Supreme Court of the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic Upheld Guilty Verdict Against One of Jehovah's Witnesses

On April 29, 2025, the court of appeal upheld the guilty verdict against Yevgeniy Semenov. "The court equated a believer of a peaceful religion with a terrifying follower of an agrressive movement," said Yevgeniy's lawyer. "Therefore,... he is a victim of discrimination."

In his appeal, Semenov referred to the position of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council: "Since the right to freedom of conscience and religion applies to everyone, it undoubtedly applies to Jehovah's Witnesses, to their religious practices and manifestations, and also includes the right to gather for meetings for worship. [...] Practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be interpreted as extremist activity."

The defense drew attention to a number of violations and contradictions in the evidence in the case. Thus, the witnesses for the prosecution were either not acquainted with the convicted person, or their testimony did not contain information of any illegal actions on the part of the believer. Commenting on the religious expert study that formed the basis of the guilty verdict, the lawyer noted that the religious scholar went beyond his competence: "Conducting a religious study, expert D. V. Pikalov, has no right to go into legal analysis."

The decision of the court of first instance was announced in February 2025: the believer was sent to a penal colony for 6 years and 3 months. Yevgeniy has been in custody for over 1.5 years. He is the first of Jehovah's Witnesses convicted in the Karachayevo-Circassian Republic to receive a prison sentence for his faith; the other five were given suspended sentences.