The Appeal in Novosibirsk Upheld the Verdict Against Vitaliy Popov for Faith

On July 23, 2021, the Novosibirsk Regional Court upheld the verdict of the first instance court. Vitaliy Popov, 54, was found guilty of participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing.

The verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.

On May 21, 2021, Nataliya Devyatko, a judge of the Lenin District Court of Novosibirsk, found Vitaliy Popov guilty of a crime under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 and part 1 of Art. 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of an extremist organization and its financing). He was sentenced to 3 years of suspended sentence. In the court of the first instance, the prosecutor requested 6 years of actual imprisonment in a general regime colony.

Prosecution witnesses at the hearings emphasized that they know Vitaliy as "a peaceful, hardworking person who is always ready to help." One of the witnesses said: “Good person with a capital letter ‘Good’. There are simply no such ones, in fact. Without any falsity. A kind man."

Vitaliy himself drew attention to the fact that he had always been a simple, peaceful, and hard-working person. “Many in the school [his last workplace] knew that I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and had deep respect for my views, because I am a conflict-free person and I try to see positive qualities in people without any prejudice.”

“For many years I tried to be an exemplary citizen of my country, I have always been a law-abiding citizen, I paid taxes honestly, always did my job in good faith, my employers always spoke positively about me, and suddenly the prosecution proposes to declare me an extremist. For what?—he asked in the court debate and himself offered the answer:—For the fact that I discussed biblical thoughts in the circle of my family and friends that encourage love and good deeds.”

Due to criminal prosecution, Vitaliy lost his job, and his recognizance agreement restricted his right to move freely for more than a year.

In passing the verdict, the court of the first instance took into account the opinion of “specialist” Oleg Zayev, who has no religious education and who did not hide his hostility towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Equally surprising is the fact that Popov did not even attend the religious meetings presented to the court as evidence of his guilt.

Vitaliy Popov became the second resident of Novosibirsk convicted for his faith. Earlier, 67-year-old Yuri Savelyev was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime colony.

Russian and foreign organizations unanimously condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. For example, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for an end to the persecution.