The case of Kokovin in Yaroslavl

Case History

In May 2022, security forces detained communications engineer Anton Kokovin on the main street of Yaroslavl. After a search at his place of residence and in the apartment where he was visiting, the believer was interrogated. They took a written undertaking not to leave the place. A criminal case was opened on suspicion of participation in extremist activities, which is how the investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation regarded participation in peaceful worship services via video link. As it turned out, since March 2019, the investigation has been making audio recordings of Jehovah’s Witnesses services. In May 2023, the case went to court.

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    May 18, 2022

    Investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Yaroslavl Region Alexander Grigoriev initiates a criminal case against Anton Kokovin. The believer is suspected of participating in extremist activities for being present at an Internet conference dedicated to religion.

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    May 19, 2022

    On the main street of the city of Yaroslavl, security forces detain Anton Kokovin. In the apartment where Anton was staying with friends, as well as at his place of residence, the security forces conduct searches. After that, the believer is interrogated and a written undertaking not to leave is taken.

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    May 24, 2022 Search
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    May 15, 2023 Case went to court

    Anton Kokovin's case is submitted to the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Yaroslavl. It will be considered by judge Maryna Chypilenko.

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    May 31, 2023 Hearing in a court of the first instance

    The indictment against Anton Kokovin is read out. He is charged with the alleged illegal activities of a religious organization: "The meetings began and ended with a song and prayer to Jehovah. During the meetings, the speech was listened to... on a biblical topic, a study of articles was conducted ... viewing and discussion of other materials belonging to the religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses", including discussions of the ideological source ... - "Holy Scripture. New World Translation "". The believer does not admit his guilt, since the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited by law.

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    October 31, 2023 Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation

    The court reads out the case file in five volumes and reads out the testimony of the prosecution witness who did not appear in court.

    An employee from the "E" center is being interrogated.

    The defense draws attention to the mistakes made in the paperwork. Thus, she points out that additional sheets were added to the case file after the defendant had familiarized himself with them.

    The judge shall attach to the case all materials submitted by the defense.

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    November 20, 2023 Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation Expert studies with violations

    The specialist who conducted the voice examination is interrogated. There are inconsistencies and shortcomings in it, which the expert explains by a technical error. The judge draws attention to the inadmissibility of errors in the expert opinion.

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    November 29, 2023 Hearing in a court of the first instance Expert studies with violations

    The prosecution recognizes the errors in the examination as critical and petitions for the appointment of a second phonoscopic examination in another center. The meeting is postponed until the examination is made.