They disowned for religious reasons – Newspaper Kommersant No. 200 (7401) of 10/27/2022
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The ICR checks the refusal of two mobilized from the Krasnodar Territory to participate in hostilities in Ukraine. Sergei Tarasov and Maxim Drozdov were taken to the Stavropol garrison, where they announced that they were evangelists and did not intend to take up arms. The pastor of the organization of evangelical Christians “Church of the Holy Trinity” during the pre-investigation check confirmed that the reservists are parishioners who “actively attend all events” and are characterized “on the positive side.” The Evangelical Advocate refers to the Constitution, recalling that “if a citizen’s religion is contrary to the performance of military service, he has the right to replace it with an alternative civilian service.” Meanwhile, within the framework of Art. 332 (failure to comply with the order) refuseniks face up to three years in prison.
Residents of the village of Kanevskaya (Krasnodar Territory) Maxim Drozdov and Sergei Tarasov were mobilized on September 26. The reservists claim that they were taken to the garrison near Budennovsk (Stavropol), despite statements about the “impossibility of participating in a special military operation for religious reasons.” There, on September 27, both filed a report addressed to the commander with a refusal to participate in hostilities in Ukraine. Human rights activist Pavel Chikov points out that Messrs. Drozdov and Tarasov remain in the garrison, and the military investigative department of the ICR has begun a pre-investigation check of their actions. Recall that on September 24, 2022, the Criminal Code introduced a rule on “failure to comply with an order”.
“From the explanation of Tarasov S. V., it is seen that he refused to leave for the zone of a special military operation due to religious beliefs, since he is a member of the religious organization “Unshakable Foundation,” says the letter from the acting military commandant of Budyonnovsk to the pastor of the religious organization of Evangelical Christians “ Church of the Holy Trinity” to Alexander Shlyazhko. The commandant asks the pastor to report the status of Mr. Tarasov in a religious organization. He adds that the commandant’s office is conducting a pre-investigation check on the grounds of a crime under Part 2.1 of Art. 332 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, that is, failure to comply with the order of the head, given in the prescribed manner (from two to three years in prison).
The lawyer for Sergei Tarasov and Maxim Drozdov, Andrey Sabinin, told Kommersant that the pastor of the community confirmed the status of the mobilized Krasnodar residents: they are parishioners of the Evangelical Christian Church, “actively attend all events” and are characterized “on the positive side.” The article on “non-execution of an order” was introduced into the Criminal Code two days before the mobilization of his principals, the lawyer pointed out. Although “formally, Tarasov and Drozdov expressed their position after the entry into force of the law, they were introduced to the new norm and warned of responsibility,” however, in this case, we are talking about a “principled” upholding of religious beliefs, Mr. Sabinin emphasized. He recalled that freedom of religion is enshrined in Art. 59 of the Russian Constitution: “If a citizen’s religion is contrary to military service, he has the right to replace it with alternative civilian service.” In particular, this is discussed in the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation of November 23, 1999.
According to Andrei Sabinin, the mobilized evangelists simply did not have time to write a corresponding application to the military registration and enlistment office with reference to the Basic Law and the decision of the Constitutional Court, as “they were taken away and taken away quickly.”
In the military commandant’s office of Budyonnovsk, Kommersant did not respond to Kommersant’s request.
Andrey Sabinin points out that on October 26, Maxim Drozdov and Sergey Tarasov “once again” were offered to go to the NVO zone, “even promising to indicate that they would serve without weapons.” However, according to the defender, these promises look doubtful: “Here is one command, there is another, in an extreme situation any responsibility is eroded, and it is impossible to completely exclude that the situation will repeat itself and they will again face a choice.”
As previously reported by “Kommersant”, The Gatchina City Court (Leningrad Region) on October 12 suspended the mobilization of evangelist Pavel Mushumansky on his lawsuit against the military registration and enlistment office and the draft commission. A staunch believer who previously served as an alternative civilian service (ACS) in a psycho-neurological boarding school, Mr. Mushumansky was sent to the troops in September 2022, despite requests for ACS. The court decided to apply measures of preliminary protection, ordering to suspend the mobilization of the evangelist for the duration of the proceedings. According to Kommersant’s information, as of October 19, Mr. Mushumansky was not released from the military unit.
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