Mahmud Velitov
Mahmud Velitov, born 1951, Moscow. Charges: Article 205.1 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Assisting to or financing terrorist activities through an official position); “Mahmud Velitov case”. Sentence (April 27, 2017): Three years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony. Status: at large. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, September 28, 2017; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, September 9, 2017.
In brief
Moscow · Moscow · Religious figures · Terrorism cases, Cases against Hizb ut-Tahrir
Sentence
3 years
Three years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony
Upheld July 31, 2017
Charges
- Article 205.1 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Assisting to or financing terrorist activities through an official position
Full wording of the charges
"knowing that the organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami is recognised as a terrorist organisation .... and also possessing information about the active activities of a member of this organisation, Gappaev", delivered a Friday sermon in the mosque "containing ideas of propaganda of the doctrine of political Islam (the basis of the doctrine of this organisation), the need to build a theocratic state on the basis of Sharia as the only possible solution to the problems of Muslims, as well as approving and justifying the activities of Gappaev as a member of this terrorist organisation, i.e. publicly justified terrorism"
Latest event
May 17, 2023 — removed from the rosfinmonitoring list
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, September 28, 2017
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial Human Rights Centre, September 9, 2017
Timeline
· Removed from the Rosfinmonitoring list
· Persecution ends
· Imprisonment ends
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Pre-trial Detention Centre №2 (SIZO-2) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation for the Vologda Oblast
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 3 years
· Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Preventive measure: house arrest
· Persecution begins
Mahmud Velitov case
Criminal case
Mahmud Velitov case
Details and sources
Full summary
On 11 July 2016, Velitov was stopped by a traffic police officer and offered to go to his car, where a man in civilian clothes was sitting, who told Velitov that skinheads were preparing an assassination attempt on him and he should not go home. Velitov followed the stranger and ended up in the criminal investigation building, where he was charged with calling for terrorism using the Internet or mass media. He was placed under house arrest. On 12 February 2017, at the end of the investigation, he was released on his own recognisance. Velitov was placed under house arrest. On 21 February 2017, at the end of the investigation, he was released on his own recognisance, mitigating the charge (justification of terrorism without using the internet or media). On 28 April 2017, he was sentenced to three years in a general regime penal colony.
On 13 July 2017, the lawyer reported that Velitov was hospitalised in the hospital at the pre-trial detention centre with heart complaints.
On 1 August 2017, the appeal court upheld the sentence.
In September 2019, Velitov was released from prison.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 205.1 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.