Court Gave Pensioner Tatyana Sushilnikova a 4-Year Suspended Sentence. I'm on Trial for Ordinary Worship of God

On November 15, 2023, the Kuznetskiy District Court finalized its hearing of the case of Tatyana Sushilnikova, 64, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Novokuznetsk. Judge Valeriya Shipitsyna found her guilty of extremism for peaceful religious practice and gave her a 4-year suspended sentence with a 3-year probation period, as well as 10 months restriction of freedom after serving the main sentence.

Sushilnikova faced prosecution for her faith in June 2021. The armed law enforcement officers raided the home of her and her husband Sergey in the early morning. "My husband was put on the floor like some kind of criminal, and I was pushed against the wall," Tatyana recalls. A year later, a case was initiated against her. The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass charged her with participating in the activity of an extremist organization. As one of the FSB officers later stated during interrogation in court, Tatyana became a defendant in the criminal case, "because she is Sergey's wife, actively participated in meetings, engaged in visits and conversations with the local residents."

The believer pleads not guilty to any crimes against the state or persons: "I have not violated any law of the state, no one has suffered in any way from my actions." According to Tatyana, during the trial, the prosecution did not present any evidence of her guilt. Neither the testimonies of witnesses nor the expert studies (religious, linguistic and phonographic) showed any extremist actions on the part of the believer. It is worth noting that the expert studies were dated at a time when the criminal case had not even been initiated.

As Tatyana says, the unjust prosecution caused a lot of emotional stress and difficulties. She receives support from her husband, who himself is serving a 6-year suspended sentence for his faith, and from friends: "During the prosecution, we try to encourage each other even more, to support each other in word and deed... When we go to court, we naturally feel anxious. And then we see our dear fellow believers, their smiles, their eyes - the anxiety disappears, and it is as if we grow wings."

In the Kemerovo Region, 18 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been subjected to religious repression. Six men were imprisoned for terms ranging from 3 to 7 years for their faith. Another six residents of Kuzbass were given a suspended sentence. The ECHR judgment in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia stated that "the Russian authorities have not presented any evidence which, in accordance with the Court's jurisprudence, could justify an interference with the applicants' rights to freedom of religion, expression or association" (§ 158).