02:54, 19 July 2016

Said Osmanov's actions contain elements of administrative offence only, his advocate asserts

Said Osmanov in the courtroom. Photo: http://asiarussia.ru/news/12764/

The criminal charges brought against Dagestani athlete Said Osmanov in the case on desecration of a statue of Buddha in Elista are unfounded. Witnesses do not confirm that Said Osmanov had publicly scolded a statue of Buddha sacred for Buddhist. The athlete could be prosecuted for disorderly conduct in connection with the use of bad language in a public place, believes his advocate Murad Velikhanov.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night of April 2, Said Osmanov, a member of the Dagestani team in Greco-Roman wrestling, was detained on suspicion of vandalizing a statue of Buddha in Elista. The athlete faces up to three years of imprisonment.

The incident that resulted in the initiation of criminal proceedings occurred on April 1, when the Dagestani athletes, who arrived in Elista to take part in a freestyle wrestling tournament, visited a Buddhist temple. There, they started a Periscope-broadcast, in which they used bad language while speaking of the architecture monuments, which were of great significance for Buddhists. Residents of Elista, who had watched the video, arrived at the hotel where the athlete stayed and forced him outside. In the street, they forced him on his knees to make public apology.

At the court session held on July 18, the witnesses did not confirm that Said Osmanov had somehow desecrated the statue of Buddha. They said that they heard from him only cursing.

When commenting on the results of the court hearing to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, advocate Murad Velikhanov has noted that none of the prosecution witnesses has directly testified that he saw or heard that while using bad language, Said Osmanov addressed the statue of Buddha.

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

Author: Patimat Makhmudova

Source: CK correspondent