Photo: Alexey Metzger with his wife Irina

Criminal trial

Alexei Metzger's speech at the pleadings in Perm

Perm Territory

On November 5, 2019, in the Ordzhonikidze District Court of Perm, Alexei Metzger , persecuted for his faith, provided a lot of evidence that reading and discussing the Bible is not a crime, but the daily life of a believer. Read the full text of his speech below.

On November 12, the defendant will make his last speech, after which the verdict will be passed.

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Case of Metsger in Perm

Case History
On April 25, 2019, A. E. Leontiev, investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Perm Territory, opened a criminal case against 43-year-old Aleksey Metzger for participation in extremist activities (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) solely on the basis that he professes the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is based on audio recordings of peaceful discussion of biblical teachings by believers. Aleksey’s case was separated from the criminal case of Aleksandr Solovyov, another believer from Perm. Thanks to his faith, Alexey was able to get rid of bad habits and create a strong family. Despite all this, the investigation charged a simple civil engineer with a serious criminal article. On November 14, 2019, Judge Svetlana Chereneva from the Ordzhonikidze District Court of Perm found the believer guilty and sentenced him to a fine of 350 thousand rubles. The Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeal against the decision of the lower court.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Perm Territory
Locality:
Perm
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, he "propagandized the activity of a banned organization, directly pa​rticipated in the events conducted by Jehovah's Witnesses, and commited other actions aimed at conducting and participating in such events"
Court case number:
11902570030000022
Initiated:
June 10, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Perm Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-461/2019
Court:
Орджоникидзевский районный суд Перми
Judge:
Светлана Черенева
Case History