Court of Appeal in Samara Upheld the Verdict of Four Believers: 7 Years Imprisonment

On May 20, 2024, the Samara Regional Court upheld the harsh sentence of Aram Danielyan, Denis Kuzyanin, Sergey Polosenko and Nikolay Vasilyev, who will have to spend 7 years in a penal colony for peaceful religious activity.

In the appeal, the defense drew the court's attention to the fact that the believers were charged with organizing the activity of a Samara legal entity liquidated by a separate court decision in 2014. Therefore, the verdict could not be based on the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, only issued a few years later, in 2017. Peacefully singing religious songs, praying, and pronouncing the name of God, Jehovah, cannot be considered as evidence of extremist actions. Despite the arguments of the defense, the court denied the appeal of the defendants, who attended the hearing via video link from the pre-trial detention center.

The court's decision has deprived the believers of the opportunity to take care of their families and fully participate in the upbringing of their children. Aram Danielyan's son is not even three years old, and Denis Kuzyanin has a daughter of primary school age. Despite the difficulties, the believers and their wives try not to lose their positive attitude.

Russian courts continue to send Jehovah's Witnesses to penal colonies — as of April 2024, 158 believers had received prison sentences. 30 of them must spend 7 years or more behind bars.