In Vladivostok, a Jehovah’s Witness was sentenced to 8 years in prison

A court in Vladivostok sentenced Dmitry Barmakin, a follower of the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses, to eight years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. This was a retrial of the case, in 2021 the court acquitted the believer, according to the website of the religious movement.

The trial took place behind closed doors. The prosecutor asked for nine years in prison for Barmakin. After the sentencing, Barmakin was taken into custody in the courtroom. The judge also issued a decree on restriction of freedom for one hour after serving the main sentence.

“The prosecution presented the ordinary actions of religious people in such a way that it looked like some kind of spy games. So, according to the prosecution, an ordinary peaceful religious meeting and communication among friends on biblical topics are a continuation of the activities of a prohibited organization. The simple phrase “will reduce the sound on the mobile arrangement” is a conspiracy. Communicating in an apartment is a desire to hide from law enforcement agencies,” Barmakin said in his last words.

In the same court, a case on extremism against his wife Elena and a group of believers is being considered.

Barmakin became the first witness since 2017 who was acquitted by the court due to the absence of a crime. Now he became the fifth believer in Russia to receive such a harsh sentence.

• Dmitry Barmakin came to Vladivostok from Crimea to take care of his sick mother-in-law. In July 2018, her house was searched, Barmakin was arrested, and he spent more than a year in a pre-trial detention center. The judge returned the criminal case against the believer to the prosecutor due to the vagueness of the charge. In April 2021, the case went to court again, and Barmakin was acquitted. In April 2022, the regional court overturned the acquittal and sent the case for a new trial.
• In the five years since the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses was recognized as an extremist organization in Russia, more than 650 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been criminally prosecuted, and cases against 77 were initiated in 2022 alone. In total, more than 320 criminal cases were initiated.