A Court in Kyzyl Gave Anatoliy Senin a Six-Year Suspended Sentence for His Faith. This Is the First Verdict in Tuva Against One of Jehovah's Witnesse

Six-year suspended sentence—that is the sentence with which the consideration of the case of Anatoliy Senin in the Kyzyl City Court ended on January 12, 2023. Judge Vyacheslav Kyzyl-ool considered the discussion of the Bible among fellow believers to be organizing extremist activity.

The starting point for the criminal prosecution of the believer was the searches in Kyzyl in January 2021. Then Anatoliy Senin was detained, and then placed under house arrest for 56 days. The believer was accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Olchi Okhemchik, investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation considered broadcasting religious video recordings, encouraging to pray, sing religious songs and study the Bible as extremist actions.

Recalling those events, Senin noted: “The most difficult for me were two days in the temporary detention center. I was frightened by the uncertainty and not knowing what will happen next. I was very afraid to displease God and asked him for wisdom to do the right thing. And then it was already much easier to cope with my emotions and changes in my life”. During house arrest, Anatoliy could not provide for his family, so caring for the material needs fell on the shoulders of his wife. Both spouses have heart disease which was exacerbated. Relatives, friends and fellow believers of Anatoliy supported him and his wife Anastasiya. The believer said: “They prayed for me, sent cards, assured me of their love and came to court hearings.”

After a year of investigation, in February 2022, the case went to court. Witnesses for the prosecution confirmed that there were no calls of an extremist nature in the words of the defendant. Despite this, the prosecutor requested to impose on the believer 7 years imprisonment. Addressing the court with his final statement, Senin emphasized: “The prosecution, consciously or not, again and again ignores all the collected facts and evidence of my innocence, categorizing the ordinary practice of faith as the continuation of the activity of an extremist organization.” Nevertheless, the court issued a guilty verdict, which has not entered into force and can be appealed.

Russian and foreign human rights activists have repeatedly expressed concern about what is happening, and called sentences against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia under extremist articles a gross violation of human rights. The operative part of the judgment of the ECHR dated June 7, 2022 states that Russia “must take all necessary measures to stop the criminal prosecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses”. Despite this, the prosecution of the followers of this religion does not stop—the past year has surpassed several anti-records.