Yelena and Sergey Chechulin

Yelena and Sergey Chechulin

Yelena and Sergey Chechulin

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Appeal Upholds the Guilty Verdict Against a Jehovah's Witness Couple from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

Kamchatka Territory

On June 25, 2024, the Kamchatka Regional Court upheld the verdict of the court of first instance against Yelena and Sergey Chechulin: 2-year suspended sentence for participating in the activity of an "extremist" organization.

The believers do not agree with the decisions of the courts. Yelena Chechulina noted in her appeal: "The court did not establish the presence of motives of religious hatred or enmity in my actions, and it did not establish against which specific social group I acted. All my actions were completely peaceful." She added: "The law does not consider practicing the religion to which the liquidated religious associations belonged, including together with others, a sign of extremism. Therefore, declaring a legal entity extremist is not tantamount to imposing a ban on a religious denomination with its inherent teachings, spiritual terminology, and the procedure for holding meetings for worship."

The state prosecutor Khramova requested that the court of appeal toughen the punishment and increase it to a 6-year suspended sentence "in connection with the aggravating circumstance that the crime was committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy" — this is how Khramova regarded reading the Bible together with other believers.

Due to the guilty verdict, the Chechulins are deprived of the opportunity to travel outside the Kamchatka Territory. Their car has been seized, their accounts have been blocked and they cannot make their monthly mortgage payment themselves.

The authorities of the Kamchatka Territory continue the religious persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses: to date, 10 believers have suffered from the judicial system because of their peaceful beliefs.

The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

Case History
Spouses Sergey and Elena Chechulina became defendants in yet another criminal case against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. In September 2022, the Investigative Committee opened a case against them on suspicion of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. A month later, their home was searched, and the couple were placed under recognizance agreement. In December 2023, the case went to court. The prosecutor requested 6 years in prison for the Chechulins, but the court softened the article to participation in the activities of an extremist organization and in April 2024 sentenced the couple to 2 years of suspended sentence. The appeal upheld this decision, but in October of the same year, the court of cassation sent the case for reconsideration. In February 2025, a second sentence was handed down - 6 years suspended. This decision was upheld by the second court of appeal.
Timeline

Persons in case

Chechulin
Sergey
Chechulina
Yelena

Criminal case

Region:
Kamchatka Territory
Locality:
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Suspected of:
in "convening meetings, organizing religious talks and meetings for worship, in accordance with the ideology of the religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses at these meetings... Conducted routine training with other persons on the teachings of the religious association "Jehovah's Witnesses"" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12202300011000019
Initiated:
September 25, 2022
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kamchatka Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-98/2025 (1-1079/2024; 1-70/2024; 1-997/2023)
Court of First Instance:
The Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City Court
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Olga Obraztsova
Case History
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