An Appeals Court Upheld the Verdict of an 80-Year-Old Widow From Seversk: a Four-Year Suspended Sentence for Reading the Bible

On February 14, 2022, the Tomsk Regional Court approved the sentence for teacher Yelena Saveliyeva: 4 years of suspended sentence for practicing her religion.

Addressing the panel of judges, the believer emphasized the absurdity of the sentence passed on her: "My faith teaches me not to kill, not to deceive, not to be a vile person, not to wish harm to my neighbor, not to envy, to be kind and compassionate, to be a humble and conscientious person, to see good in everyone, to wish my neighbor all the best, to help, love and enjoy life. And for this, dear court, I was recorded as an extremist."

The decision of the court entered into force. The believer still insists on her innocence. She has the right to appeal the verdict in the cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.

Two months earlier, a judge of the Severskiy District Court of the Tomsk Region found Yelena Saveliyeva guilty of involving persons in the activities of an extremist organization. This is how the court interpreted the believer's peaceful conversations about the Bible with other people.

The believer spent more than 9 months under house arrest. The criminal prosecution caused great damage to Saveliyeva's reputation. She has worked at the school for over 40 years and was awarded an honorary diploma from the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Atomic Energy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the recognition of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremists "nonsense." He stated that they are “also Christians” and “what they are being persecuted for” is not clear.