Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal in front of the Penza Regional Court

Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal in front of the Penza Regional Court

Viktor Shayapov on the day of the appeal in front of the Penza Regional Court

Unjust Verdicts

Court of Appeal in Penza Upheld Suspended Sentence Against Viktor Shayapov

Penza Region

On May 31, 2023, the Judicial Chamber of the Penza Regional Court upheld the verdict against Viktor Shayapov — a 2-year suspended sentence. The verdict has entered into force and the believer has the right to appeal in cassation procedure.

The Nikolskiy District Court of the Penza Region ruled in November 2022 that the believer was guilty of the activity of an extremist organization. Shayapov disagrees: “I did not engage in extremist or other unlawful activity. I lead a peaceful life, respect the authorities and obey the law because I believe in God”. The defense also argues that the court had no convincing reasons for the guilty verdict: no evidence of criminal actions by Viktor, no eyewitness testimonies, no victims.

In his final statement, Viktor Shayapov stated: "Jehovah's Witnesses have not committed any crime. However, there are those who try to label the actions of ordinary believers - reading the Bible, preaching, joint meetings, praying and singing spiritual songs — as a crime that undermines the order and security of the state." The judges did not allow Viktor to complete his statement and decided to uphold the verdict.

Despite the fact that the European Court of Human Rights has exonerated Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, local law enforcement officers and courts continue to repress believers solely for their religious views.

The Case of Shayapov in Nikolsk

Case History
In the fall of 2020, a wave of searches took place in Nikolsk at the homes of local residents who practice the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including Viktor Shayapov. Almost a year later, an investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation separated his case from the Krupnov case. The believer was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list; his bank accounts were blocked. In February 2022, the believer was detained in the Moscow Region and taken to Penza, where he was placed in a temporary detention facility; later the court placed him under house arrest. Shayapov was charged with participating in the activity of an extremist organization. In March 2022, the case went to court, which 7 months later gave the believer a 2-year suspended sentence with an 8-month probation period. The court of appeal upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Shayapov
Viktor

Criminal case

Region:
Penza Region
Locality:
Nikolsk
Suspected of:
"participated in the activity of the Nikolsk LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses aimed at practicing and disseminating ideology and faith" (from the decision to separate the criminal case)
Court case number:
42102560015000125
Initiated:
October 7, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Penza Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-24/2022
Court of First Instance:
Nikolskiy District Court of the Penza Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Nikolay Razdrogin
Case History
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