Galina Abrosimova with friends near the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court (August 2022)

Galina Abrosimova with friends near the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court (August 2022)

Galina Abrosimova with friends near the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court (August 2022)

Unjust Verdicts

Appeal in Nizhny Novgorod Upheld the Conviction of Galina Abrosimova

Nizhegorod Region

On August 11, 2022, Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court presided by Judge Vyacheslav Chiginiev upheld the sentence of Galina Abrosimova - a 6-year suspended sentence for believing in Jehovah God.

Criminal prosecution against Galina Abrosimova has lasted for more than three years: in July 2019 law enforcement officers came to her house with a search and reported that a criminal case was opened against her on suspicion of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. The believer insists on her innocence. Although the verdict came into force, she may appeal against the court decisions on appeal.

A total of 16 Jehovah's Witnesses are being prosecuted for their beliefs in Nizhny Novgorod region, with sentences ranging from three to six years' probation already in effect for six of them.

On June 7, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights found the charges against Russian Jehovah's Witnesses unfounded and awarded the believers compensation for unfair criminal prosecution.

Case of Abrosimova and Others in Nizhniy Novgorod

Case History
In July 2019, Nizhny Novgorod security forces came with searches to 35 homes of peaceful believers, and several criminal cases were initiated. One of them is against the widow Galina Abrosimova and two other believers (their case is separated into separate proceedings). As it turned out later, local Jehovah’s Witnesses were under covert video surveillance, their telephone conversations were tapped. Oleg Makerov, an investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Nizhny Novgorod region, accused Galina of organizing the activities of an extremist organization because of her religion. The believer spent 2 days in the temporary detention facility, after which they took a written undertaking not to leave her place. In September 2021, the criminal case went to court. The prosecutor requested that Abrosimova be sentenced to 7 years in prison. In May 2022, the court sentenced her to 6 years probation, and in August of the same year, the appeal upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Abrosimova
Galina

Criminal case

Region:
Nizhegorod Region
Locality:
Nizhniy Novgorod
Suspected of:
According to the investigation they held meetings, collected donations for the needs of the religious organization, improved the skills of missionary activities implementation
Court case number:
11901220089000239
Initiated:
June 4, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Internal Affairs Authorities of Investigation Section of the Central Investigation Department of the Directorate General of the Russian Ministry of Home Affairs for Nizhniy Novgorod region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-41/2022 (1-419/2021)
Court:
Советский районный суд г. Нижний Новгород
Judge:
Иван Карнавский
Case History