In Kurgan Court Fines Woman, 57, with Disability, for Her Faith in Jehovah God

On September 5, 2025, the Kurgan City Court imposed a fine of 300,000 rubles on Irina Kamshilova. It took Judge Denis Cherkasov 3 months to find the believer guilty of extremism for her religious beliefs.

Irina first faced prosecution in 2021, when her home was searched. During the prosecution, her already poor health deteriorated: she was diagnosed with leukemia and developed a heart disease. In May 2024, Irina's house was searched again, and a criminal case was initiated against her. "My pension card was blocked, the house where I live was seized, technical devices were seized... But the most difficult thing for me was the isolation," said Kamshilova, who was under a recognizance agreement until the verdict was passed.

Irina does not agree with the court's decision. "I am accused of extremism, intolerance, incitement to hatred, disrespect for the right to choose, imposing my point of view," the believer said in her final statement. — You know, I was like that when I lived without God's laws. But God... for about 30 years has been teaching me through the Bible to actually show love... I cannot agree with the charge!"

Irina is grateful to her friends for their support and practical help: one baked bread for her, another helped repairing the roof, and so on. She likes to use her initiative. "I try to help others," she says. "During the prosecution, I made new friends, and my relationships with old ones strengthened. The realization that difficulties are not forever helps me to endure everything. I treat them like an illness: yes, they are restrictive, but they are temporary."

In the Kurgan Region, five more of Jehovah's Witnesses are awaiting sentences on similar charges.