Appeal in Khabarovsk Overturned the Conviction of Two Pensioners. The Case Will Be Considered by the Same Court in a Different Composition

On December 5, 2023, a panel of judges of the Khabarovsk Regional Court overturned the sentence of Lyubov Kocherova and Lyubov Ovchinnikova from the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye — 6 years of suspended sentence for believing in Jehovah God — and sent the case back for a new trial. The court thus granted the prosecutor's appeal.

The case will be heard in the same court that passed the original verdict (Khabarovsk District Court), but with a different composition of judges.

Lyubov Kocherova emphasized in her appeal: "The court did not substantiate in the verdict why the peaceful way of expressing faith in God was regarded by the court as a way of committing a crime." She also noted: "The Constitution of the Russian Federation allows me to believe." Lyubov Ovchinnikova pointed out: "The court verdict is an act of direct and indirect gross religious discrimination."

In an additional appeal, the defense drew attention to the fact that the lower court, when considering a criminal case, did not establish what specific actions directly aimed at continuing the activities of any banned organization were committed by the women. In other words, the court did not identify the crime as such.

Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses continues in the Khabarovsk Territory. The convictions of 17 believers in the region have already entered into force.