A Tajik citizen was accused of insulting the Russian army

A court in Novosibirsk sentenced Tajik citizen Dalerjon Achilov in a case concerning the “dissemination of false information about the Russian army.”

According to Russian media, the Kalininsky District Court of Novosibirsk found the Tajik national guilty of spreading “fake news” about the Russian army.

According to the investigation, Dalerjon Achilov worked as a butcher in a shopping center in Novosibirsk. From February 2022 to March 2024, the man publicly expressed false information about the goals, methods, and progress of the “special military operation,” as well as the actions of the President of the Russian Federation, on the premises of two shopping centers in Novosibirsk, the report states.

Achilov was also accused of insulting Russian women.

According to media reports, the accusation was prompted by a complaint from one of the saleswomen, whose son is fighting in Ukraine. She claimed that Achilov expressed hatred towards Russians and insulted the Armed Forces of Russia.

However, as noted by lawyer Natalia Vorontsova, most witnesses were unable to confirm the timing or content of such statements. Moreover, the owner of the shop where the accused worked supported Achilov.

The verdict was announced on January 16, 2025.

The court found the Tajik citizen guilty under paragraph “d” of part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation motivated by political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred) and paragraph “b” of Article 213 (hooliganism motivated by political hatred) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

However, the human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” considers Dalerjon Achilov a political prisoner. According to the project’s authors, initially no one, except for the informant, confirmed her claims about Achilov’s insults and aggressive behavior.

According to the police, Achilov’s actions did not constitute a crime.

The case against him was only initiated after the terrorist attack at “Krokus City Hall.”

According to human rights defenders, he became a victim of an anti-migrant campaign launched by Russian authorities against individuals from Tajikistan. It is unclear why, if Achilov indeed used obscene language, he was not subjected to administrative liability rather than criminal liability.