A Krasnoyarsk Court Sentenced Anatoliy Gorbunov to a Six-Year Prison Term for Discussing the Bible With Fellow Believers

On February 2, 2022, Mariya Kunik, judge of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnoyarsk, found 64-year-old Anatoliy Gorbunov guilty of extremism and sentenced him to 6 years in a penal colony. The believer is taken into custody.

In Soviet times, Anatoliy Gorbunov's father and grandfather were declared "enemies of the people" and exiled to Siberia. In 1993 they were rehabilitated. Now Anatoliy was subjected to groundless repressions for his beliefs. In November 2018, he was searched, accompanied by pressure and threats. 17 months later, a criminal case was opened against Gorbunov. According to investigators, the believer organized discussions with fellow believers about the Christian way of life. This allegedly was the organization of the activities of a banned religious organization (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of Russia).

The court hearings continued for more than a year. In anticipation of the verdict, the believer spent more than 13 months on bail.

During the hearings in court, not a single fact was presented that would prove Gorbunov's guilt in real crimes. Among the materials of the case are 7 discs with records of religious meetings and Bible discussions. No calls for violence, inciting hatred or other illegal actions were recorded on them. The secret witness “Salov”, whose testimony, according to the prosecution, was supposed to prove the guilt of the defendant, admitted that he saw Anatoliy only once and did not hear anything extremist from him. There are no victims in the case. Despite this, the prosecutor asked to send Anatoliy to a colony for 8 years.

The believer insists on his complete innocence. In court, Anatoliy drew attention to the fact that the Supreme Court did not prohibit Jehovah's Witnesses from practicing their faith, this right is enshrined in the Russian Constitution.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, 25 Jehovah's Witnesses have already been prosecuted. Five of them were sentenced to various punishments: 2 were sentenced to 6 years in prison, 1 was fined, and 2 received suspended sentences.