The Court of Appeal in Ufa Upholds the Verdict for Faith to Anatoliy Vilitkevich — Two Years of Suspended Sentence

On December 16, 2021, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan, chaired by judge Marina Khomechko, upheld the verdict for discussing the Bible to 35-year-old believer Anatoliy Vilitkevich, who was found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

Anatoliy works in a sphere of construction — he is engaged in finishing work. A week before the appeal, he and his wife Alena had a son, Arseniy. Now Anatoliy is the only breadwinner in the family. Due to criminal prosecution and frequent court hearings, he is unable to find a permanent job and is forced to do odd jobs.

Vilitkevich was detained on April 10, 2018, when eight searches were carried out in the homes of local Jehovah's Witnesses in Ufa and nearby villages. He was prosecuted as a defendant in a criminal case under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It turned out that in October 2017, hidden video surveillance was installed in the apartment of the Vilitkevich family. Anatoliy spent almost 2.5 months in a pre-trial detention center, 8 months under house arrest and 2 years and 10 months under recognizance agreement.

During the court hearings, it turned out that the protocols of the interrogations of one of the witnesses contradicted his testimony in court, which may indicate fabrication of materials. During the trial, prosecution witnesses repeatedly confused the defendant with his lawyer.

On September 27, 2021, the judge of the Leninskiy District Court, Oksana Ilalova, sentenced the believer to 2 years of probation with a probation period of 3 years and restraint of liberty for 6 months. The verdict entered into force. The believer still insists on his innocence. He has the right to appeal against the verdict in cassation procedure, as well as in international instances.

On October 28, 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation clarified that the divine services of Jehovah's Witnesses, their joint rituals and ceremonies do not in themselves constitute a crime under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, despite the liquidation of their legal entities.