Viktoriya and I are walking through the park in Nizhny Novgorod where she and her husband usually go for a run in the morning. From their home on Akademika Sakharova Prospekt to the pond is a little over a kilometer: “We get up early and run there to take a swim. Then we drink coffee and go to work.” Viktoriya works in a tuberculosis unit, where there are now many patients with complications following Covid. She has a heavy workload, the atmosphere at work is tense, and it is very difficult to request time off to attend court sessions. She is caught “between two fires” – from the hospital, she runs to the court, and after the court session she sometimes goes back to the hospital.

Her colleagues do not know that Nurse Verkhoturova is being accused of “participating in the activity of an extremist religious organization” (Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC).

It is a good thing that they do not know, because this charge has nothing to do with her profession, her lifestyle, or her beliefs. For three years she and her husband have had to endure false accusations of extremism and periodically answer questions from people who are confused: “Why are they prosecuting you? You are not criminals!” Even the investigators are perplexed because there is no legally valid answer. But there are hundreds of people who have fallen under the pressure of the new anti-religious repression, and each has a unique story.

At the Priokskiy District Court (Nizhny Novgorod), whose pediment bears the proud inscription “Palace of Justice,” Vika is always met by a large group of her fellow believers. They come although they are not allowed inside. They come in all kinds of weather. They bring flowers and treats. They gave me tea, currants and apples, and even a bouquet of flowers. Jehovah’s Witnesses are very grateful to people who sympathize with them and show them kindness. Some of them are also under investigation; many have friends or relatives who have been convicted, and the rest could be arrested any day, even here, right outside the court. Yet no one hides the fact that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses: open and joyful, they make a lot of jokes, trying to support each other.

– Do we look like zombies? – one of the women laughingly asks.

– No! You look like good, happy people who don’t give in to fear or discouragement. And I would like to record the stories of women facing persecution. Viktoriya promised to give me an interview. What about you? – I ask.

– I’d love to! And me! Record me too, we must speak out, not stay silent.

That’s when the idea came to me to record a series of interviews entitled “Witness Women in Court.” I spoke with Vika on the day after the court session at which the defense presented its evidence. The trial was drawing to a close; she had testified and was working on her final statement.

Tea or coffee?

– When and how did it all start?

– On July 17, 2019, the doorbell rang. Through the peephole, I saw a lot of police officers, and I knew right away that they had come for us. My husband was taking a shower. I knocked on the bathroom door:

– Seryozha, come out! They’re here!

– Who?

– It’s them.

At first, they were aggressive, but I greeted them politely, invited them to come in and sit down, and asked them what they would like – tea or coffee. They obviously didn’t expect such a kind reception; right before my eyes they softened, and their tone became calmer and more respectful. They took Sergey into another room so as to interrogate us separately.

On that same day there were more than thirty searches and about ten detentions in Nizhny Novgorod.

– “Tea or coffee?” – Is that you loving your enemies?

– Yes, of course. It is said, ‘Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who offend you and persecute you…’ (Matthew 5:44-45). At the regional convention we discussed how to treat our enemies. Loving our enemies is a victory.

Show Love and Stay Silent

– Were you expecting the search? Did you prepare for it?

– After the Supreme Court liquidated the Administration Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations on April 20, 2017, and declared them extremist without any legal basis, we understood that they could come after any one of us. Would you believe – they secretly set up a video camera in our apartment, and for three months they recorded everything that was going on in our living room.

Did we prepare? Yes, we had discussed the possibility of being arrested, and we had received legal advice in advance about how we should behave. But at that moment, I forgot that I needed to erase the data on my phone and reset it to factory settings. I clearly remembered that it is better not to give any statements, but to refer to Article 51 of the Constitution,¹“Rights and Freedoms of Man and Citizen,” Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. so as not to harm anyone else or myself. So that’s what I did.

– Were you nervous? After all, that was very stressful.

– I was anxious, but I realized that I needed to show love and stay silent. The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. They had come after people they thought were extremists, and I had to show them that we are peaceful, kind people. They gradually calmed down, visibly. And then they told me that one of the officers in the detention center had said, “I can see that you are good people.” After us, other brothers and sisters were detained, and I know that the law enforcement officers changed their attitude towards them, realizing that they were dealing with innocent people. I even felt sorry for my investigator: he was so tired and exhausted; yet he had to deal with my case.

At the trial they showed us a video of a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses in our home. What did we discuss at that meeting? The ministry of first-century Christians: what kind of example they set for us; how we should deal with trials in our time; and how to help people break bad habits – all topics that couldn’t be further from extremist thinking. Is it a crime to discuss these subjects? And did those present at this meeting have any extremist motives? Or did I? There was only one motivation – to worship God!

They will also persecute you

– How do you view your persecutors? Who are they to you?

