A Court in Rostov-on-Don Sentenced a 71-Year-Old Woman to Two Years of Suspended Imprisonment for Believing in Jehovah's God

On May 18, 2021 the judge of Leninsky district court of Rostov-on-Don Alexander Osipov found Lyudmila Ponomarenko guilty of participation in extremist activity - this is how the court interpreted her religious beliefs. The believer was sentenced to 2 years of suspended imprisonment—the exact amount the prosecutor asked.

The verdict has not come into force and can be appealed. The pensioner insists on her complete innocence. There are no victims in the case.

On June 6, 2019, the First Investigation Department (based in Rostov-on-Don) of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against Lyudmila Ponomarenko under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for participation in divine services and preaching. Earlier, in the spring of the same year, law enforcement officers came to her apartment with a search. They confiscated a phone, a tablet, Bibles in various editions, a Bible dictionary, a reference book and a religious studies monograph from a pensioner who was caring for her sick husband. On August 18, 2020, she found herself under recognizance not to leave. On September 30, the case went to court.

Speaking in court with the last word, Lyudmila Ponomarenko noted: “The indictment does not indicate with what words, when, under what circumstances I advocated the advantage of some people over others. Also, it is not indicated in what way, on what date, at what time and who exactly I encouraged to refuse medical care, to reject state bodies or to break off family relations. I did nothing of the kind and no evidence to the contrary was presented in court. It turns out that I am being judged for being an honest person who respects and observes the laws of the country in which I live; as a believer, I love people and is not able to harm them; I abide by the laws of the country and exercise my right to profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in accordance with Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. "

9 criminal cases against believers from the Rostov region are at different stages of production. Three of Jehovah's Witnesses have already received convictions and have entered into force. Earlier, in 2016, under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, 16 believers from Taganrog were found guilty.

In 2018, 60 prominent Russian human rights defenders issued a statement saying: “What is happening to them is, in fact, happening to us. This is a test of the immune forces of society. The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses shows the groundlessness of anti-extremist legislation in general. If society does not protect Jehovah's Witnesses, if they are not restored to their rights, this will mean that anyone can be declared an extremist. […] In the story of how a person found answers from Jehovah's Witnesses to questions that a Catholic priest could not resolve, the courts saw propaganda of religious superiority — that is all extremism. Such "extremism", and much more brutal, can be found in doctrinal, liturgical and other texts of most confessions. If one approaches religious scriptures with the same yardstick, all religions will have to be banned. "