Transcript:
Respected court, the past six months have been a challenging time, but I am glad I was not alone in these difficulties. I would like to express my gratitude to my defense attorney, Nikolay Sergeyevich, who has done so much for me. From the very beginning, after my arrest, he protected my rights: I did not have to spend all this time in a pretrial detention center. He bravely and skillfully defended me in court, and at the right moment advised me on what to say or do.
My heartfelt thanks go to my dear and deeply loved wife, Olesya, who has always been and will always be my faithful friend and support. I am also deeply grateful to my dear mother, who attended every hearing and, most importantly, helped me develop an interest in spiritual matters. Thank you as well to all my dear friends who loyally supported me with their presence over these past months. I am filled with pride understanding that I am surrounded by such loving and loyal people. And, of course, all praise goes to Almighty Jehovah God, who provided overwhelming strength, support, guidance, calm, and joy.
Reviewing the materials of the case and reading the indictment, I realize that the only reason I am on trial is that I am a believer. Yes, I believe in God, I call him by name, and I try to act in harmony with what he has said through the Holy Scriptures — the Bible. But is that something bad? Is that a crime?
In the 1990s, I was an ordinary teenager discovering the world; I attended school, participated in various clubs and sports. As the years passed, my desires changed: I began to smoke, my friends and I started drinking to excess, and we entertained ourselves at discos. As I grew older, I noticed that entertainment was becoming more dangerous. Some of my friends started using drugs; some even died of overdoses, and some contracted sexually transmitted diseases. I began thinking about what was happening, and during this period I heard that the Bible is a book that provides useful and …