A Court in Rostov-on-Don Sentenced Andrey Okhrimchuk to 4 Years Suspended for Believing in Jehovah God

On August 2, 2021, the judge of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Olga Borokhova, found 42-year-old Andrey Okhrimchuk guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 4 years of suspended sentence, as well as 1 year of restriction of freedom - this punishment was requested by the prosecutor.

The believer has not pleaded guilty and can appeal the verdict. According to him, crime of any kind is incompatible with his beliefs. "At the beginning of my Christian journey, I received an offer to earn money. I began to cooperate with an acquaintance. He said that you can earn more if you steal some of the material. I refused, choosing to serve God and have a clear conscience," said Andriy Okhrimchuk.

"I did not think that I would ever be a defendant and speak before a court, especially those accused of extremism, because I never even thought of harming anyone. I have always treated extreme views negatively, because people suffer from it. At one time, I participated in a counter-terrorist operation in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, ensuring the security of the state and its citizens. I also served in the peacekeeping forces. Later my life changed, I began to study the Bible. Then I was a peacemaker with weapons in my hands, but now I decided to become a peacemaker with the Bible in my hands, "said the believer, speaking with the last word.

On October 29, 2020, the investigator for especially important cases, Major I. A. Kalnitsky, opened a criminal case against Andrey Okhrimchuk. The investigation was conducted by the First Investigation Department (located in Rostov-on-Don) of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

Andrey was accused of "taking part in an illegal religious meeting", which was also attended by Alexander Parkov. By illegal religious gathering, the investigation refers to the usual worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are legally held in approximately 240 countries and territories. The investigation also established that money transfers were made from Andrey Okhrimchuk's bank card to the cards of Semyon Baibak, who had already been sentenced to 3.5 years of probation, as well as Arsen Avanesov. On July 29, 2021, three believers, Park, Arsen and Vilen Avanesov from Rostov-on-Don, received from 6 to 6.5 years in prison.

In May 2019, the security forces searched the believer's home and car, after which he was interrogated at the CPE. Andrey and his wife are raising a school-age daughter. The search in their house had a strong impact on the condition of Andrey's wife, Ekaterina: she had to seek help from a specialist and undergo treatment for several months. Andrey is worried about how what is happening will affect the health of his parents, since his father has a heart condition.

"After the searches, I was in shock for several weeks, could not eat normally, lost 5 kilograms. I sat like furniture, I didn't realize what was happening," the believer said.

For about 9 months, since November 2, 2020, Andriy Okhrimchuk has been under recognizance agreement. And on November 27, 2020, the believer was added to the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring, his bank accounts were blocked.

Already 16 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Rostov region have been prosecuted for their faith. Eight of them have already been sentenced by the courts.

Russian and foreign leaders and organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Among them is Jean-Marie Delarue , a member of the French Council of State. He explains: "A Russian judge should take into account that if the fact of violation of public order is not proven, then Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted for completely different reasons - they are persecuted as a religion. In this case, we ignore the fundamental freedom enshrined in the most important international laws.