Court Sentenced Maksim Beltikov, a Father of a Large Family from the Village of Pavlovskaya, to a Two-Year Prison Sentence for Discussing the Bible

On January 17, 2022, the judge of the Pavlovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory, Andrey Mynochka, found Maksim Beltikov guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to two years in a penal colony. The believer was immediately taken into custody from the courtroom.

The Beltikovs have three underage sons, the youngest of whom was 3.5 years old at the time the criminal prosecution began. The believer also has an elderly mother. Due to prolonged stress, her chronic diseases worsened.

Beltikov faced difficulties at the investigation stage. He, the breadwinner of the whole family, had trouble getting his salary from the bank because his accounts were blocked. The criminal prosecution also undermined his health.

Nevertheless, the believer noted: “During the criminal persecution, fellow believers invited us to lunch and dinner and tried to support us financially and morally. Also, about 15 people regularly came to the courthouse to support us despite the bad weather.” Shortly before the sentencing, he said: “I work at the same place. The employer even kept my salary on those days when I went to the investigator or to court hearings”.

Addressing the court with the last word, Maksim Beltikov emphasized: “Of course, I would like to hope that the court will pass an acquittal, but if not, then my faith will not be shaken. I am convinced that a peaceful religion cannot be extremist and never will be. I love all people regardless of their social status and faith.”

Maksim Beltikov came to the attention of the special services at the end of April 2020, when the FSB, together with the Cossacks, raided Jehovah's Witnesses from two villages. Two months later, on June 23, 2020, a criminal case was initiated against the believer. It was initiated by the investigator of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory M. Loy. It took the police about six months to complete the investigation. It was submitted to the Pavlovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory in January 2021.

The charges were based on audio recordings of conversations about the Bible between Beltikov and the secret agent Ilchenko (who is also a key witness for the prosecution in the case of Lyudmila Shchekoldina, which is being heard in the same court). During the hearings, it turned out that the negative remarks about adherents of other religions, which were attributed to Beltikov, actually belong to Ilchenko. He was twice forced to admit this during interrogations in court.

In addition, the phonoscopic examination, which was carried out as part of the investigation, was carried out in bad faith. During interrogation in court, the religious scholar and psychologist admitted that they did it on the basis of not an audio recording, but a transcript provided by them, which was distorted. Despite the obvious violations, the court repeatedly denied the defense the appointment of a repeated comprehensive phonoscopic examination.

Although there is not a single victim in the case, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the believer to 3 years in prison in a penal colony. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. Beltikov insists on his complete innocence.

On October 28, 2021, shortly before the sentencing of Maksim Beltikov, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities. During the meeting of the Plenum, the judge-rapporteur Yelena Peisikova separately noted that new clarifications appeared in pursuance of the instructions of the President of Russia.