Photo: Yuriy Zalipaev

Criminal trial

Hearings in a criminal case against a believer in the Elbrus region have begun

Kabardino-Balkaria

On July 16, 2018, the Maysky District Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic began hearing on the merits of the criminal case against Yuriy Zalipayev. The hearings began with a statement by the public prosecutor of the merits of the charges. In his opinion, the defendant not only spoke unflatteringly about Muslims and Orthodox Christians, but called on other Jehovah's Witnesses to beat them, and also distributed religious literature, the distribution of which is prohibited in Russia, to non-Jehovah's Witnesses, so that they would distribute it instead of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Defense lawyer Anton Omelchenko noted in his speech that the investigator refused to attach almost two volumes of written evidence collected by the defense, and refused to conduct an author's study, which would be guaranteed to show that Yuriy Zalipayev did not utter the statements attributed to him. Moreover, law enforcement agencies tried to destroy videos of how evidence against Zalipayev was falsified.

According to the lawyer, the prosecution itself presented evidence to the court that law enforcement agencies destroyed some evidence, falsified others, and when they realized that they had been exposed, they began to take measures aimed at concealing their illegal activities. The falsification of evidence was coordinated from a telephone belonging to FSB officer Sergei Svetikov. The fact that this phone belonged in the testimony was personally confirmed by the district police commissioner of the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in the Maisky district, Alexander Savinov. At the same time, the district police officer never observed that Jehovah's Witnesses showed violence against Muslims or Orthodox Christians.

Yuriy Zalipayev faces up to 5 years in prison under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - "incitement of hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity", as well as under Part 1 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "public calls for extremist activities". The hearing will continue on August 27, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

Case of Zalipayev in Mayskiy

Case History
It took a Jehovah’s Witness from Kabardino-Balkaria almost 5 years to prove that he was not an extremist. The criminal prosecution began in 2016, when the security forces “found” planted banned literature in the church building. The believer was charged with “inciting hatred and enmity” (later the article was decriminalized) and “public calls for extremist activities.” At the hearings in the Maisky District Court, it turned out that the special services were recruiting false witnesses in educational institutions where Zalipaev worked. The state prosecutor asked to appoint the believer to 2 years in prison, but the court acquitted him. In January 2021, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria approved this decision, and in February 2021, the prosecutor’s office made an official apology to Zalipaev. In July 2021, the Maisky City Court ruled to pay the believer one million rubles in compensation for moral damage, but the court of appeal reduced this amount to 500,000 rubles.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Kabardino-Balkaria
Locality:
Mayskiy
Suspected of:
according to the investigation he advocates the exclusivity of his religion (which is interpreted as extremism), and publicly urges others to carry out extremist activity
Court case number:
11702830005000056
Initiated:
August 10, 2017
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Mayskiy Inter-district Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
280 (1)
Court case number:
1-1/2020 (1-4/2019; 1-89/2018;)
Court case number:
1-89/2018
[i18n] Рассматривает по существу:
Майский районный суд Кабардино-Балкарской Республики
Judge:
Елена Валерьевна Кудрявцева
Case History