Court of Appeal Upheld Suspended Sentences for Three Women from the Amur Region, Removing Some of the Additional Restrictions

On November 21, 2023, the panel of judges of the Amur Regional Court upheld the verdict of the court of first instance against Margarita Moiseyenko, Yelena Yatsyk and Galina Yatsik, excluding from it additional punishment in the form of deprivation of the right to engage in activity related to participation in the work of public organizations.

In September 2023, the Zeyskiy District Court of the Amur Region gave Margarita Moiseyenko a 3-year suspended sentence, Yelena Yatsyk 2.5 years, and Galina Yatsik 2 years, finding them guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization.

Margarita Moiseyenko is one of three female residents of Zeya convicted for their faith. Her husband, Konstantin, had also previously been convicted as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. November 2023

The believers still insist on their complete innocence and can appeal this decision in the cassation procedure. "The verdict is based only on the fact that I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I was convicted because I believe in God and use the right guaranteed by Article 28 of the RF Constitution," Margarita Moiseyenko said at the appeal hearing.

Margarita's lawyer called the verdict unlawful and said that it should be cancelled: "I believe that a miscarriage of justice occured due to the incorrect assessment of my client's day to day practice of her religious beliefs as criminal acts, which led to her conviction and unjustly severe punishment... The RF Supreme Court notes that a guilty verdict must be decided on reliable evidence.”

Margarita added: "The court did not establish in my actions such motives for behavior as political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity."