The prosecutor asked for two years probation for the Kurgan imam Yakupov for a post on a social network

In the Kurgan city court, the prosecution requested a two-year suspended sentence for Ali Yakupov, the former imam of the city mosque, for commenting on the VKontakte social network. He is accused of inciting hatred (Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code) against the social group “communists”. This writes "Echo of Moscow".

In June 2017, the court granted the appeal of the prosecutor's office and overturned Yakupov's acquittal. The case was then returned to the court for a new trial.

Earlier, in April, the Kurgan City Court found Yakupov not guilty.

Ali Yakupov is the former imam of the Kurgan mosque, who is accused of inciting hatred towards the communists (Article 282 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, in 2016 Yakupov left a comment on the social network VKontakte on a post about the ban on wearing the hijab in China. In his commentary, the imam predicted "heavenly punishments" for the Chinese communists.

Ali Yakupov announced that his account had been hacked. It follows from the old verdict that the imam's involvement in the commentary has been established, but the court did not find any signs of extremism in the recording.

The Sova Information and Analytical Center considers the persecution of Yakupov unlawful, since the Chinese Communists do not constitute a vulnerable social group that requires protection in the form of Russian anti-extremist legislation.