Each Given 6 Years in a Penal Colony for "Expressing Gratitude" at Religious Meetings. Court Convicts Two of Jehovah's Witnesses in Crimea

The Gagarinskiy District Court sentenced Viktor Kudinov and Sergey Zhigalov to 6 years in a penal colony. This verdict was announced on January 14, 2025, by Judge Sergey Korotun. He deemed holding meetings for worship, permitted by law, extremism. More than 100 people came to the courthouse to support the believers.

According to the defense, Kudinov and Zhigalov were groundlessly regarded as criminals. The indictment states that the defendants participated "in organizing and conducting [meetings for worship], by scheduling tasks for other participants, calling on them to comment, as well as subsequently expressing gratitude for these comments." Sergey Zhigalov, 53, refuted the charges in his final statement: "The video from the services is proof that I love my brothers and sisters in faith, worship God peacefully and fulfill his commandment 'let us not forsake our meeting together..., but let us encourage one another" as written in the Bible."

In August 2022, searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sevastopol. Sergey Zhigalov and Viktor Kudinov were detained, placed under house arrest, and later under a ban on certain actions. Senior investigator of the Investigative Committee M.E. Ukrainskiy initiated criminal cases against them, which were merged 5 months later. The charge is based on the testimony of secret witness Nadezhda Dykman under the pseudonym Ivanova. Another witness for the prosecution is S. B. Korkushko. According to Zhigalov, this man has been testifying for 5 years in various cases against Crimean Jehovah's Witnesses, but they are not personally acquainted.

During the closed court hearings, the defense drew the court's attention to the fact that the religious expert study was conducted with violations. For example, the sources used by the expert are not scientific. Also, according to the defense, the conclusion contains negative assessments of the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, which go beyond the competence of the expert.

Viktor Kudinov, 55, is a well-known citizen of Sevastopol. At one of the hearings, the defense filed a motion to attach to the case the signatures of more than 100 colleagues in support of him. Viktor said, "I was a little worried that I would be fired. But when I returned to work after house arrest, I was greeted with great excitement. They hugged and supported me, and asked many questions. Many employees from other faiths said they prayed for my well-being."

Sergey Zhigalov also has a good reputation. During the hearings, the court was provided with a character reference for the believer from a deputy of the local legislative assembly: "When interacting with others, he is kind, not aggressive; he is very neat; has no bad habits. He participated in the improvement of the district. I know [him] as a decent, honest, non-confrontational person."

Already 6 years ago, the Presidential Council for Human Rights asked the Prosecutor General's Office to protect the constitutional right of Jehovah's Witnesses to freedom of religion and to stop prosecuting them for reading the Bible together and holding meetings for worship. However, the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is gaining momentum. In Crimea, in the last 2 years alone, the number of defendants has doubled, from 16 to 32. Eleven believers have been sent to penal colonies for long terms.

image_caption: Sergey Zhigalov and Viktor Kudinov with their wives at the courthouse. January 2025.