In the photo: Mikhail Yermakov, Zoya Pavlova, Nina and Andrey Martynov, February 2023

In the photo: Mikhail Yermakov, Zoya Pavlova, Nina and Andrey Martynov, February 2023

In the photo: Mikhail Yermakov, Zoya Pavlova, Nina and Andrey Martynov, February 2023

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Appeal in Cheboksary Upheld the Verdict for Four Believers. Large Fines and Lengthy Suspended Sentences Given for Reading the Bible

Chuvashia

Text updated on February 14, 2023.

On February 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Chuvash Republic upheld the verdict of four Jehovah's Witnesses from Alatyr, mitigating the sentence for two of them. Instead of fines of 350,000 rubles, Nina Martynova and Zoya Pavlova will pay 80,000 rubles each. The 6-year suspended sentences for Andrey Martynov and Mikhail Yermakov were left unchanged by the court.

All four have been peacefully practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses since the 1990s. However, in December 2022, in violation of the constitutional right to freely choose, have and disseminate religious beliefs, the Alatyr District Court declared them guilty of extremism.

The believers commented on this in their appeal as follows: “We have not denied that we are Jehovah's Witnesses and that together with our loved ones and friends we sang songs praising God, prayed and discussed the Bible. But our goal was not to continue the activity of a liquidated legal entity, but to carry out peaceful worship of God.” They added: "The actual purpose of the verdict is to force us, under fear of criminal prosecution, to change our religion or leave the Russian Federation." The believers can appeal to the court of cassation.

Mikhail Yermakov named examples of the endurance of repressed fellow believers during the Soviet era as a source of support. “Even the investigator was sometimes surprised at my calmness and sense of humor,” the believer said.

The European Court of Human Rights held that the Russian Federation violated the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to freedom of religion: “By holding the applicants criminally liable, simply for continuing religious services, the Russian authorities imposed a disproportionate and unjustifiable burden on the exercise of their freedom of religion and association” (§ 260).

The case of Martynov and Others in Alatyr

Case History
In June 2021, the FSB of Russia initiated a criminal case against unidentified persons, and a week later, a series of searches were carried out in Alatyr at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The family of Andrey Martynov was subjected to investigative actions twice (the first search took place in 2012). The law enforcement officers seized electronic devices, photographs, personal notes, drawings and other items, with inscriptions mentioning the name of God - Jehovah. In April 2022, Andrey and Nina Martynov, Mikhail Yermakov and Zoya Pavlova were charged: the men with organizing the activitiy of an extremist organization, and the women with involvement and participation in it. In July 2022, the case against the believers went to court, and in December of the same year, the court gave the women a fine of 350,000 rubles, and the men a 6-year suspended sentence. After 2 months, the verdict entered into force by the decision of the appellate instance.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Chuvashia
Locality:
Alatyr
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, he "organized religious performances and services, carried out preaching activities in order to spread the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses."
Court case number:
12107970001000027
Initiated:
June 16, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigation Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the Chuvash Republic
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-114/2022
Court of First Instance:
Алатырский районный суд Чувашской Республики
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Иван Кончулизов
Case History