Another Guilty Verdict in Primorye. Aleksandr Sazhin Received a Three-Year Suspended Sentence for Believing in Jehovah God

On January 28, 2025, the judge of the Fokino City Court of the Primorye Territory, Maksim Ivanishko, passed the verdict in the case of Aleksander Sazhin. He sentenced him to a three-year suspended sentence for reading the Bible together with fellow believers, considering it participation in the activities of an extremist organization.

Speaking during the pleadings, Sazhin emphasized: "I am a Christian. My religious views are based on the Bible. They are expressed in two basic commandments: love of God and love of people. Therefore, my views are directly opposite to what is called extremism."

The believer faced criminal prosecution in April 2023. Then investigator A.S. Belashko opened a case against him under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and two days later Aleksandr's house was searched. He was detained, interrogated in the FSB department, and then released on recognizance agreement. The investigation lasted a year, after which the trial began in April 2024.

Because of the persecution, Sazhin had to quit his job, his cards and accounts were blocked. The searches also undermined the health of his wife.

The accusation against the believer was based mainly on the testimony of a witness who was in close contact with Sazhin and feigned an interest in the Bible. Since the fall of 2022, he has been secretly recording worship services. According to the defendant, the man's testimony boils down to the fact that Sazhin discussed the Bible with him and invited him to several services. The indictment states: "There is no information about the victims, the nature and extent of the harm caused . . . by the crime." Nevertheless, the prosecutor requested 3 years in prison for the believer.

In Primorye Territory, 58 people have already been prosecuted for their faith, 8 of them have been sentenced to a penal colony for terms ranging from 2 to 8 years.