The ECHR communicated the complaint of Imam Makhmud Velitov

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) communicated the complaint of the former imam of the Moscow Yardyam mosque, Makhmud Velitov, who was sentenced to three years of general imprisonment on charges of justifying terrorism. The complaint was sent in October 2017. The Voice of Islam writes about this.

The persecution of Makhmud Velitov began after a sermon that he read in his mosque on September 23, 2013 in memory of the clergyman Abdulla Galpaev, who was killed the day before in Kizlyar. The imam was charged with “public justification of terrorism”: as stated in the case, Abdulla Galpaev was a member of the banned Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, and Velitov’s speech formed a “positive image of an extremist organization.” However, the detainee’s lawyer, Khasavov, insisted that Galpaev’s membership in this organization has not been confirmed. In addition, his client did not know about the deceased’s membership in this party.

Velitov's case was classified under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code (public justification of terrorism using the media). Later, the charge was softened, charging the imam with part 1 of the same article - public calls for terrorist activities or public justification of terrorism. The trial took place in April 2017 in the Moscow District Military Court. Velitov completely denied his guilt at the trial. On April 28, he was sentenced to three years in prison. On August 1, the Collegium for Military Affairs confirmed the verdict.