On Sakhalin, Criminal Cases for Faith Have Been Opened Against Parents and the Eldest Son. The Youngest Son Defends the Right to ACS in Courts

On March 20, 2020, the investigator D. Melnikov opened another criminal case under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against local resident Tatyana Kulakova. Criminal investigations are under way against her husband and eldest son, Dmitriy. The youngest of the Kulakov family, Yevgeniy, for reasons of conscience, asks to replace his military service with alternative civilian service (ACS). However, the authorized bodies unreasonably deny his request, threatening criminal prosecution for "evading military service."

More than a year has passed since the first searches were carried out in the homes of peaceful believers on Sakhalin. Back in December 2018, a criminal case was opened in this region against a 57-year-old resident of the city of Nevelsk, Sergey Kulakov. 8 months later, on August 29, 2019, their eldest son, Dmitry, was among the suspects under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Yevgeny, the youngest of the Kulakov family, for reasons of conscience asks to replace his military service with alternative civilian service (ACS), but the authorized bodies groundlessly refuse him, threatening him with criminal prosecution for "evading military service". The believer had already lost in the court of first instance and appealed to a higher court.

To date, there are at least 20 cases in Russia where two or more family members are prosecuted because of their faith in Jehovah God.