In Kurgan, Court Fines Woman with Disability, 57, for Believing in Jehovah God

On September 5, 2025, the Kurgan City Court imposed a fine of 300 thousand rubles on Irina Kamshilova. It took Judge Denis Cherkasov three months to find the believer guilty of extremism for her religious beliefs.

Irina first faced persecution in 2021, when she was searched. Against the backdrop of persecution, the believer's already poor health deteriorated: she was diagnosed with leukemia and developed heart disease. In May 2024, Irina's house was searched again, and a criminal case was initiated against her. "My pension card was blocked, the house where I live was seized, equipment was seized ... But the most difficult thing for me was isolation," said Kamshilova, who was under recognizance agreement until the verdict was passed.

Irina does not agree with the court's decision. "I am accused of extremism, intolerance, incitement to hatred, disrespect for the right to choose, imposing my point of view," the believer said in her final statement. — You know, I was like that when I lived without the laws of God. But God... for about 30 years the Bible has been teaching me to show love in practice... I cannot agree with the accusation!"

Irina is grateful to her friends for their support and practical help: someone baked bread for her, someone helped with roof repairs, and so on. The believer herself takes an active life position. "I try to help others," she says. "During the persecution, I made new friends, and my relationships with old ones strengthened. The realization that difficulties are not forever helps me to endure everything. I treat them as a disease: yes, there are restrictions, but they are temporary."

In the Kurgan Region, five more of Jehovah's Witnesses are awaiting sentences on similar charges.