Court of Appeal in the Jewish Autonomous Region Slightly Reduced the Sentences of Two Out of Four Jehovah's Witnesses. All of Them Will Spend Several Years in Penal Colonies for Their Faith.

On June 1, 2023, the court of the Jewish Autonomous Region, chaired by judge Vitaliy Staretskiy, upheld the verdict against Dmitriy Zagulin, Alam Aliyev, Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger and reduced the sentences for two of them by 3 months. The verdict has entered into force.

Alam Aliyev will spend 6.5 years in a penal colony, and Dmitriy Zagulin—3.5 years, as decided by the court of first instance. The court of appeal reduced the prison terms for Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger by 3 months, and now they have to spend 6 years and 9 months behind bars instead of 7 years. The convicted persons have the right to file cassation appeals.

Friends and relatives of the believers awaiting the decision of the court of appeal

The believers still insist on their innocence. In their appeal, they pointed out that extremism was imputed to them only for their faith in God, namely for lawful conduct, expressed in the exercise of their constitutional right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, which are fundamental and inalienable human rights. In particular, Alam Aliyev drew the court's attention to the duty of the state to protect his right to believe in Jehovah God, given to him at birth.

On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the divine services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint performance of rites and ceremonies, in themselves do not constitute a crime under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.