– We believe that anyone can change for the better. There are examples of this in the Bible – the persecutor Saul, who became the apostle Paul, and also the jailer whom Paul and Silas won over with their good behavior and respectful attitude. Eventually that jailer became a Christian (Acts 16:22-34). Our work is to preach about our faith and help people make changes.

This persecution was foretold in the Bible, and we are living during the fulfillment of Bible prophecies. When I dedicated my life to God, I knew that sooner or later I would face opposition. I knew it was coming because Jesus Christ himself warned his followers about it many times. For example, he said the words recorded in the Gospel of John 15:20-21: “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” And in the Gospel of Matthew 24:9: “Then people will hand you over to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations on account of my name.” But why would people hate those who imitate and obey Christ? The Bible shows what is behind this kind of hatred. One reason is ignorance. In the Gospel of John 16:2-3, we read Jesus’ words, “The hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he has offered a sacred service to God.” There are many people who are influenced by religious or other views that don’t tolerate any different opinions. Another reason given by Christ is that we are “no part of the world.” Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t participate in the evil deeds of the world. Our men don’t serve in the army. We don’t take part in elections. We live by high moral standards, we don’t smoke, we don’t abuse alcohol, we don’t have intimate relationships outside of marriage, we don’t deceive people, and we don’t steal. Many people don’t like this. Our stand annoys people. That’s why our fellow believers often face persecution, even within their families.

We were not meant to die

– Did you testify then?

– At the trial, I talked about how I came into the truth and why I don’t agree with the charges. But I refused to answer the questions from the judge and the prosecutor.

I was born in 1976 in the town of Gazalkent in the Tashkent Region. My parents participated in the rebuilding of Tashkent after the devastating earthquake of 1966 and stayed there. I went to school in Uzbekistan. The most vivid of my childhood memories are of a truly paradise-like environment, not only the natural surroundings, but also the people. Our town was multinational, and everyone was very friendly; everyone looked out for one another. Now you have that only among Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There was another very memorable event. The boy who lived next door died. I was deeply shaken when I realized that he no longer existed, that he simply was no more. From that time on, I always wondered about the meaning of life, and I could not come to terms with death. I was terrified at the thought that someday my mother would be no more, and someday I too would be no more. What is the point of living?

Later we moved to Siberia. One day there was a knock on our door. I opened the door, and Jehovah’s Witnesses were standing on our doorstep. Quoting from the Bible, they said it was not God’s intention for us to die – we would live forever in paradise on earth! I was thrilled! After a while I began to study the Bible and I came to understand why God allows evil and injustice now, and what he will do in the near future. I learned his personal name – Jehovah! So now I could talk to him as with a close friend when praying to him. This gave my life real meaning. I came to love Jehovah and dedicated my life to him; I was baptized in 1998.

Freedom of Conscience

– How did the judge and the prosecutor react?

– They listened in silence. Then I moved on to arguments against the ridiculous charge of extremism. I said that all our actions were lawful and that all court decisions should comply with the fundamental law of the country – the Constitution. Question: Do my actions violate the Constitution of the Russian Federation?

Article 28 of the Constitution states: “Everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess, individually or together with others, any religion or to profess no religion, to freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them.”

Based on this, I am guaranteed the right to practice the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in other words, any religion! I am guaranteed the right to participate in meetings and worship together with others! Perhaps I don’t have the right to use my residence for these purposes? I do have that right. It was exactly the same in the first century – Christians did not meet in grandiose temples to worship God; they met in private homes.

I plead not guilty. I believe that I am being prosecuted as a criminal because of my religious beliefs as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. What was established from the questioning of the witnesses for the prosecution? Only that, for example, according to G. Glazkova, I “sang songs and performed certain rituals: namely – standing up and sitting down.” Funny but sad.

Why didn’t you leave?

– When the criminal cases against you and your husband Sergey were initiated, did you consider leaving the country?

– Yes, we did. We were even advised: “Leave, we feel sorry for you.” Sergey and I discussed that question, then we spoke with our parents. We all came to the same conclusion: we should stay. If you leave, you won’t come back; you may never see your parents again.

Besides, the Bible prophecies about the time of the end apply to all countries. Here we have particular problems, in other countries there may be others. Some of our fellow believers have left and that’s their right. Everyone is free to make his own choice.

Examples of endurance

– Your husband Sergey was given a six-year suspended sentence. Was that unexpected?

– We were ready for any turn of events. On the day of his sentencing, Sergey wore a purple shirt, because a patch in the shape of a purple triangle was worn by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi concentration camps. It was a relief that the sentence was suspended.

– How do Jehovah’s Witnesses keep the memory of the martyrs of the German and Soviet concentration camps alive?

– There are museums in other countries; we read a lot about those who went through searches and prisons, and those who were exiled to Siberia in 1951 during Operation North; books, films and broadcasts come out and conferences are held about the persecutions of the 20^th century.

