Two believers from a Kuban village have rejected charges of extremism.

A Kuban court sentenced Vladimir Lepsky and Irina Zinina to suspended prison terms, finding them members of an extremist organization. Both Jehovah's Witnesses* denied the charges in court.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," investigators believe that Vladimir Lepsky, Irina Ushakova, and Natalya Novoseletskaya, residents of the village of Vyselki, participated in meetings and training events to continue the activities of the banned religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses of the Vyselkovsky District." Their case was sent to court in September 2024.

59-year-old Vladimir Lepsky received a two-year suspended prison sentence. The believer was accused of "reading religious books aloud," according to a website covering the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses* in Russia.

Vladimir Lepsky worked on the railroad for over 20 years, serving as a train conductor and speed controller. The criminal case against him was opened when he no longer lived in Vyselki, but he returned to the village.

I came because I don't consider myself guilty.

"We don't have an apartment or a house in the village. Thanks to the help of friends, we found an inexpensive apartment... I could have not come, hidden, and no one would have found me. But I came because I don't consider myself guilty," he said in court.

Lepsky's sentence was handed down on October 24, becoming the fourth guilty verdict for a Jehovah's Witness* in a month handed down by the Vyselkovsky District Court: on October 21, the same court found 37-year-old Irina Zinina guilty of extremism and sentenced her to two years' suspended imprisonment, the publication notes.

They are unfairly prosecuting Criminal cases against law-abiding, decent people

Irina Zinina was charged with discussing the Bible with friends. "Because of the application of this law [on extremism], many people have the wrong impression of me. However, there are many sympathetic people who are outraged that criminal cases are being unfairly brought against law-abiding, decent people. It is sad that this law is being applied to peaceful citizens of all ages," Irina Zinina said in court before the verdict was announced.

Irina Zinina denied the charge of extremism. "Biblical practical advice has helped me throughout my adult life, for example: remaining a kind and decent person, conscientiously fulfilling my work and the responsibilities assigned to me. In my part-time job—as a caregiver—I have to care for people of different backgrounds, statuses, and religions, and everyone is happy... People turn to me for repairs and sewing clothes, for help with cleaning as a cleaner, and for construction repairs. I carry out these tasks with willingness and diligence," she is quoted as saying in the publication.

On October 21 and 24, Judge Elizaveta Proskuryakova handed down two sentences to defendants under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation in an extremist organization), according to the criminal case files on the Vyselkovsky District Court website. Information about the defendants and their defense attorneys is hidden in both profiles.

As a reminder, in October, the court sentenced Elena Rumyantseva, a 53-year-old Jehovah's Witness* from the village of Vyselki, to a suspended two-year prison sentence. Contrary to the defense's arguments and witness testimony, the court deemed her a member of an extremist organization. Rumyantseva denied the accusations.

00:51 23.01.2024

Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses* - Extremists or Victims of Lawlessness?

Hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses* in Russia, including in the south of the country, have felt the consequences of the Supreme Court's decision to ban their organizations, facing criminal prosecution. More than one hundred believers have already received prison sentences. Investigators accuse Jehovah's Witnesses* of attempting to continue the activities of the organization banned by the court, while the believers themselves consider their actions an exercise of their constitutional right to practice religion.

In February 2022, the homes of Elena Rumyantseva and her daughter Vasilina Penskaya were searched. The criminal case was based on the testimony of a secret witness who made audio and video recordings of religious services. Several believers are involved in the case against him. However, he stated in court that he did not know Penskaya and could not confirm that she participated in the services. He also didn't provide the court with any specific information about Rumyantseva, other than that she attended the services. In August, it was reported that the court had sentenced 27-year-old Vasilina Penskaya to a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Back in October 2021, the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Russia ruled that individual or collective religious practice, religious rites, and ceremonies in themselves should not be considered the activities of an extremist organization unless they contain elements of extremism. However, in practice, state prosecutors ignore this decision, noted Yaroslav Sivulsky, a lawyer for believers in Neftekumsk and a representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Earlier, in October 2020, a court in Kabardino-Balkaria acquitted local Jehovah's Witness* Yuri Zalipaev, who was accused of inciting extremism. In September 2021, the court awarded him 500,000 rubles in compensation, and the prosecutor apologized to the believer for the criminal prosecution. Acquittals for Jehovah's Witnesses* are rare in the Russian judicial system, Yaroslav Sivulsky commented on the court's decision at the time.

On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia, following a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice, declared the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia* and its 395 branches extremist organizations, banning their activities. The "Caucasian Knot" covers the consequences of this ban on its thematic page "Ministry of Justice vs. Jehovah's Witnesses*".

* 396 Russian Jehovah's Witness organizations have been designated as extremist, and their activities in Russia have been banned by court order.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.