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

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.