Court of Appeal Upholds the Verdict Against Yelena Chernykh from Prokopyevsk for her Faith - a 3-Year Suspended Sentence

On June 11, 2024, the sentence for Yelena Chernykh, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Prokopyevsk, entered into the legal force. The panel of judges of the Kemerovo Regional Court agreed with the 3-year suspended sentence imposed on her but removed from the additional punishment the deprivation of the right to participate in public and religious associations.

"The court has not established that I have any motives of religious hatred or enmity. All my actions were completely peaceful," said the believer, 47, as she appealed. "I believe in God, talk to others about the Bible, share my beliefs with them, pray to Jehovah God and sing songs of praise to him." Yelena concluded that she was convicted for practicing her faith in the way common to Jehovah's Witnesses and not for any extremist actions.

Throughout the investigation, Yelena and her husband, Yuriy, were not left without help from their fellow believers. She said: "From the very first day I have felt the prayerful support of my dear friends. It is also very nice to see how they come to the court hearings even from other cities."

In Russia, 190 women have already been prosecuted for their faith in Jehovah; the oldest of them was 89 (Rimma Vashchenko) when the criminal case was initiated, the youngest was 18 (Darya Dulova).