Lawyers treat oath to "Islamic State" as basis for criminal prosecution in Russia

After the decision of the Russia's Supreme Court (SC) to recognize the "Islamic State" a terrorist organization, power agents have received more grounds for criminal prosecution of both participants of the Syrian war and those who take oath to "Islamic State" in Russia. This was stated by lawyers Rasul Kadiev and Kirill Koroteev.

On December 29, the Russia's SC issued a decree on recognition of the international organizations "Islamic State" and "Jabhat al-Nusra" as terrorist and banned their activities in the territory of Russia. The lawsuit was filed by the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of the Russian Federation.

The SC's decision means that if someone declares himself a member of the "Islamic State" or expresses a desire to help this organization, it "will be automatically recognized by promotion of a terrorist organization," said the lawyer Rasul Kadiev.

At the same time, he noted that until now the people who have sworn to the "Islamic State" "are already in the underground"; therefore, in his opinion, the SC's was made "for the future."

In the opinion of Kirill Koroteev, a lawyer of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", the SC's decision "sets the direction for the actions of law enforcers." It is not entirely clear yet what practical benefit will be obtained as a result, the expert has stressed.

Various sources, including the Russian FSB, have confirmed that militants from Russia are fighting for the "Islamic State", says the document prepared by the "Caucasian Knot": "Caucasians in the ranks of IS (ISIL)".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.