investigative Committee. After 2 days in custody, Ananin, who had recently had a heart surgery after suffering a heart attack, was placed under house arrest. This preventive measure deprived him of the opportunity to receive the complete medical care necessary for recovery after surgery. In January 2022, the believer's case went to court. The prosecution called on representatives of various churches, as well as a religious scholar, as witnesses. They did not know the defendant personally, and they had nothing bad to say about Jehovah's Witnesses in general. In March 2023, the court sentenced Sergey Ananin to 6 years in a penal colony; the verdict was upheld by the courts of appeal and cassation.
Timeline

Persons in case

Ananin
Sergey

Criminal case

Region:
Kemerovo Region
Locality:
Belovo
Suspected of:
"deliberately organized the continuation of the activity of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses... by organizing the convening and holding of a meeting of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses... including through a program for organizing videoconferences, conducting conversations in order to promote the activity of this banned organization" (from the decision to charge)
Court case number:
12102320035000009
Initiated:
February 9, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Second Department for Investigating Especially Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Kemerovo Region — Kuzbass
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-71/2023 (1-395/2022)
Court of First Instance:
Belovo City Court for the Kemerovo Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Galina Proshchenko
Case History
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