Maksim Zavrazhnov, a Nizhny Novgorod Resident, Received a Six-Year Suspended Sentence for Participating in a Peaceful Religious Meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses

On May 30, 2022, the judge of the Moscow District Court of Nizhny Novgorod, Azamat Ionov, sentenced Maksim Zavrazhnov to 6 years suspended.

The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The believer pleaded not guilty. There are no victims in the case, but the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the defendant to 5 years in a colony.

In July 2019, a massive special operation against peaceful believers took place in Nizhny Novgorod and its environs. Dozens were detained and interrogated, including Maksim Zavrazhnov. A criminal case was opened against him. For six months, the believer was under a ban on certain actions, and for 764 days - under a written undertaking not to leave. The investigation, which was conducted by the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Nizhny Novgorod Region, lasted more than two years. On October 25, 2021, the case was submitted to the Moscow District Court of Nizhny Novgorod.

In court, several witnesses for the prosecution testified that their testimony had been falsified. According to one of them, the protocols contained untrue information that was added by an operational officer, and she was forced to sign the amended documents.

In his last speech, Maksim Zavrazhnov asked the court to recognize the accusation as unfounded: “The prosecution side misinterpreted my religious activities, and I, a person who refuses to take up arms and treats people as equals, is accused of extremism! This is a serious error that needs to be corrected."

In his youth, Maksim already faced discrimination for his faith when he asked to replace his military service with an alternative civilian one. He became the object of harassment by the local media. The believer nevertheless managed to obtain permission for the ACS, but later he was given a suspended sentence for asking to be transferred to another place due to unbearable conditions of service. Subsequently, he said: "This did not frighten me, since the most important thing for me was to remain with a clear conscience before God and before the law."

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, 9 criminal cases have already been initiated against 16 Jehovah's Witnesses. Four of them were sentenced to probation for their convictions

Peaceful meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are inappropriately interpreted by security officials throughout Russia as a continuation of the activities of liquidated religious organizations. "This cannot but cause concern, since criminal prosecutions and arrests have become systemic," said the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia.