The imam of a Moscow mosque was sentenced to three years in a general regime colony

On April 28, the Moscow District Military Court sentenced the imam of the capital's Yardyam Mosque, Makhmud Velitov, to three years of general imprisonment on a trumped-up case of public justification of terrorism (Part 1 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code, maximum sanction up to five years in prison). Interfax about this.

reports So far, only the introductory and operative parts of the verdict have been announced. Velitov, who was previously under house arrest, was taken into custody in court. Prosecutor Ekaterina Rozanova asked for three and a half years in a general regime colony for the imam. Velitov did not admit his guilt. He was convicted for a speech (or prayer) delivered on September 23, 2013 in memory of the murdered religious figure Abdulla Gappaev, who was a member of (recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia).

“Hizb-ut-Tahrir” Velitov’s lawyer Dagir Khasavov emphasized during the trial that the imam was not aware of Gappaev’s membership in “Hizb”, and in addition, the deceased’s membership in this party is not confirmed by anything other than information on its website.

ut-Tahrir