Urazbakhtin case in Kodinsk

Early in the morning, searches are carried out in the city of Kodinsk at at least at five addresses where Jehovah's Witnesses live. During a search in the apartment of 58-year-old Ildar Urazbakhtin and his family, security forces seized phones, a tablet and a notebook. The believer is detained and placed in a temporary detention facility.

In order to "find the means of committing a crime by I. I. Urazbakhtin," a search is being conducted in the house of another resident of Kodinsk. Electronic devices, a system unit, a flash drive, a book by a religious scholar and greeting cards are seized.

The judge of the Kezhemsky District Court Grigory Garbuz chooses a measure of restraint for Ildar Urazbakhtin in the form of house arrest for 2 months.

Ildar Urazbakhtin's preventive measure is changed: he is required to sign a not to leave the place.

The head of the investigation department for the Kezhemsky district of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee, P.V. Monakhov, attracts Ildar Urazbakhtin as an accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. The believer is accused of holding video conferences, in which he "encourages deep study of the Bible, inspires the need to support "brothers and sisters", teaches communication techniques."

The criminal case against Ildar Urazbakhtin is submitted to the Kezhemsky District Court of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Judge Grigory Garbuz gives Ildar Urazbakhtin the opportunity to speak with an attitude to the charge.

The believer insists on his innocence. Turning to the court, he notes that by the decision of the Supreme Court of 20.04.2017, the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses were liquidated, and not the right to profess their faith. According to the defendant, the security forces freely interpret this decision. "In fact, I am accused," says Ildar Urazbakhtin, "that I believe in God, talk to others about the Bible, share my beliefs with them, pray to Jehovah God, sing songs of praise to him and remain a Jehovah's Witness, that is, I enjoy the right guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation."

11 people gather around the meeting room. When asked by the judge who these people are, Ildar replies: "These are my friends. They came to support me." Judge Grigory Garbuz reads out the case materials: transcripts of worship services and data from the Ministry of Justice about the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in the village of Boguchany.

Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, religious scholar Grigory Illarionov is being interrogated via videoconference. He notes that the creeds of Jehovah's Witnesses are based on the Bible, and their prayers, singing songs, and preaching are nothing more than ways of expressing faith.

The court interrogates Lieutenant B.V. Bembeyev, an operative of the FSB Directorate in Kodinsk. He states that he organized video surveillance of believers in 2021. To the questions of the defense, he answers only "I don't remember", "I don't know".

The video recording of the service is examined.

Investigator Roman Rogov is being interrogated. He cannot answer some questions, explaining that "the matter is not ordinary."

The defendant gives testimony in the form of written notes.

Prosecutor Dmitry Vladimirov asks the court to sentence the believer to 7 years in a penal colony.

Ildar Urazbakhtin delivers his last speech.