Court in Khabarovsk Territory Sentenced 78-Year-Old Woman to Suspended Sentence for Correspondence About God

The court found Liliya Dolinina, a pensioner from the village of Dormidontovka, guilty of extremism because of her correspondence with a woman on spiritual topics. On February 3, 2025, Judge Kseniya Matviyevskaya sentenced the elderly believer to 4 years and 6 months of a suspended term.

The accusation was based on Liliya's letters, which she wrote to an acquaintance of her son named Lavrenova. According to the believer, her motive was the desire to support Lavrenova. "My goal was to introduce her to God and the advice he gives to people through the Bible," Liliya said in court. "I just wanted her to be happy in her family life with my son." However, the prosecution regarded this correspondence as an attempt to involve Lavrenova in an extremist organization.

Liliya learned about the initiation of a criminal case in February 2023, when her house was searched, and then a 5-hour interrogation at the local department of the Investigative Committee. At the same time, the FSB visited Lavrenova and seized letters from Dolinina.

In March 2024, Dolinina's case was submitted to the Vyazemskiy District Court. The hearings were adjourned for 4 months due to the deterioration of the elderly believer's health. Chronic illnesses, as well as trauma, caused bed rest. During this period, the pensioner was included in the list of Rosfinmonitoring. Due to problems with her heart, vision and hearing, it was difficult for Liliya to participate in court hearings. In her testimony, she stated: "I could not even imagine that in my country in the 21st century I would be tried at the age of 78 for personal correspondence."

During the interrogation in court, Lavrenova and Dolinina's son claimed that a significant part of their testimony, recorded by the investigator in the interrogation protocol, was fabricated. Lavrenova herself stated that Liliya Dolinina did not try to involve her in any extremist communities. The conclusions of the examination also acknowledged that "there are no incentives in the letters and messages to join or participate in the activities of any organization."

Liliya shared that in a difficult period for her, she has support: fellow believers take her to the hospital, bought food and medicines. "I am grateful to our brothers and sisters for their support and love," she exclaims. "My faith and gratitude to God grows stronger every time."

Already 41 of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Khabarovsk Territory have been prosecuted for their faith. Seven of them are over 70 years old, one died while under investigation.