In the photo: Nikolay Aliyev near the courthouse, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, October 2020

In the photo: Nikolay Aliyev near the courthouse, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, October 2020

In the photo: Nikolay Aliyev near the courthouse, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, October 2020

Criminal trial

A Komsomolsk-on-Amur prosecutor requested a six-years penal colony for believer Nikolay Aliyev

Khabarovsk Territory

On March 23, 2021, during a debate in the Central District Court of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the prosecutor asked the court to send 42-year-old Nikolai Aliyev to a general regime colony for 6 years, followed by restriction of freedom for 2 years. His "guilt" lies only in the fact that he professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Investigator Aleksey Evsyugov opened a criminal case against Nikolay Aliyev in April 2020. The formal reason for this was video recordings of a conversation between a believer and a person depicting an interest in the Bible. The investigator considered the peaceful conversations to be "the organization of extremist activities." Soon Nikolay's apartment was searched, followed by interrogation, during which the security forces strongly advised Nikolay and his wife to change their religion, as well as to help fabricate criminal cases against other Jehovah's Witnesses.

To date, in the Khabarovsk Territory, 17 people have already become victims of criminal prosecution for their faith. Four were convicted, and one of them, Valery Moskalenko, has already served his sentence.

The case of Aliyev in Komsomolsk-on-Amur

Case History
Early in May 2020, a detachment of armed law enforcers burst into Nikolai Aliev’s apartment with a search, knocking the believer to the floor. The Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region opened a criminal case against him under two parts of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The investigator suspected the peaceful citizen of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and being involved in it. The basis for the accusation was hidden video recordings of Aliyev’s conversations with a man who portrayed an interest in the Bible. Since October 2020, the case has been under consideration in court. In June 2021, the court found the believer guilty and sentenced him to 4.5 years of suspended imprisonment with restriction of liberty for 1 year and 2 months. The appellate and cassation instances upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Aliyev
Nikolay

Criminal case

Region:
Khabarovsk Territory
Locality:
Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Suspected of:
"Conducted... conversations, propagandizing and justifying the activities of a banned religious (extremist) organization, taught it the teachings" (from the decision to bring it as an accused)
Court case number:
12002080009000066
Initiated:
April 30, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-86/2021 (1-905/2020)
Court:
Tsentralniy District Court of the City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Judge:
Natalya Gurkova
Case History
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