Court in Khabarovsk Territory Gave 78-Year-Old Woman a Suspended Sentence for Letters About God

The court found Liliya Dolinina, a pensioner from the village of Dormidontovka, guilty of extremism because she wrote letters to a woman on spiritual topics. On February 3, 2025, Judge Kseniya Matviyevskaya gave the elderly believer a 4.5-year suspended sentence.

The charge was based on Liliya's letters, which she wrote to her son's friend, I. Lavrenova. According to the believer, her motive was wanting to support this woman. "My goal was to help her come to know God and the advice he gives to people through the Bible," Liliya said in court. "I just wanted her to enjoy a happy family life with my son." However, the prosecution regarded this correspondence as an attempt to involve Lavrenova in an extremist organization.

In February 2023, Liliya learned that a criminal case had been initiated against her, when her house was searched, and she was interrogated for 5 hours at the local department of the Investigative Committee. At the same time, the FSB visited Lavrenova and seized the letters from Dolinina.

In March 2024, Dolinina's case was submitted to the Vyazemskiy District Court. The hearings were adjourned for 4 months due to the deterioration of the elderly believer's health. Chronic illnesses, as well as an injury, confined her to bed. During this period, the pensioner was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list. Due to problems with her heart, vision and hearing, it was difficult for Liliya to participate in court hearings. In her testimony, she stated: "I could not have imagined that I would be tried at the age of 78 in my country in the 21st century for personal correspondence."

During the interrogation in court, Lavrenova and Dolinina's son claimed that a significant part of their testimony, recorded by the investigator in the interrogation protocol, was fabricated. Lavrenova stated that Liliya Dolinina did not try to involve her in any extremist communities. The conclusions of the expert study also acknowledged that "in the letters and messages there are no calls to join or participate in the activity of any organization."

Liliya said that during this difficult period, she is not lacking support: fellow believers take her to the hospital, buy food and medicines. "I am grateful to our brothers and sisters for their support and love," she stresses. "My faith and gratitude to God grow stronger every time."

Already 41 of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Khabarovsk Territory have been prosecuted for their faith; of these 7 are over 70 years old, 1 died while under investigation.