Member of banned Tablighi Jamaat sentenced to two years in prison

On November 28, the Babushkinsky Court of Moscow sentenced Kubanychbek Sadyrov to two years in a penal colony, accused of involvement in the Tablighi Jamaat religious organization banned in Russia. The case was considered in a special order, that is, without consideration of evidence. This is reported by TASS with reference to the press service of the court.

Sadyrov was convicted for “participation in the activities of a public or religious association or other organization, in respect of which a court has made a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with the implementation of extremist activities” (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code).

Sadyrov pleaded guilty and agreed to consider the case in a special manner.

Eight more people are involved in this case, who did not admit their guilt, three of them are accused of organizing a cell of an organization recognized as extremist. Their case will be considered separately.

In December 2016, in addition to Sadyrov, six people were arrested in connection with the case of involvement in Tablighi Jamaat: Kyrgyz citizens Gazybek Kubatov, Kanybek Suyunduk and Islambek Kamchybekov, Russian citizens Shakir Kozhamkulov and Akhmet Dzhumaev, and Kazakh citizen Bekzod Bakirov. The investigation considers Suyunduk, Kozhamkulov and Kamchybekov to be the organizers of the cell's activities.

The detained members of the Tablighi Jamaat allegedly carried out "ideological indoctrination of new supporters, studied forbidden literature, and discussed plans to create an Islamic caliphate in Russia."

The recruited members of the movement were allegedly sent for education and special training in camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. During the searches, extremist literature, means of communication, electronic media with reports on their work were confiscated from them.

The international religious organization Tablighi Jamaat was recognized as extremist in Russia in 2009. According to the SOVA center, this ban is unlawful, since the association is engaged in the propaganda of Islam and has not been seen in any calls for violence. In September 2017, the ECHR accepted for consideration the complaints of eight organizations recognized as terrorist and extremist in Russia. Among them is Tablighi Jamaat.