Resident of Dagestan convicted for spreading fakes about Russian Army

The Khasavyurt City Court has found Shakhban Abakargadjiev, a Khasavyurt resident, guilty of spreading fake news about the Russian Army and sentenced him to five years of freedom deprivation, but then commuted his sentence.

The above court has first sentenced him to five years in jail, but then resorted to a more lenient sanction – three years of correctional labour with a three-year ban on administering Internet websites, the human rights project "OVD Info"* has reported.

Shakhban has posted his comments in an open Instagram* page about Ukrainian civilians killed in the Kyiv Region. The court found that Abakargadjiev, "out of falsely understood public interests, decided to publicly disseminate deliberately false information under the guise of reliable reports," with the intent to create a negative attitude towards the actions of Russian militaries in the territory of Ukraine.

In court, Shakhban admitted his guilt and explained that he had placed his posts "in a fit of anger after his deceased nephew was brought from Ukraine."

The court has agreed to commute his sentence due to the fact that he and his wife are jobless, but are raising two minor children. It is also noted that the man had no previous convictions; he cooperated with the investigation and has positive characteristics.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.