2024-02-28 23:43:18
A Russian man who publicly burned a copy of the Koran was sentenced today in the Russian republic of Chechnya to three and a half years in prison, Reuters reported.
Nikita Zhuravel’s case drew international attention last year when Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov released a video showing his son Adam punching and kicking the accused while he was in custody awaiting trial.
The Russian independent media “SOTA” published a video today showing Zhuravel hearing the sentence in the courtroom. He is then seen being asked by one of the reporters on the ground to apologise, and he replies: “I am asking for the forgiveness of all Muslims for having offended their religious feelings with my act.”
Zhuravel, 20, was detained in May 2023 under a law against offending the religious feelings of believers after he burned a copy of the Koran outside a mosque in Volgograd, located 800 kilometers from the city of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
Russian investigators were transferring the case against him to Chechnya. The Investigative Committee, which deals with serious crimes, said that this happened because they received numerous messages from residents of the Russian republic asking to be named as affected by Zhuravel’s crime.
Chechnya has a predominantly Muslim population, and the republic’s pro-Kremlin leader Ramzan Kadyrov presents himself as Russia’s biggest defender of the Islamic faith, Reuters notes.
State news agency TASS reported that Zhuravel pleaded guilty to the charges, apologized repeatedly in court and said he did not think about the consequences of his actions. The Investigative Committee said he was paid to burn the Koran by Ukrainian intelligence.
In September last year, Kadyrov published the video showing his son Adam beating Zhuravel. Kadyrov then said he was proud of his son for defending his Muslim religion.
Kadyrov has wide latitude, granted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to rule Chechnya as his personal fiefdom in exchange for ensuring stability in the region, which has fought two separatist wars with Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the incident with the beating caused criticism even from pro-Kremlin hardliners, BTA points out.
Yevgeny Smirnov, a member of the Russian Association of Lawyers “First Department”, said that Zhuravel’s sentence may seem lenient, as he faced up to 10 years in prison, but it should be borne in mind that he was subjected to beating and public humiliation, notes Reuters.