The Krupnovs

The Krupnovs

The Krupnovs

Unjust Verdicts

Nikolsk Court Hands a Three-Year Suspended Sentence to the Krupnovs for Discussing the Bible

Penza Region

On December 30, 2021, the judge of the Nikolsk District Court of the Penza Region, Irina Kuznetsova, sentenced Petr Krupnov and his wife, Maya, to 3 years probation and 8 months of freedom restrictions. The judge considered the discussion of the biblical commandments as participation in the activities of a banned organization.

“I have not done anything illegal either before the people, or before the state, or before God!” Maya declared, speaking with her last word in court a few days before the verdict. “To be Jehovah's Witness is not a crime, but a great honor! All over the world, in more than 200 countries, Jehovah's Witnesses freely practice their religious beliefs based on the Bible.”

Petr also did not admit guilt and stressed that he adheres to teachings based on love for people, and this is incompatible with the ideas of extremism.

Nevertheless, the court passed a guilty verdict, appointing a suspended sentence and obliging the family to pay 42 thousand rubles of legal costs. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.

Maya Krupnova has gone through many shocks in her life. Her first husband was killed, her fellow villagers poisoned their livestock, and their house was nearly burned down. In 2020, Maya's middle daughter died.

The case against the Krupnovs, as well as 60-year-old Yuriy Kim, was initiated on October 7, 2020. It was led by Igor Saulin, Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Penza Region. The main defendant was Kim, he was accused of organizing extremist activities. The decision to initiate the case stated that Yuriy "in an unidentified manner involved Maya Krupnova to participate in the activities of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses." The investigation considered it a crime for the woman to discuss religious issues in the company of friends, for example, how the Bible helps to keep calm in stressful situations.

19 days after the initiation of the case, Yuriy was summoned 120 km from his home to familiarize himself with the collected materials. Upon arrival, the believer was paralyzed, the ambulance did not manage to save him, and on October 30, 2020, he passed away.

After a year of investigation, on October 6, 2021, the case was taken to court. The file contains audio recordings of Maya's conversations with a girl, an FSB agent, who portrayed an interest in the Bible. In court, she could not remember exactly when the meetings of the believers took place and what was discussed at them. In December 2021, it turned out that the prosecutor did not provide any evidence of the "criminal actions" of Petr Krupnov.

During interrogations, many witnesses retracted their testimonies, claiming that they had not said anything like that. Among the witnesses were neighbors who described Maya positively as a hospitable woman. They also noted that the Krupnovs' spouses helped them with the housework.

Another Nikolsk resident, Viktor Shayapov, is being prosecuted on the basis of similar charges of extremism. Also, six residents of the regional center - Penza - received suspended sentences from 2 to 4 years.

On December 8, 2021, a member of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, Andrey Babushkin, sent an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the ongoing persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, despite the explanations of the Plenum of the Supreme Court. “By inertia, the investigating authorities and courts continue to sanction searches, arrest believers and pass convictions on them,” the human rights activist expresses concern.

The case of the Krupnovs and Others in Nikolsk

Case History
In October 2020, a criminal case was initiated against Yuriy Kim and unidentified persons for believing in God. Armed security forces raided 4 apartments of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Nikolsk, Penza region. To familiarize himself with the materials on the search, 60-year-old Yuri Kim had to travel 120 kilometers from home. Upon his return, he was paralyzed and lost consciousness. The ambulance doctors did not have time to save him. In September 2021, Maya and Petr Krupnov were charged with participating in extremist activities. It was based on an audio recording made by an FSB agent. A month later, hearings began in the Nikolsky District Court under the chairmanship of Judge Irina Kuznetsova. Many witnesses claimed that their preliminary testimony had been falsified. In December 2021, the court sentenced the spouses to 2 years probation and 8 months of restriction of freedom and ordered them to pay 42,000 rubles in legal costs. The appellate court upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Penza Region
Locality:
Nikolsk
Court case number:
12002560016000021
Initiated:
October 7, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Penza Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-93/2021
Court:
Никольский районный суд Пензенской области
Judge:
Ирина Кузнецова
Case History
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