Sergey and I gained strength by reading biographies of those who had spent time in prison. In my final statement, I included examples from several life stories. After all, in recent history, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany were thrown into concentration camps by the thousands. For what? Because my brothers and sisters maintained their Christian neutrality; they did not use the Nazi salute “Heil Hitler” and they did not go to war, because it is against the nature of Jehovah’s Witnesses to take up arms. That is what the Bible teaches us. Those fellow believers of mine set a beautiful example of courage for me.

For example, Wolfgang Kusserow was one of those who suffered death because he remained faithful to God and refused to support Nazism. Before he was beheaded on March 28, 1942, Wolfgang wrote to his parents and relatives: “Now, as your third son and brother, I must leave you tomorrow morning. Do not be sad, for the time will come when we will be together again… How great our joy will then be when we are reunited!… Now we have been torn apart, and each of us must stand the test; then we will be rewarded.”

And Johannes Harms, before his execution on January 8, 1941, wrote in his last letter to his father: “My death sentence has already been announced and I am chained both day and night – the marks (on the paper) are from the handcuffs… My dear father, in spirit I call to you, remain faithful, as I have attempted to remain faithful, and then we will see each other again. I will be thinking of you up until the very last.”

Regarding the 500 or more faithful female Witnesses in Ravensbrück, Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz, a niece of Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the French Resistance, wrote after her own release: “I have true admiration for them. They belonged to various nationalities: German, Polish, Russian and Czech, and have endured very great sufferings for their beliefs… All of them showed very great courage and their attitude commanded eventually even the respect of the SS. They could have been immediately freed if they had renounced their faith. But, on the contrary, they did not cease resistance.”

Forward to the Past

– Much hope has been pinned on Supreme Court Plenum Resolution № 32, dated October 28, 2021, which states that people cannot be prosecuted merely for participating in religious services, that the investigation must find real signs of extremism in a person’s actions. And on November 22 Dmitry Barmakin was acquitted in Vladivostok.²In April 2022, the territorial court overturned this acquittal and sent the case for a new trial. As a result, the believer was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony. In August 2023, the court of appeal overturned this verdict, released D. Barmakin and returned the case to the court of first instance for a third review. This decision was appealed by the prosecutor, and the court of cassation sent the case for a review to the court of appeal with a different panel of judges, which on February 6, 2024, confirmed the guilty sentence – 8 years in a penal colony. D. Barmakin was taken into custody in the courtroom. Is the situation changing for the better?

– We are all very happy for Dmitry and his family. I referred to this Supreme Court ruling in my testimony because my actions do not contain any evidence of extremism and do not constitute a crime under Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC.

The complete absurdity of this accusation can be seen by the following illustration: Imagine for a moment that a group of deeply devout Orthodox worshippers get together at a friend’s house to celebrate an Orthodox holiday, such as Christmas. They pray, sing religious songs, recite psalms and passages from the Gospels – in other words, they perform harmless religious rituals of their faith. Can we conclude in this case that they belong to a registered legal entity, The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, an Orthodox religious organization? And if we suppose that this organization is declared extremist by the court (let’s say, on the grounds that it proclaims that it is the only true faith and that all others are false), can we conclude that those worshippers who celebrate Christmas in, say, Nizhny Novgorod, are guilty of actions under Article 282.2(2) of the RF CrC – in other words, that they are involved in the activity of the organization, the Moscow Patriarchate, recognized by the court as extremist? This is exactly the position the prosecution is taking with regard to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Is that all we have to do – get together to sing songs and read the Bible? Does that make us criminals? Are we really going back to medieval Europe, when the Holy Inquisition burned people for reading the Bible?

– Yes, we have fallen back into the Middle Ages. It is frightening to utter the last question: when is the verdict?

– It should be soon. On Monday, November 29, there will be the closing arguments, and then my final statement and the verdict. All could happen in one day. It’s not clear yet.

– I wish you a just acquittal and a happy life in freedom.³On November 29, 2021, Judge Viktor Yakovlev of the Prioksky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod gave Viktoriya Leonidovna Verkhoturova a 4-year suspended sentence.

Thank you.

November 13, 2021

• 1
  “Rights and Freedoms of Man and Citizen,” Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. ↩︎
• 2
  In April 2022, the territorial court overturned this acquittal and sent the case for a new trial. As a result, the believer was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony. In August 2023, the court of appeal overturned this verdict, released D. Barmakin and returned the case to the court of first instance for a third review. This decision was appealed by the prosecutor, and the court of cassation sent the case for a review to the court of appeal with a different panel of judges, which on February 6, 2024, confirmed the guilty sentence – 8 years in a penal colony. D. Barmakin was taken into custody in the courtroom. ↩︎
• 3
  On November 29, 2021, Judge Viktor Yakovlev of the Prioksky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod gave Viktoriya Leonidovna Verkhoturova a 4-year suspended sentence. ↩︎