Photo: Sergey Britvin and Vadim Levchuk in the courtroom

Criminal trial

The trial on the merits of the case over the religion of two residents of the Kemerovo region has begun. Hearings will be held in August-September

Kemerovo Region

In the city of Berezovsky (Kemerovo region), hearings began on the criminal case against Sergey Britvin and Vadim Levchuk. Both of them have been in jail for more than a year. The next meetings are scheduled for 20 and 21 August, 3, 4, 17 and 18 September 2019. Read the details of the hearings in the chronicle of the trial.

The hearings are being held in the Berezovsky City Court of the Kemerovo Region under the chairmanship of Judge Irina Vorobyova. Both believers are accused of organizing religious activities, which is interpreted by law enforcement agencies as extremism (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to friends Sergey and Vadim, they radiate optimism. In July, Sergey Britvin was in a prison hospital, but now his condition has improved. Sergey is a disabled person of group II, by profession he is a driver and crane operator. Vadim Levchuk worked as a miner for many years, has gratitude from the company for conscientious work.

The life of two peaceful residents of Berezovka changed abruptly on July 22, 2018, when a wave of searches took place in the apartments of believers in the city. One of the believers received a slight bodily injury during the storming of the apartment. Two days later, on July 24, the judge of the Central District Court of Kemerovo, Natalia Naumova, decided to detain Britvin and Levchuk in custody of pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Kemerovo. Later, the court transferred them to SIZO-4 in the city of Anzhero-Sudzhensk, where they are still staying.

The law enforcement agencies of the Kemerovo region are convinced that residents of the region cannot profess the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that this right is guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Believers insist that they have nothing to do with extremism. The Russian government confirmed that the decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban their organizations "do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, nor do they contain restrictions or prohibitions on the individual practice of the above-mentioned doctrine."

Case of Levchuk and Britvin in Beryozovsky

Case History
In January 2021, the sentence came into force for two miners from the city of Berezovsky - 4 years each in a general regime colony due to the fact that they profess the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both have families. At the time of Vadim Levchuk’s arrest, his son was a minor. Sergey Britvin has a disability group II. The persecution began in July 2018, when a wave of searches took place in the city, after which the Central District Court of Kemerovo placed both in a pre-trial detention center. While the investigation and trial were going on, the believers spent almost 2 years in prison. The case of Britvin and Levchuk was investigated by the FSB. No casualties or damage were identified. The believers were found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization only because they communicated with friends on spiritual topics. The state prosecutor recommended that the court appoint 6.5 years in prison for each. The believers pleaded not guilty, insisting that practicing their religion is not prohibited by law. On December 30, 2021, they were released from the colony, having served their sentence in full.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Kemerovo Region
Locality:
Beryozovsky
Suspected of:
according to the investigation he participated in religious services, which is interpreted as participation in the activity of an extremist organisation (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11807320001000380
Initiated:
July 19, 2018
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Kemerovo Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-139/2019
Court:
Берёзовский городской суд Кемеровской области
Judge:
Ирина Воробьёва
Case History