Photo: Dennis Christensen in the courtroom

Photo: Dennis Christensen in the courtroom

Photo: Dennis Christensen in the courtroom

Criminal trial

April 23, 2018. Review of the hearing in the case of a Danish believer in Oryol

Oryol Region

On April 23, 2018, the charges against him were announced at a court hearing in the case of the Danish believer Dennis Christensen. The defendant and his lawyers expressed their attitude to this charge. The further procedure for the trial has been determined.

The hearing began at 10:40 a.m. Christensen thanked Judge Rudnev for the opportunity to familiarize himself with all 12 volumes of the case, but clarified that he was not allowed to familiarize himself with "material evidence" (audio and video recordings of operational surveillance, as well as printed materials and personal records seized from believers).

Prosecutor Fomin announced the charges. When asked if he understood the accusation, Christensen explained that only part of it was understood. Many of the accusations are so general that he does not understand what exactly he is accused of.

Expressing his attitude to the charges, lawyer Zhenkov said that the defense intends to help the court clearly distinguish between what should be considered the consequences of the liquidation of a particular legal entity, and what is an inviolable human right to freedom of religion. (The attitude of lawyer Viktor Zhenkov to the charge against Dennis Christensen.) Lawyer Bogdanov expressed his and lawyer Krasnikova's attitude to the charges: by virtue of the provisions of Articles 14 and 73 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, the subject of criminal proceedings cannot be an assessment of a human act depending on his religion. The indictment does not contain the substance of the charge, a description of the place and time of the alleged criminal acts, methods, consequences and other significant circumstances, without which it is impossible to pass a court verdict.

Further, the court appointed the order of the proceedings: first the interrogation of witnesses, then the interrogation of the defendant and, finally, the debate of the parties. Schedule of hearings for the next month: April 24, 25, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 May 2018. Time: 10:30 a.m.

Case of Christensen in Oryol

Case History
Dennis Christensen is the first Jehovah’s Witness in modern Russia to be imprisoned only because of his faith. He was arrested in May 2017. The FSB accused the believer of organizing the activities of a banned organization on the basis of the testimony of a secret witness, theologian Oleg Kurdyumov from a local university, who kept covert audio and video recordings of conversations with Christensen about faith. There are no extremist statements or victims in the case. In 2019, the court sentenced Christensen to 6 years in prison. The believer was serving time in the Lgov colony. He repeatedly asked for the replacement of part of the unserved term with a fine. For the first time, the court granted the request, but the prosecutor’s office appealed this decision, and the prison administration threw the believer into a punishment cell on trumped-up charges. Christensen developed illnesses that prevented him from working in prison. On May 24, 2022, the believer was released after serving his sentence and was immediately deported to his homeland, Denmark.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Oryol Region
Locality:
Oryol
Suspected of:
according to the investigation, together with the others he conducted religious services, which is interpreted as “organising the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the court’s decision on the liquidation of the local organisation of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11707540001500164
Initiated:
May 23, 2017
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
UFSB of Russia in the Oryol region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-37/1
[i18n] Рассмотрено судом первой инстанции:
Железнодорожный районный суд г. Орла
Judge:
Алексей Николаевич Руднев
[i18n] Суд апелляционной инстанции:
Орловский областной суд
[i18n] Суд апелляционной инстанции:
Льговский райсуд Курской области
Case History
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