In Adygea, Court of Appeal Upholds Verdict Against Inver Siyukhov from Maykop — 6 Years in Penal Colony. Almost Served His Entire Sentence in Pretrial Detention

The verdict against Inver Siyukhov entered into force — this decision was made by the Supreme Court of Adygea on March 10, 2025. The believer attended the hearing via videoconferencing from the pretrial detention center. By that time, he had spent almost 4 years there. Inver is expected to be released in 1 month.

Siyukhov sought to overturn the verdict due to numerous violations committed by the court of first instance. The believer had to wait for a whole year for his appeal to be considered. It was noted: "The liturgical and other religious activity of I. R. Siyukhov do not constitute a crime. He did not use any literature on the federal list of extremist materials, nor was any studied at the meetings for worship held with his participation, and the procecution did not prove otherwise." As for the testimony of witnesses for the prosecution, the appeal states: "They have nothing to do with reality and are fictitious from beginning to end, which was vividly confirmed in the court hearing... [but] has not received proper legal assessment."

The court of appeal slightly changed the sentence only regarding additional punishment — the ban on engaging in educational activity was reduced from 4 years to 1 year.

Many Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia spend many years trying to prove their innocence in court, but in most cases to no avail. At the same time, human rights activists in Russia and abroad note that these people are prosecuted solely because of their faith. "The fact that I. R. Siyukhov was convicted precisely for his religious beliefs follows very clearly from the circumstances on which the court's verdict is based," said the believer's lawyer.