Natalia Kriger with her husband Valery outside the courthouse
Appeal in Birobidzhan Returned the Case Against Believer Natalia Kriger for a New Hearing
Jewish Autonomous AreaOn September 22, 2022 the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region reconsidered the appeal of Natalya Kriger at the direction of the 9th Court of Cassation of general jurisdiction. The new panel of judges overturned the first-instance sentence of 2.5 years of probation and returned the case for a new trial to the trial court.
Earlier, 18 Jehovah's Witnesses from Birobidzhan were convicted for their faith and given suspended sentences of 2 to 2.5 years. The sentence of 14 of them came into force.
Russian human rights activists and the international community condemn the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The ECtHR recognized this persecution to be groundless and unlawful.