BALD MOUNTAIN, UNDERGROUND TERRORISTS, AND HEAVENLY TSAR
How the second week of hearings in the case of Dane Christensen went
by Denis Volin
Orlovskie Novosti, 18 May 2018
The second week of hearings in the criminal case regarding a subject of the Danish monarchy, Dennis Christensen, finished up in the Zheleznodorzhny district court. Christensen is charged with continuation of the activity of an extremist organization, Jehovah's Witnesses of Orel (art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the RF). According to the version of the prosecution, after a decision of a court regarding liquidation of the organization took effect, the Dane continued to support the functioning of this structure. According to prosecutors, this involved conducting meetings, worship services, and singing; distribution of literature; and even conspiracy. Last week the court questioned several witnesses and questioning continued this week. The sessions were observed by a correspondent of Orlovskie Novosti [Orel News].
Day One
The first day of hearings this week started on 14 May. It began with questioning of the precinct officer who serves the territory on which building No. 50 of Zheleznodorozhnaia Street is located. According to information of the investigation, the so-called Kingdom Hall is located there—the place where Jehovah's Witnesses conducting their worship services. The officer noted that he dropped in on the Jehovists constantly. He is personally acquainted with Vladimir Melnik, who directed the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses of Orel, and who also introduced him to Dennis Christensen. The policeman said that worship services in the Kingdom Hall did not cease even after the prohibition of the local religious organization, while the number of their participants also did not decline. The officer himself did not put an end to the services after the ban of the organization because the parishioners told him that they are not its members. And he, not being an agent, consequently did not have the right to conduct an operation in order to verify this information. "The people said that they were only adherents of this teaching," the officer told the court. He also shared his opinion regarding Christensen's role in all of this story.
"It is my opinion that Mr. Christensen had immediate relations with this organization and had an impact on its activity. He directed it, but unofficially. Since officially Melnik directed it, but he [Christensen] continually consulted with him," the witness declared. Meanwhile he also explained that he did not have any information regarding what Christensen was engaged in after the prohibition of the organization.
The next person in the trial to speak was Eduard Gavrikov, a worker for a private security company. He described how Jehovah's Witnesses "wanted to take" his mother from him. The witness said that after the woman began dealing with the Jehovists she "seemed to be reprogrammed." "Her personality changed. An alienation appeared. Previously she went to theaters and exhibits with her friend. A neighbor described for me: she often sits on your balcony and reads booklets." This is how the witness described the "metamorphosis." He also described an occasion when his mother disappeared for a long time, and when she returned he said to her: "Mum, have you again flown off to Bald Mountain?" The lawyers asked to explain what the witness had in mind. To which Gavrikov answered: "Don't you know Russian folklore?'" Meanwhile the prosecutor added: "Witches assemble on Bald Mountain." "They declared a hunt for my mum and my family," Garvikov said.
At some time in the questioning the lawyers asked the witness whether he knew the basis on which the Jehovah's Witnesses Orel local religious organization was prohibited.
"It seems it was found to be a terrorist organization," the witness answered.
"After the ban I asked Mama: what will you do now? Go underground?"
"Do you consider your Mama to be a terrorist?" the lawyer asked.
The witness spread out his hands. "Well, what kind of terrorist is she?"
The last to be questioned this day was an F.S.B. agent who surveilled the Kingdom Hall. The agent, specifically, described how in the premises a special apparatus was installed that permitted observing what happened inside on-line and also recording sound. The witness explained that he participated in operation "Observation" twice, in February 2017, that is, after the ban of the Jehovah's Witnesses local religious organization of Orel. Both times he saw Christensen in the worship services. The witness also participated in a search conducted in Kingdom Hall on 25 and 26 May, after which the Dane was arrested.
At this point the questioning of the F.S.B. agent was interrupted and the session was declared in recess.
Day Two
The session of 15 May began with the continuation of questioning of the agent. In particular, he answered questions of lawyers dealing with faith. He declared that he himself is Orthodox but nothing prevents Jehovah's Witnesses in Orel from praying, discussing the Bible, and sharing their convictions with other people. In a word, nobody has annulled the constitution and freedom of religious confession, too.
All this time Dennis Christensen, who was arrested at a worship service and has been in a SIZO now almost a year, was following the questioning in a glass "aquarium."
After the special agent had been questioned, Elena Chernetsova entered the courtroom. The woman explained that she is herself a Jehovist. She described how they conducted services and also told how because of pressure from the F.S.B. she had to be dismissed from the kindergarten where she worked as a housekeeper. In particular, the woman confirmed that at worship services parishioners studied literature, although there were no extremist texts among those they studied, she assured. Chernetsova also confirmed that some used tablets.
"Did Christensen tell you that for purposes of the conspiracy you should use a tablet?" the prosecutor asked.
The woman replied in the negative. She said that on her tablet was the Bible.
"And do you have your own Bible and are they different?" the presiding judge, Aleksei Rudner, asked.
"They are the same," the witness answered.
"Then what's the difference?"
"We understand it differently."
The witness explained that during services nobody discussed politics and government, and that refusing to give blood is her personal choice. In addition, she said, that she does not know anything about the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses of Orel, and that by her own admission she attended worship services with her own "brothers and sisters."
Day Three
On 16 May two more witnesses were questioned in court. Aleander Chirikov explained how he lived in a building across from the building where Jehovah's Witnesses met. He specified that he saw Dennis Christensen there several times. "I know for sure that he is a foreigner," Chirikov said, and added: "It seemed from appearances that this man was in charge there." At that he pointed in the direction of the "aquarium" in which the Dane was seated. After the prosecution asked all of its questions, the lawyers began questioning the witness. They asked the witness to make clarification on many of the circumstances he told about. However, the judge overruled many questions, which forced the Dane's defense attorneys to submit a petition for recusal of presiding judge Rudner.
"The judge is interested in issuing a verdict of guilty," lawyer Anton Bognanov declared, among other things.
However Aleksei Rudner declined to recues himself; he did not find any weighty arguments for this, and after a short recess the session continued. It remained to question one witness, Vera Banshchikova.
The elderly woman described how she has professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for many years now, and she met Dennis Christensen at a friendship meeting. She saw him at services in Kingdom Hall and sometime he got up on stage, like the others, the witness noted. Banshchikova sometimes preaches because she believes that "the tsar of the heavenly kingdom" will soon come to earth and will "heal people." In this, obviously, consists the "good news," according to the woman. She also assured that Jehovah's Witnesses are "law-abiding people," and therefore they do not study extremist literature. And as regards questions about blood, which Bulgakov also called the most difficult in the world, then here, as in the case of the witness who testified the day before, Banshchikova prefers not to give it. And especially "not to eat," even by transfusion.
"There are several reasons. Both based on the Bible and connected with medical research. In addition, one can be infected through blood. And of course our Creator knows all about this," the woman explained.
Questioning the witness to the end was prevented by a call from a taxi service that sounded on the translator's telephone. He had to leave immediately, and therefore Aleksei Rudnev declared a recess until next week. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 May 2018)
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