The Case of Barsukov and Yeliseyev in Slavgorod

Investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Margarita Chupina initiates a criminal case for participation in the activities of an extremist organization against unidentified persons who, in her opinion, are "active participants in the religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses "Slavgorod".

Barsukov and Eliseev are charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

The case is submitted to the Slavgorod City Court of the Altai Territory. He was appointed to judge Olga Filippova.

The prosecutor announces the charge. The defendants do not admit their guilt. Alik Yeliseyev notes: "After 2017, I still had the right as a believer to discuss the Bible with my acquaintances at meetings for worship. This is exactly what the investigating authorities are charging me with."

At the hearing, which is being held behind closed doors, religious scholar Mirra Kashaeva is being interrogated. She considers religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses prohibited. According to the expert, phrases such as "thank you" or "please answer" indicate the leadership of the meeting.

A secret witness Panchenko is also being interrogated. From his testimony it follows that the worship meetings were held via videoconference, their participants read and discussed the Bible.

At the court hearing, Yeliseyev and Barsukov deny all charges and explain that their religious actions are not related to the liquidated LRO.

Yeliseyev cites the example of an Orthodox organization in Slavgorod, noting that its existence does not make all believers its members: "If a local Orthodox religious organization is suddenly liquidated, this will not mean that all Orthodox believers will be obliged to stop celebrating such holidays as Christmas or Easter." The defendant adds that in the same way, Jehovah's Witnesses were not obliged to renounce their religion after 2017, and he himself was not required to stop reading and discussing the Bible. The defendant also notes that "meetings for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses are open to everyone, and their holding does not depend on the existence of legal entities."

Barsukov shares this position and draws an analogy with the Russian Chess Federation: even if people are going to play chess and follow all the rules of the game, this in itself does not make them members of this organization. "For the same reason," he says, "the fact that my actions somehow resemble the goals and objectives of a liquidated legal entity does not mean that I automatically have a connection with this legal entity."

Speaking about religious beliefs, Barsukov notes: "Someone wears a cross, someone goes to church. And our practice is that we meet together, study and discuss the Bible, pray, sing." He also rejects charges for inciting hatred: "I respect people of any religion. This is their right. I respect and respected their choice."

The state prosecutor requests the judge sentence the defendants to 6 years in a penal colony.

Sergey Barsukov's lawyer draws the court's attention to the fact that in Russia, representatives of all nations and minorities have the right to freedom of religion. Commenting on Kashchaeva's expert study, she notes that the results of the study did not establish any recruitment of new members, extremist actions, or evidence of criminal intent.

Alik Yeliseyev's lawyer says: "My client followed the example of faith that Jesus Christ left: he gathered with his disciples, prayed and sang songs with them, went from house to house, talked about the Kingdom of God."

After the verdict was announced, Sergey Barsukov and Alik Yeliseev were taken to the temporary detention facility, and then transferred to pretrial detention center No. 1 in Barnaul. The process took about a month.

Sergey is held in the old building of the pretrial detention center, in a cramped cell with two other inmates. The believer did his best to clean the room and encourages his cellmates to follow hygiene rules. They treat him with respect. Barsukov does not have a Bible — it was confiscated back in the temporary detention facility in Slavgorod.

Upon arrival in Barnaul, Alik first spent a day in an overcrowded cell housing 19 people. Then, for 5 days, he was in a basement room where he had to sleep in three sweaters and two pairs of pants because of the cold. Later, he was transferred to a two-person cell for nonsmokers, which has hot water. He has a Bible. The attitude of both inmates and the administration is good.

Within a month in the pretrial detention center, Barsukov and Yeliseev each received between 100 and 150 letters. The flow of correspondence does not go unnoticed — Sergey’s cellmates note with surprise that he has "a whole world of friends."