A criminal case has been opened against the initiator of anti-Orthodox protests in Tatarstan

In Naberezhnye Chelny, a criminal case has been initiated against Rafis Kashapov, chairman of the branch of the Tatar Public Center, on charges of inciting ethnic and religious hatred. R. Kashapov was the initiator of anti-Orthodox demonstrations in Naberezhnye Chelny after the appearance of information about the forced baptism of children in one of the maternity hospitals (the authorities of Tatarstan later refuted this statement). A criminal case was initiated on the fact of the appearance of the statement "No to Christianization", adopted as a result of the event, on the Internet.

Employees of the Tatar Public Center note that the criminal prosecution against the human rights activist began two months after the document appeared on the Internet. They say that this is a gross violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure, since a criminal case must be initiated within three days.

Tatar human rights activists say that they intend to write appeals for help to their Moscow colleagues - to the movement "For Human Rights", the Moscow Helsinki Group, and "Memorial".

On November 11, the prosecutor's office in Naberezhnye Chelny charged R. Kashapov with inciting interethnic and interreligious hatred. According to the conclusion of the experts of the Interregional Institute of Independent Forensic Examinations (MINSE), the text distributed by Kashapov creates a negative image of Orthodoxy and Russians, incites ethnic and confessional enmity, provokes instability in society, and also contributes to the weakening of Russian statehood.

Sources

• Tatarstan human rights activist accused of inciting ethnic hatred // Civitas.ru. 2008. April 28.
• MEDIA MONITORING: Who is right, the investigator or the lawyer? In the Republic of Tatarstan, a criminal case was opened on inciting interethnic and interreligious hatred // Portal-Credo.ru. 2008. November 14. (Article by G. Kamaletdinov from Blogi.Mail.ru)