Court of Appeal in Krasnoyarsk Upheld the Verdict Against Yuriy Yakovlev. He was Given 6 Years and 2 Months in a Penal Colony for His Faith in Jehovah God

Yuriy Yakovlev, a 57-year-old Jehovah's Witness from Sosnovoborsk, will go to a penal colony for holding peaceful meetings for worship and reading the Bible — following the appeal hearings in the Krasnoyarsk Territorial Court on May 21, 2024, the verdict entered into force.

In March 2023, Yakovlev was sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in a penal colony. He has been behind bars for over 2 years. Addressing the court of appeal, the believer said: "During the case, it was not identified what harm I caused and who suffered. The Bible says, "Love your neighbor." That's what I followed. I am ready to endure and suffer for my faith."

"The court of first instance relied only on evidence that I am a believer who practices the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses," Yuriy said in his appeal. As pointed out by the defense, during the trial, no extremist goals or motives were proven in the actions of the believer, and the verdict does not cite any extremist statements by Yakovlev.

To date, 31 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Krasnoyarsk Territory have faced criminal prosecution for their religious beliefs; 14 of them have already received sentences ranging from fines to lengthy suspended sentences and prison terms.

At the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on October 28, 2021, where explanations were given regarding crimes of an extremist nature, it was stated that believers can continue to jointly practice religion, perform worship services or other religious rites and ceremonies, if they do not contain signs of extremism (p. 20).