In the photo: Alexander Shcherbina near the courthouse, Abinsk, April 5, 2021

In the photo: Alexander Shcherbina near the courthouse, Abinsk, April 5, 2021

In the photo: Alexander Shcherbina near the courthouse, Abinsk, April 5, 2021

Criminal trial

The prosecutor requested to transfer Aleksandr Shcherbina, a believer from the village of Kholmskaya, to a correctional colony for three years

Krasnodar Territory

On April 5, 2021, during a debate in the Abinsk City Court, the prosecutor requested for 45-year-old Aleksandr Shcherbina from the village of Kholmskaya 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony for not renouncing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. The court is preparing to deliver its verdict on April 6.

“There can be no variant of being at least somehow connected with hatred and violence. I am a peaceful Jehovah's Witness and will remain so in the future,” said Aleksandr Shcherbina, speaking in court with the last word.

A criminal case against a former combatant during the Chechen military conflict, and now a deeply religious civilian, was initiated in November 2020. The investigator considered Aleksandr's participation in reading and discussing the Bible together with fellow believers as a continuation of the activities of the extremist organization, calling these acts a threat to public safety and the constitutional order of the state.

The court has set the sentencing on April 6, 9:00 local time.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly stressed that the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in the country. The international community considers the criminal prosecution of believers to be religious repression.

Case of Shcherbina in Kholmskaya

Case History
In the spring of 2020, Aleksandr Shcherbina was subjected to a search and was summoned for interrogation as a witness in a criminal case against his fellow believer Aleksandr Ivshin. Six months later, FSB investigator Komissarov initiated a criminal case for “participation in the activity of an extremist organization” against Shcherbina himself. Law enforcement officers secretly videotaped Bible discussions and considered such conversations to be a continuation of the activity of a banned organization. In December, Aleksandr’s house was searched again. In April 2021, the Abinsk District Court sentenced the believer to 3 years in a penal colony. In June 2021, a court of appeal reduced the sentence to 2 years imprisonment. The believer filed a cassation appeal against the verdict, but the court left it unsatisfied. On February 22, 2023, Shcherbina was released after serving his main sentence.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnodar Territory
Locality:
Kholmskaya
Court case number:
12007030001000147
Initiated:
November 12, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
FSB Directorate for the Krasnodar Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-84/2021
Court:
Абинский районный суд Краснодарского края
Judge:
Сергей Михин
Case History