The Court in the Amur Region Handed Down Suspended Sentences of Two to Three Years to Three Women for Reading the Bible

On September 21, 2023, the Judge, Ivan Moiseyenko of the Zeya District Court of the Amur Region, found Margarita Moiseyenko, 44, Yelena Yatsyk, 51, and Galina Yatsik, 72, guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced them to suspended sentences.

The prosecutor asked to send the believers to a penal colony for terms of two and a half to three years, but the court gave Margarita Moiseyenko, three years suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for three years and restriction of liberty for ten months with a probationary period of three years. Galina Yatsik received a two years of suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for three years, restriction of liberty for six months with a probationary period of two years. The judge sentenced Yelena Yatsyk to two and a half years suspended sentence with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for three years, restriction of liberty for eight months with a probationary period of two years. The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed.

Believers do not agree with the court's decision. Yelena Yatsyk emphasized this position when she stated in her last word: "I do not consider myself guilty and do not intend to give up my religious beliefs. I am sure that I have the right to continue to practice the religion of my own choice. This right is guaranteed to me by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Galina Yatsik told the court: "There is no corpus delicti in my actions, as my motive is love for God and love for people . . . My conscience is clear both before God and before the state."

In March 2019, the first search took place at Moiseyenko family's home after which a criminal case was initiated against Konstantin, Margarita's husband. A year and a half later, searches were also carried out at the homes of Yelena Yatsyk and Galina Yatsik. In November 2021, investigator V. S. Obukhov, known for other cases against believers from the Amur region, initiated a criminal case against three women. In March 2023, the case went to court.

"The reality today is that civilians are unreasonably labeled as extremism," Margarita Moiseyenko said before the sentencing. "Unfortunately, the prosecutor was not looking for any signs of extremist activity, but the way I expressed my faith." She added: "Believing in God for me is the same as breathing. If I am not allowed to peacefully practice my faith because you see signs of extremism in it, although there is no hint of something like, it makes me feel as if I can't breath.

In the Amur Region, 23 Jehovah's Witnesses, including five women, have already become defendants in criminal cases for their faith.