Court in Tolyatti Sent Aleksandr Chagan to a Penal Colony for 8 Years for his Faith in Jehovah God

On February 29, 2024, Viktoriya Gorbasheva, judge of the Tsentralniy District Court of Tolyatti, found Aleksandr Chagan guilty of organizing the activity of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 8 years imprisonment. The believer was taken into custody in the courtroom.

The closing arguments were presented and Chagan gave his final statement in one session; the verdict was passed on the same day. As an additional punishment, the court banned the believer from participating in activities related to religious organizations for 3 years and restricted his freedom for 1 year. Aleksandr pleads not guilty.

Chagan faced persecution for his faith in March 2022, when his home was searched for the first time. In September of the same year, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against the believer on charges of extremism, and the home of Chagan family was searched for second time. In July 2023, the case went to court.

A total of 10 Jehovah's Witnesses are being prosecuted on similar charges in the Samara Region. Four men were sentenced to 7 years in prison for their faith in Jehovah God, and a woman was sentenced to 2 years of forced labor.

"Extremism is an intense expression of hatred," Aleksandr said in his final statement. "Today, computer games with war themes are common, but for some reason such games are not considered as extremism. But the peaceful activity of believers, who above all teach others how to solve problems and conflicts peacefully, is considered as extremism, and an attempt is made to make it appear sinister".