The Court of Appeal in Pskov Overturned the Acquittal Verdict Against One of Jehovah's Witnesses Aleksey Khabarov
Pskov RegionOn November 3, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Pskov overturned the acquittal verdict against Alexey Khabarov and sent the case for a new trial to the court of first instance comprising different judges.
The believer is being prosecuted under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation because of his religion. The "not guilty" verdict was handed down by the Porkhovsky District Court of the Pskov Region on June 27, 2022. The prosecutor's office, which had requested a sentence of 3.5 years in a penal colony, appealed the acquittal to the Pskov Regional Court of Appeal.
Although the believer has the right to appeal this appellate ruling (overturning the acquittal) to the Third Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction in St. Petersburg, his status has now changed from acquitted to defendant. The Porkhov District Court will have to schedule a hearing as soon as the case materials arrive there.