Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia Upheld Conviction of One of Jehovah's Witnesses

On April 29, 2025, the court of appeal upheld the guilty verdict of Yevgeniy Semenov. "The court equated a believer of a peaceful religion with a feared follower of some movement known for its aggressiveness," said Yevgeniy's lawyer. "Therefore ... he is a victim of discrimination."

In his complaint, Semenov referred to the position of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council: "Since the right to freedom of conscience and religion applies to everyone, it undoubtedly applies to Jehovah's Witnesses, to their religious practice and confession, and also includes the right to gather for meetings for worship. [...] Actions professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be interpreted as forms of extremist activity."

The defense drew attention to a number of violations and contradictions in the evidence in the case. Thus, the prosecution witnesses were either not acquainted with the convict, or their testimony did not contain information about illegal actions on the part of the believer. Commenting on the religious expert examination that formed the basis of the guilty verdict, the lawyer noted that the religious scholar went beyond his competence: "Expert D. V. Pikalov, conducting religious research, has no right to go into legal analysis."

The decision of the first instance was announced in February 2025: the believer was sent to a colony for 6 years and 3 months. Yevgeniy has been in custody for over a year and a half. He is the first of Jehovah's Witnesses convicted in Karachay-Cherkessia to receive a prison sentence for his faith; the remaining five were sentenced to suspended sentence.