Court in the Kemerovo Region Sentenced Yet Another Jehovah's Witness. Pavel Brilkov Received 2 Years and 10 Months of Forced Labor for Talking About the Bible

On January 15, 2024, Alena Novoselova, judge of the Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, found Pavel Brilkov, 65, who has a disability, guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 2 years and 10 months of forced labor only because of his faith.

In November 2021, the home of Pavel Brilkov and his wife was searched as part of the case of Andrey Vlasov, a disabled person who is serving a sentence in a penal colony for his faith. In March 2023, Brilkov himself became a defendant in a criminal case. Testimony against the believer was given by two men recruited by the FSB, one of whom once talked with Pavel about the Bible, and a second, who said that he saw the believer at a meeting for worship.

Pavel Brilkov with his wife and friends on the day of the verdict

The case went to court at the end of April 2023. Brilkov pleaded not guilty. In his final statement, he said: "My faith in God is based on love, not hatred or extremism. What danger do I pose to the public? Who have I harmed? Where are the people or families who have suffered through my fault? What irreparable damage have I done to our country? Are conversations on topics such as family happiness, consolation for those who mourn, or the future earthly paradise so dangerous that a person is tried under a serious article and can be thrown into prison? " Despite, the age and disability of the defendant, the prosecutor requested the court to impose 3 years of forced labor. The convicted person intends to appeal the verdict.

Earlier, Judge Novoselova convicted another Jehovah's Witness from Prokopyevsk, Yuriy Chernykh. He, like Brilkov, was a witness in the case of Andrey Vlasov. The Tsentralnyi District Court of Prokopyevsk is also hearing the case of Yuriy Chernykh's wife, Yelena. A total of 18 believers are facing criminal prosecution for their faith in the Kemerovo Region.

The August 2022 ECHR ruling in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia notes that believers have the right to practice their religion "individually or in community with others" and this right "has always been considered an integral part of freedom of religion" (§ 268).