Valeriy Bailo
Valeriy Bailo
To terminate the criminal case against Valeriy Bailo in connection with his death, despite the objections of his son, - this decision was announced by the Krasnodar Regional Court on April 22, 2025. The man died in the pre-trial detention center a month earlier. According to the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the termination of a case on such grounds without the consent of close relatives is unlawful.
"The death of my client occurred as a result of criminal negligence and inaction on the part of the administration of SIZO-3 in Novorossiysk," says the statement about the crime, which Valery Baylo's lawyer filed with the Investigative Committee. The lawyer stressed that the believer suffered from exhaustion and severe stomach pains, but the staff of the detention center systematically ignored his requests for help. Valeriy, his friends and his lawyer sought treatment for almost a year.
The believer managed to appeal the verdict. He insisted on his complete innocence and asked to cancel the decision of the first instance, which had sentenced him to 2.5 years in prison. The verdict does not indicate a single illegal action of Baylo. As the lawyer noted, although the believer was convicted of extremism, "the prosecution did not claim that he incited violence or religious hatred and enmity."
The story of Valeriy Baylo serves as another confirmation of the position of the international human rights community: the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is unjust and repressive in nature.
