Criminal trial

The Industrial District Court of Khabarovsk hears the case of 6 believers

Khabarovsk Territory

In Khabarovsk, court hearings are being held in the case of Polevodov and others . A friendly party at a local café on November 10, 2018 was the reason to accuse six believers of extremism at once. In the dock are: Nikolai Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, Vitaly and Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and 70-year-old Maya Karpushkina.

From the testimonies of witnesses questioned in court, it is clear that the meeting in the café was not religious in nature and had nothing to do with extremism. The appearance of dozens of riot policemen shortly after the start of the meeting shocked both the café staff and the believers present.

It is noteworthy that two criminal cases were initiated against Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim at once. Believers are forced to defend themselves in two courts, the sessions of which are sometimes scheduled for the same day. More recently, harsh sentences have been handed down in similar cases, each of which also has 6 accused. This is the case of Alushkin and others in Penza and the case Bazhenova and others in Saratov, on which an appeal decision of the court is expected on December 20, 2019.

Case of Polevodov and Others in Khabarovsk

Case History
Khabarovsk civilians Nikolay Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, spouses Vitaliy and Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and Maya Karpushkina were under investigation after a riot police platoon broke into a friendly party in a café in November 2018. Three men were sent to a pre-trial detention center, and later under house arrest. As a result, the Investigative Committee charged six Jehovah’s Witnesses: men with organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and women with participating in it. The only reason is to believe in Jehovah God and discuss the Bible with friends. 14 months of trials and 20 sessions of the court of first instance revealed the groundlessness of the accusation, and the case was returned to the prosecutor’s office. In December 2021, it went to court again.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Khabarovsk Territory
Locality:
Khabarovsk
Suspected of:
according to the investigation they organised the activity of the religious organisation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Khabarovsk (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:
11802080002000049
Initiated:
November 10, 2018
Current case stage:
trial in Court of First Instance
Investigating:
Investigative Department of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Khabarovsk Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-15/2023 (1-216/2022; 1-1031/2021; 1-18/2020; 1-553/2019)
Court:
Индустриальный районный суд г. Хабаровска
Judge:
Роман Чисковский
Case History