Translated material
An Egyptian who urinated in the Volgograd Eternal Flame will be sent to a colony for 1.5 years
The judicial panel for criminal cases of the Volgograd Regional Court on Monday upheld the district court's verdict for Egyptian citizen Mohamed Montaser, who relieved himself at the Eternal Flame in the city center six months ago.
“The verdict of the court of first instance was appealed by the defender of the convicted person on appeal. The judicial panel for criminal cases of the Volgograd Regional Court left the verdict unchanged and the appeal was not satisfied,” the regional court said in a statement.
On New Year's Eve, 23-year-old Egyptian citizen Mohammed Montaser went to the pedestal of the Eternal Flame on the Alley of Heroes in Volgograd and relieved himself there. A man was passing by - he was outraged by this act, made a remark to the foreigner, but he reacted aggressively, and the conflict escalated into a brawl.
The Egyptian was detained and arrested. Having sobered up, he expressed repentance and explained that he celebrated the New Year with absinthe and champagne and was not aware of his actions.
On March 22, the Central District Court of Volgograd sentenced the Egyptian to one year and six months in prison to be served in a penal colony. He was found guilty under clause "b" part 2 of article 244 ("Desecration of a sculptural structure dedicated to the fight against fascism, victims of fascism, which is the burial place of participants in the fight against fascism"), clause "a" part 2 of art. 115 (“Intentional infliction of minor harm to health, committed out of hooligan motives”) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
The state prosecution asked the court to sentence the foreigner to three years in a penal colony. The defense asked the court to sentence the accused to two months in prison. The lawyer emphasized that his client did not understand the true value of this memorable place for Russians, he did not have any anti-Russian sentiments, and he was not a member of any groups hostile to Russia.
The defendant himself stated at the trial that he repented of his crime. “I apologize to the entire Russian people. I didn’t do this on purpose,” the defendant said.
Egyptian citizen Mohammed Montaser graduated from the preparatory faculty of Volgograd Medical University in 2009 and again came to Volgograd to continue his medical education. Here he has a common-law wife and child.