SUMMARY OF HEARING ON 16 MAY IN CASE OF DANISH BELIEVER IN OREL
Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 22 May 2018
On 16 May 2018, in a session of the trial of Dennis Christensen, two witnesses for the prosecution were questioned: Alexander Chirikov, who lives not far from the building on Zheleznodorosnhaia St., where Jehovah's Witnesses conducted their worship services, and Vera Banshchikova, a local resident who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.
According to the observations of the neighbor Chirikov, people came to the services "as if for a holiday"—excellently dressed, sober, and with children. The yard was cleaned up, in the winter snow was removed, and in the summer grass was mowed. Who directed the clean up and who opened and closed the gate, Chirikov did not see. After these words, the prosecution began insisting that Chirikov's testimony differed from what he had told the investigator and that it was Christensen who directed the cleanup and it was also he who locked the gate. The judge decided to read out the earlier testimony of the witness. Lawyers tried to put additional questions to the witness with the goal of clarifying just when it was that he lied, although the court subsequently overruled the questions of the defense and did not allow them to finish. As a result, the lawyers first asked that their objections to the judge's actions be entered into the record of the judicial session, and then they petitioned for his recusal from this case, citing a reason to believe that he was interested in a particular outcome of this case. The judge went off into the conference room and, after an hour, left the recusal request without satisfaction.
The witness Vera Ivanovna Banshchikova, a retiree and a former pediatric physician, has professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses about 25 years. She moved to the city of Orel in 2008. She was questioned about how she provides the building for services and how she became acquainted with Christensen. She said that Christensen, like herself, read the Bible at worship services. For this he walked onto the stage, just like almost all of the other believers, since this is the custom among Jehovah's Witnesses. She had heard that Christensen is an elder, but he did not talk about this himself and nobody referred to him by this title.
The judge asked about Banshchikova's attitude toward blood transfusion, in connection with Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine. Attorney Zhenkov tried to protest these questions of the judge since they are not related to the charges against Christensen and, besides, doctrinal teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are not discussed in court. The judge overruled this protest and Banshchikova was required to tell the judge the reason that she, who worked all her life as a physician, had decided for herself to seek an alternative to blood transfusion. The reasons for this were both purely medical and religious as well, inasmuch as the Bible has the clear command of the Creator not to use blood.
At this, the judge declared a recess. Questioning of Vera Banshchikova will continue on Monday, 21 May 2018. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 May 2018)
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