Irina Mikhaylenko

Irina Mikhaylenko

Irina Mikhaylenko

Unjust Verdicts

In the City of Chelyabinsk, the Appeal Upheld a Fine Given to Irina Mikhaylenko, 54 <br>

Chelyabinsk Region

On September 6, 2023, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court, chaired by Sergei Ivanov, upheld the sentence for Irina Mikhailenko - she will have to pay a fine of 120 thousand rubles. A woman was found guilty of extremism for reading the Bible and praying with friends.

The verdict has entered into force. The believer still insists on her innocence and has the right to appeal it in the court of cassation. When addressing the court Mikhaylenko said: " I haven't done anything illegal either against the state, or against people, or against God." She added: "I try to show respect for other people, regardless of their religion, race, nationality or social status, so extremism is foreign to me."

Public figures and some statesmen in Russia, as well as in other countries, have consistently expressed bewilderment at the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. In their opinion, law enforcement agencies and courts should stop the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The case of Mikhailenko in Chelyabinsk

Case History
Searches of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Chelyabinsk in 2019 changed the lives of dozens of believers. Among them is Irina Mikhailenko, director of a law firm. The believer was a witness in the case of Valentina Suvorova, but in 2021 she herself became a suspect of participating in extremist activities. Mikhailenko’s house was searched again. The Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chelyabinsk Region accused the believer of “directly participating in and personally speaking in … religious meetings”, singing songs and saying prayers. Mikhailenko was also accused of attending an international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Korea. In July 2022, the trial began. In April 2023, the court sentenced the believer to a fine of 120,000 rubles. The appellate court upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Mikhaylenko
Irina

Criminal case

Region:
Chelyabinsk Region
Locality:
Chelyabinsk
Suspected of:
«... directly participated and personally spoke in religious meetings convened and organized by V. N. Suvorov" (from the decision to bring as an accused)
Court case number:
12102750030000024
Initiated:
August 31, 2021
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Third Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chelyabinsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-16/2023
Court of First Instance:
Металлургический районный суд г. Челябинска
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Людмила Благодырь
Case History