Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Illustrative photo

Criminal trial

Two separate criminal charges were filed against a Sakhalin-based believer based on the same subpart of the legal code

Sakhalin Region

Two criminal cases were brought against Vyacheslav Ivanov from the town of Nevelsk under the same part of the "extremist" article (part 2 of article 282.2). Two large law enforcement agencies use serious resources to prosecute a civilian for believing in God and talking about the Bible.

The first criminal case was initiated by the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Nevelsk urban district. On August 29, 2019 Senior Lieutenant Ilya Antonov accepted the case for proceedings under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the grounds that Vyacheslav Ivanov "by prior conspiracy bypassed the residents [...] of the city of Nevelsk on behalf of a representative of a religious organization".

The second case was initiated by the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia for the Sakhalin region, located in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. On October 14, 2019 Senior Lieutenant D.S. Melnikov initiated and accepted for investigation another criminal case under the same article against Vyacheslav Ivanov on the basis of the report of the operative officer. According to this document, the believer "is an active member of a religious association... Jehovah's Witnesses" and "involved new individuals in it."

As a result, Vyacheslav Ivanov, forced to simultaneously respond to various investigators, filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office against the actions of the authorities. However, Aleksandr Metelsky, senior assistant to the prosecutor of the Sakhalin region, refused to satisfy his complaint and "found no reason to connect the two criminal cases.

By mid-July 2020, a FSB investigator was ahead of his colleague from the Interior Ministry. On 14 July D. S. Melnikov brought an official charge against Vyacheslav Ivanov. He believes that the believer participated in criminal activity "on the instructions of Sergey Kulakov or Yevgeniy Elin" and "together with Kulakov and Kozlitin conducted psychological processing of Nevelsk residents in order to involve them in the activities of "Jehovah's Witnesses". (It is noteworthy that the entire family of Kulakovs — Kulakov Sergey and Kulakova Tatyana, as well as their son, Kulakov Dmitriy — are persecuted for their faith by various agencies).

What is happening to Vyacheslav Ivanov is not the first time that the state has spared neither efforts nor means to fight peaceful believers. For example, Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim from Khabarovsk are tried for their faith in two courts at once, while criminal cases on "extremist" articles have been reopened against Venera Dulova, her daughter Daria and Aleksandr Pryanikov after the conviction.

Law enforcers mistakenly accept the religion of citizens for participation in the extremist organization's activities. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations "do not evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine, and do not contain restrictions or prohibitions on individual practice of the above doctrine.

Case of Kulakovs and Others in Nevelsk

Case History
In January 2019, at least 11 searches were carried out at the homes of local Jehovah’s Witnesses in three Sakhalin settlements. The criminal case  against the couple Sergey and Tatyana Kulakov, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Yevgeniy Yelin and Alexandr Kozlitin for their faith, was investigated by the FSB in the Sakhalin Region. In January 2021, the trial began in court, and a year later a verdict was issued: Sergey Kulakov and Yevgeniy Yelin were given a 6.5 year suspended sentence, and Tatyana Kulakova, Vyacheslav Ivanov and Alexandr Kozlitin were given a 2 year suspended sentence. The appellate and cassation courts upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Sakhalin Region
Locality:
Nevelsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, he "led a religious group consisting of Nevelsk residents professing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, provided material and other support for the activities of the group, convened corresponding meetings and worship, ensured the performance of religious rites and ceremonies, provided religious teaching and education"
Court case number:
11807640001000020
Initiated:
December 24, 2018
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Sakhalin Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-2/2022 (1-36/2021; 1-150/2020)
Court:
Невельский городской суд Сахалинской области
Judge:
Никита Кучеров
Case History

Case of Ivanov and Kulakov in Nevelsk

Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Sakhalin Region
Locality:
Nevelsk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation “they having conspired prior ... had conversations with the residents of this house, trying to impose on them the ideas preached by a religious association liquidated by court order in connection with extremist activities”
Court case number:
11901640016000206
Initiated:
August 29, 2019
Current case stage:
case dismissed
Investigating:
Investigation Department of DMIA of Russia for Nevelsk Urban District
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Case History