Anatoliy Isakov with his wife, Tatyana, August 7, 2024

Anatoliy Isakov with his wife, Tatyana, August 7, 2024

Anatoliy Isakov with his wife, Tatyana, August 7, 2024

Unjust Verdicts

Court in Kurgan Fined a Disabled Man Suffering from Cancer 400,000 Rubles for His Faith

Kurgan Region

One of Jehovah's Witnesses, Anatoliy Isakov, 59, was found guilty of extremism for holding peaceful meetings for worship. On August 8, 2024, Sergey Lytkin, judge of the Kurgan City Court, imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles on him, reducing it to 400,000, taking into account the believer's stay in custody.

The verdict has not entered into force and can be appealed. The court also ordered Isakov to pay legal costs of 6,900 rubles. The prosecutor had requested a 6.5-year suspended sentence for Isakov.

The hearings lasted about a year. The charge of organizing the activity of an extremist organization was based on the testimony of witnesses. However, some of them were not acquainted with the defendant, others did not confirm their testimony given during the preliminary investigation, and a secret witness said that Isakov's actions did not violate anyone's rights. "The charge against me is extremely unreasonable," Anatoliy Isakov said in court. "Expressing hatred, enmity and violence is incompatible with my views. I treat people of other religions and nationalities with respect. Everyone who knows me can confirm that."

The criminal prosecution began in July 2021, when FSB officers searched Isakov's apartment. The believer was placed in a pretrial detention center, despite the fact that he needed to undergo chemotherapy on a monthly basis. In addition, he was deprived of painkillers, which he needed due to spinal surgery. The believer had difficulty walking. For 1.5 months, he sought to mitigate the preventive measure, but only after a request from the ECHR to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and an inspection by the Human Rights Ombudsman, the court released Isakov from the detention center, admitting that he had an illness that prevented him from being kept in detention.

After his release, an electronic bracelet was placed on the believer's leg, and every week he had to report to the Penitentiary Inspectorate. As Isakov was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list, his bank account was blocked, and it was difficult for him to receive his disability pension.

Isakov said what helped him not to lose heart: "I tried to be positive, observed hygiene and routine in the detention center. When he received parcels from relatives and friends, he shared what he could with his cellmates. That also brought me joy. After all, there's more happiness in giving than receiving." During 1.5 months in pretrial detention, Anatoliy received about 500 letters of support from all over the world. Isakov coped with emotional and material difficulties, thanks to the support of friends and fellow believers. "I personally felt the true brotherly love that Jesus spoke about," Anatoliy shared his feelings.

Another six Jehovah's Witnesses from the Kurgan Region are being prosecuted on similar charges, three of them are defending their beliefs in court.

The Case of Isakov and Minsafin in Kurgan

Case History
In July 2021, the investigation accused Anatoliy Isakov, a disabled person, of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and Valeriy Minsafin of participating in it. The next day, the homes of the believers were searched, and the men were placed in a temporary detention facility. The investigator released Minsafin from custody, and the court sent Isakov, who can hardly move, is fighting cancer and needs to regularly take strong prescription medication, to a pretrial detention center for 1.5 months, interrupting his vital chemotherapy. After a request from the ECHR and human rights activists to the Russian authorities, the court released Isakov under a ban on certain actions. Minsafin was cleared of charges in March 2023. In June 2023, the case of Anatoliy Isakov went to court. It is based, among other things, on the testimony of a secret witness. In July 2024, the prosecutor requested a 6.5-year suspended sentence for the believer. In August 2024, the court imposed a fine of 400,000 rubles on him.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Kurgan Region
Locality:
Kurgan
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, "he carried out ... religious meetings... including through video conferencing using the Zoom platform."
Court case number:
12102370012000107
Initiated:
July 13, 2021
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
The First Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Kurgan Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-44/2024 (1-1069/2023)
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Сергей Лыткин
Court of First Instance:
Курганский городской суд Курганской области
Case History