A court in the Kemerovo region sentenced another Jehovah's Witness. Pavel Brilkov Received 2 Years and 10 Months of Forced Labor for Talking About the Bible

On January 15, 2024, the judge of the Central District Court of Prokopyevsk, Alena Novoselova, found Pavel Brilkov, 65, who has a disability, guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 2 years and 10 months of forced labor only because of his faith.

In November 2021, the house of Pavel Brilkov and his wife was searched as part of the case of Andrey Vlasov, a group II disabled person who is serving a sentence for his faith in a penal colony. In March 2023, Brilkov himself became a defendant in a criminal case. Testimony against the believer was given by two men recruited by the FSB, one of whom once talked with Pavel about the Bible, and the second, according to him, saw the believer at a divine service.

Pavel Brilkov with his wife and friends on the day of the verdict

The case went to court at the end of April 2023. Brilkov pleaded not guilty. In his final statement, he stated: "My faith in God is based on love, not hatred or extremism. What is the public danger from me? Who have I harmed? Where are the people or families who have suffered through my fault? What irreparable damage have I done to our country? Are conversations on topics such as family happiness, consolation for those who mourn, or the future earthly paradise so dangerous that a person is tried under a serious article and is ready to be thrown into prison? " Nevertheless, the prosecutor requested 3 years of imprisonment for the pensioner. Taking into account the age and disability of the defendant, he asked the court to impose a sentence of forced labor for a period of 3 years. The convict intends to appeal the verdict.

Earlier, Judge Novoselova convicted another Jehovah's Witness from Prokopyevsk, Yuriy Chernykh. He, like Brilkov, was a witness in the case of Andrey Vlasov. The Central District Court of Prokopyevsk is also hearing the case of Yuriy Chernykh's wife, Yelena. A total of 18 believers faced criminal prosecution for their faith in the Kemerovo region.

The August 2022 ECHR ruling in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia notes that believers have the right to practice their religion "individually or in community with others" and this right "has always been considered an integral part of freedom of religion" (§ 268).