A Smolensk prosecutor demanded that three believers be sent to a correctional colony for eight and nine years. They read the Bible together

On March 22, 2021, at a meeting of the Industrial District Court of Smolensk, the prosecutor asked to send three Jehovah's Witnesses to jail for discussing Christian teachings: 31-year-old Yevgeny Deshko and 43-year-old Valery Shalev for 8 years, and their 38-year-old fellow believer Ruslan Korolev — for 9 years.

The criminal prosecution of believers has been going on for almost 2 years. During this time, they spent 4 to 8 months in jail and another 3 to 7 months under house arrest. Initially, there were 4 persons involved in the case. However, one of the accused, Viktor Malkov, died without waiting for the trial. Being in a pre-trial detention center and under house arrest, he could not receive proper treatment, without which his poor health could not withstand.

According to the prosecutor, the believers "organized the activities of the banned organization" by continuing to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, praying, reading and discussing the Bible together with others.

On March 25, believers are expected to speak at the debate. Their final speech is scheduled for March 29, after which the date of the verdict will be announced.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly stressed that the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited. The international and Russian human rights community consider the criminal prosecution of believers to be religious repression.