Pensioner from Stavropol Fined for Justifying Terrorism

The court found a comment under the news about the death of blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a terrorist attack to be a justification of terrorism and sentenced a Stavropol pensioner to a fine of 320 thousand.

The Southern District Military Court sentenced 78-year-old pensioner from Stavropol Krai Larisa Kuznetsova to a fine of 320 thousand rubles in a case of justification of terrorism (part 2 of article 205.2 of the Criminal Code), the human rights project "OVD-Info"* reported today, citing representatives of the court.

The case against Kuznetsova was opened due to a comment on VKontakte under Mash's news about the arrest of Darya Trepova in the case of blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, the publication says.

The verdict was announced on August 25, as follows from the case file on the court's website, it was preceded by two hearings held a month apart

"Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote that a criminal case for justifying terrorism was opened against blogger and journalist from Kabardino-Balkaria Zalina Marshenkulova*. Sources reported that the reason for the case was her statements about the death of blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who died in an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg on April 2, 2023. According to investigators, Marshenkulova published posts justifying terrorism on Telegram no later than March 3, 2023, that is, a month before Tatarsky's death.

In the fall of 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice added Zalina Marshenkulova*, a journalist from Kabardino-Balkaria, accused of justifying terrorism, to the register of foreign agents, and Rosfinmonitoring added her to the list of terrorists and extremists. The inclusion of Marshenkulova* in the list of terrorists and extremists significantly limited her rights, including with respect to banking operations and real estate transactions, human rights activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" explained. On April 17, 2024, it became known that Zalina Marshenkulova* was placed on the federal wanted list. She appealed the arrest in absentia in the case of justifying terrorism, but the Moscow City Court upheld it. On August 6, 2024, it became known that Marshenkulova* was on the international wanted list.

* is included in the register of foreign agents.

** the activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) are prohibited in Russia.