Unjust Verdicts

The Krasnoyarsk Territorial Court Upheld the Suspended Sentence Imposed on Ildar Urazbakhtin from Kodinsk. He Was Convicted as an Extremist for Discussing the Bible

Krasnoyarsk Territory

On February 2, 2023, the Krasnoyarsk Territorial Court upheld the judgment against 59-year-old Ildar Urazbakhtin—one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kodinsk, who received a six-year suspended sentence for his faith.

Ildar faced criminal prosecution in July 2021 when his home was searched. Rosfinmonitoring put him on the list of extremists and blocked all of his financial accounts, which caused a serious hardship for the family because Ildar is the sole breadwinner, and his wife has a stage-three disability. After the search, Urazbakhtin was placed in a temporary detention center for a day and then placed under house arrest for two months.

The Investigative Committee considered Ildar's  videoconferences, during which he "encouraged a deep study of the Bible and inspired others to support their  brothers and sisters", to be organization of the activities of an extremist organization. The court of first instance and the appeal court ignored the position of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Government of the RF and the ECHR by considering such an interpretation lawful.

“It is clear to me that I am being persecuted and punished only because I am a Christian who is one of Jehovah's Witnesses,” said Urazbakhtin at the appeal hearing. He insists on his complete innocence and can appeal the decisions of the courts in cassation court.

In a recent decision, the European Court reiterated that “only religious statements and actions involving or calling for violence, hatred or discrimination” (§ 271) can serve as a basis for conviction for extremism. Despite this, the Russian authorities continue to persecute Jehovah's Witnesses for nothing more than peaceful worship and discussions about the Bible.

Urazbakhtin case in Kodinsk

Case History
In 2021, after a series of searches of the homes of believers in Kodinsk, security forces detained Ildar Urazbakhtin. The next day he was placed under house arrest, and two months later he was placed under a recognizance agreement, which allowed the believer to once again care for his wife, who is visually impaired. The investigator considered ordinary manifestations of faith—prayers, reading the Bible, and singing songs—as activities that undermine the security of the State. Ildar Urazbakhtin was put on the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists, and his financial accounts were blocked. In January 2022, the criminal case against the believer went to court. The prosecutor requested that he be sentenced to seven years in a penal colony. In October, the court gave Urazbakhtin a six-year suspended sentence with three years probation. The appellate court upheld this verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Urazbakhtin
Ildar

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnoyarsk Territory
Locality:
Kodinsk
Suspected of:
"carried out activities to coordinate the conduct of free private Bible studies for interested persons, as well as religious meetings."
Court case number:
12102040029000013
Initiated:
July 19, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-31/2022
Court of First Instance:
Kezhemskiy District Court of The Krasnoyarsk Territory
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Grigoriy Garbuz
Case History
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