The courtroom of the Supreme Court is gradually filled with listeners. Feelings of difficulty with restrained excitement. The parties are deliberately preparing to speak in the debate.

Speech in the debate begins the representative of the administrative defendant Omelchenko.

 

The representative of the plaintiff, according to Omelchenko, gave in the debate some sort of own interpretation of what extremism is. However, the defendant recalls that the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation give legal interpretation. And these courts ruled that “inciting hatred and propaganda of social, racial, national, religious superiority, whose existence should be determined taking into account all the significant circumstances of each particular case , namely the form and content of activities or information, their addressees and the target orientation , The socio-political context, the existence of a real threat , including including calls for unlawful attacks on constitutionally protected values, justification for silt And the justification of their commission. “

“Restriction through the anti-extremist legislation of freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of speech and the right to disseminate information should not take place in relation to any activity or information on the sole ground that they do not fit into generally accepted notions, do not accord with established traditional views and opinions , Come into conflict with moral or moral or religious preferences. Anything else would mean a departure from the constitutional requirement of necessity, proportionality and justice of restrictions on the rights and freedoms of man and citizen. “

Omelchenko: The actions of the Ministry of Justice do not pursue a legitimate aim, they bear all signs of political repression. “I ask to satisfy the demands of the administrative plaintiff completely.”

Full text of Anton Omelchenko’s speech (PDF, 184 KB)

Zhenkov: “This room was attended by a man who was born in prison. Because his mother was sentenced on 5 month of pregnancy as an enemy of the people to 8 years of imprisonment just because she was a Witness of Jehovah. She gave birth in prison, and spent two years in a prison orphanage. His father could not take him, because he was exiled to Siberia. In 1991, the state recognized the mother as a victim of political repression, apologized to her, appointed a pension. And here in court this person, who was born in prison, approached me and asked: “Does the Ministry of Justice wish to repeat this terrible story?”. And I did not know what to say. I still do not know what moves the representatives of the Ministry of Justice and those who direct this process. “

Zhenkov: “What will happen if the court satisfies the request of the Ministry of Justice? A respected court, if this is the will of the state, then the country successfully acquires 170 thousand prisoners of conscience and a corresponding reputation. If the state’s will is to observe the law, then the court’s decision can be only one – to refuse to satisfy the Ministry of Justice in satisfying the administrative claim. “

Full text of the speech by Viktor Zhenkov (PDF, 171 KB)

Concluding his speech, Toporov cites entirely the statement of human rights activist L. Alekseeva. In the end, he says: “You, the respected court, it is you who, here and today, can eliminate injustice and dishonesty towards hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens, restore their good name, build confidence in the law on countering extremism, clearly showing the difference between these extremists and Extremists drawn on paper. We hope that the court will have the courage to do this and make a fair and impartial decision, guided by the law and the gift from God – a human conscience. “

Full text of the speech by Yuri Toporov (PDF, 190 KB)

Novakov recalls that the representative of the Ministry of Justice accused Jehovah’s Witnesses in cynicism in his debates. “I’ll tell you what cynicism is,” Novakov said. When the Ministry of Justice in the court on an MPO first says that the rights of the CA are not affected, and then these decisions are presented as the basis for eliminating the CA. Or when the Ministry of Justice perceives much more harsh statements against Jehovah’s Witnesses as “ordinary criticism”, while calling “extremism” those statements that are far from extremism. When, contrary to the available data, the Ministry of Justice dismisses reports of falsification, it does not dare to cite cases when falsification is clearly fixed on the video. “That’s what cynicism is!” Concludes Novakov.

Full text of Maxim Novakov’s speech (PDF, 125 KB)

“The strength of a powerful state is precisely to protect the interests of the minority, because the majority will stand for itself.”

Full text of the speech by Sergey Cherepanov (PDF, 105 KB)

Kalin recalls responsibility before God and says: “I take this opportunity to issue a warning to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice. Please, come to your senses! Please, come to your senses! “

Full text of the speech of Vasily Kalin (PDF, 46 KB)

The Supreme Court decided to liquidate the centralized religious organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, as well as all 395 local religious organizations of this religion.

Believers have already begun to prepare a complaint to the appellate instance (the panel consisting of three judges of the Supreme Court), which should be considered within a month.