Court of Appeal Upheld the Suspended Sentence for Vadim Fedorov, Father of Five From Asha

On July 27, 2023, the panel of judges of the Chelyabinsk Regional Court upheld the verdict against  Vadim Fedorov  — a 6-year suspended sentence for reading and discussing the Bible, which law enforcement agencies and the court deemed  "organizing the activity of an extremist organization."

Before the appellate ruling was issued, the believer highlighted the absurdity of the charges: “Extremist motives in my actions have not been proven. All of my actions were solely exercising my right to practise my faith with others, as guaranteed by Article 28 of the RF Constitution.”

In the spring of 2023, the Asha City Court of the Chelyabinsk Region found Vadim guilty of extremism. According to the prosecution, during meetings for worship, believers should not read even the non-prohibited literature of Jehovah's Witnesses; they should not use the vocabulary generally accepted in this religion or discuss beliefs. Fedorov appealed the verdict, calling it contrary to the law, but the regional court did not satisfy this appeal. The verdict has entered into force but the believer has the right to appeal it in cassation procedure.

The verdict and the appeal ruling run counter to the decision of the RF Supreme Court Plenum, according to which meetings for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses do not in themselves constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the RF CrC.

To date, 14 Jehovah's Witnesses have become defendants in criminal cases in the Chelyabinsk Region; 11 of them, including elderly women, have already been given suspended sentences and fines.