Dagestan: pensioner fined for discrediting Russian militaries

The court has fined Khadis Gazimagomedov, a 63-year-old pensioner from Dagestan, by 15,000 roubles for posting pacifist photos in a social network.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 4, 2022, liability for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces was introduced, after which residents of Russian regions began being prosecuted under this article. It provides for a maximum penalty for citizens in the form of a fine of up 50,000 roubles, but a repeated violation within a year threatens with criminal prosecution, lawyers have explained. On January 8, it became known that a Makhachkala court had fined a local resident, Temirlan Shakhpazov, for his post in a social network that was treated as discrediting the Russian Army.

The Levashin District Court of Dagestan has informed in its website that Gazimagomedov had posted photos with pacifist appeals in the social network, "which is a deliberate act aimed at undermining the authority of the Russian Armed Forces."

The man has pleaded guilty and repented of his deed. He asked to impose a minimum fine on him, referring to the fact that he has no income other than his pension, and is also registered with a psychiatrist. The court took into account the mitigating circumstances and fined Gazimagomedov by 15,000 roubles.