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Ali Yakupov

At largeChecked against the source: September 5, 2026, 6:09 AM
Criminal Code
Article 282 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Case category
Extremism cases
Region
Kurgan OblastPenza Oblast
City
Kurgan, village of Srednyaya Elyuzan

Case summary

On 21 June 2013, officers of the Department of Internal Affairs detained the imam-hatib of the mosque in the village of Srednaya Elyuzan, Penza region, Ali Yakupov. A criminal case was opened against Yakupov under part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement to hatred or enmity) and part 1 of article 280 (public calls for extremist activities). 280 (public calls for extremist activities). The cause for this was the statement of the residents of Gorodishchensky district, who accused the imam of calling for the extermination of Jews and the establishment of the supremacy of Islam in the land of Palestine. On 25 June 2013, the defendant was placed under house arrest. In 2014 the case was returned from the court to the prosecutor's office, then in April 2015 it was resumed, but only under part 1. art. 282 of the Criminal Code. On 8 November 2016, the case was closed due to unjustified prosecution, and the prosecutor's office apologised to Yakupov.

On 19 January 2016, a case under part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code was opened against Yakupov, who at that time was the imam of the Kurgan mosque. According to the investigation, on the night of 5 November 2015, Yakupov left a comment on the material published on VKontakte about the fact that Muslim women in China are not allowed to wear the hijab, in which he predicted "heavenly punishments" to the Chinese Communists. During a search of Yakupov's home, materials listed as extremist were seized, which the imam said he had brought home from the mosque to destroy. Yakupov also stated that the comment had been left on the Internet by hackers, not him.

On 25 April 2017, the court acquitted Yakupov, but on 22 June, the court of second instance overturned the decision and sent the case for a new trial. On 27 November Yakupov was acquitted again.

Others charged under Article 282 part 1, Russian Criminal Code

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Source: this person’s record in the OVD-Info political persecution database

Published under CC BY 3.0. The criteria for treating a person as politically persecuted belong to OVD-Info; FACTUM relays their assessment and makes none of its own.

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