Translated material
Anti-Semitic by law
Alexander Koptsev was convicted again of attempted murder and, for the first time, of inciting ethnic hatred
Last Friday, the Moscow City Court announced the verdict of anti-Semite Alexander Koptsev, who carried out a massacre in a Moscow synagogue in January of this year. Unlike the first verdict this spring, when Koptsev was found guilty only of attempted murder of synagogue parishioners and received 13 years in a maximum security colony for this, the current court decision was more severe. This time he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. At the same time, the court also established the guilt of the 21-year-old anti-Semite in inciting ethnic hatred and enmity.It was the presence in the actions of Alexander Koptsev of signs of inciting national hatred and enmity that became the fundamental difference between the two trials in the case of the massacre in the synagogue on Bolshaya Bronnaya. At first, the court did not find such signs, despite the fact that the accused, even during the trial, more than once allowed himself to make rather harsh statements of an anti-Semitic nature. And as a result, in the first verdict, the charge against Koptsev under the relevant article was dropped. 282 of the Criminal Code. Judge Dmitry Fomin explained his decision then by saying that “hatred is an internal feeling of a person,” and there was no hostility in Koptsev’s actions, since this is “a phenomenon that speaks of hostile relations existing in society between certain groups of people.” According to the judge, the attacker himself had no intention to commit actions the purpose of which would be to incite hatred, enmity, or humiliation of the dignity of people on the basis of nationality.
The victims, parishioners of the synagogue, were outraged by this verdict, called it “cowardly and contradictory” and filed a complaint with the Supreme Court (SC). “People perceived as humiliation and an insult to their faith what Koptsev did in a public and sacred place for Jews. His actions were, of course, public. Both during the investigation and at the trial, he repeatedly said that he wanted his actions to serve as an example for his followers. What, if not this, is the incitement of enmity and hatred in society? - Vremya Novostey's lawyer Vitaly Khavkin told Vremya Novostei.
The convict's lawyers, in turn, also appealed to the Supreme Court with a request to mitigate the punishment, which was too harsh, in their opinion.
In June the verdict was overturned, and in August the Moscow City Court began re-examining the case. At the same time, the behavior of the defendant Koptsev changed sharply - he no longer shouted anti-Semitic slogans, did not talk about continuing the fight against the Jews, whom he considered guilty of all the troubles of Russia. And when he was given the floor, he stated that he deeply repented of what he had done and asked the victims for forgiveness. He explained his action by “a false idea about the enemies of the Russian people - the Jews,” which was formed under the influence of the anti-Semitic literature he read. “Having realized everything, I understand how wrong I was,” Koptsev concluded.
However, to judge Andrei Zubarev, the accused’s repentance did not seem sincere. “Koptsev experienced national and religious hatred and enmity towards people of Jewish nationality. He had the intention to kill and knew the consequences, the court verdict read. “The crime was not completed due to circumstances beyond the defendant’s control, since the victims were provided with timely medical assistance.” As the verdict stated, “the assassination attempt was carried out publicly in a synagogue and was accompanied by offensive statements towards people of Jewish nationality.”
The judge based his conclusions, among other things, on the testimony given by Koptsev during the preliminary investigation, in particular that he was “morally prepared to kill the Jews, since they have everything, and he has nothing.” “He humiliated the dignity of not only the victims, but also all people of Jewish nationality. The defendant not only did not try to hide his actions, but also chose a public place. Koptsev realized that he was humiliating the personal and national dignity of people and their religious feelings,” the judge said.
For the crimes committed by Koptsev, Judge Zubarev sentenced the anti-Semite to 16 years in a maximum security colony. He also considered it necessary to impose a compulsory medical measure on the convict - a mandatory course of treatment from a psychiatrist, since Koptsev suffers from a mental disorder, which, however, does not exclude his sanity.
Alexander Koptsev did not react in any way to his new sentence. His relatives and friends did it for him. “In our country they give seven years for murder, but here he cut Jews with a knife - 16 years,” said some. “Yes, in such a period of time he should have killed them all,” said a young man who introduced himself as Koptsev’s cousin. Koptsev’s defenders looked upset, hoping for leniency from the court due to the anti-Semite’s repentance. “We are undoubtedly surprised by such a harsh sentence,” lawyer Roza Saribzhanova told Vremya Novostey. - We don’t yet know what we will do next. First you need to talk to Alexander."
The victims could finally celebrate their victory - the punishment imposed by the court seemed fair and proportionate to the humiliation caused to them by the actions of the anti-Semite. True, they still had some complaints. “The court again did not take into account our request to issue a private ruling on the unsatisfactory work of law enforcement agencies to counter extremism,” said lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant.