The charges against a 70-year-old elderly man from Tatarstan have been reduced: from six to two posts on VKontakte.

Several publications have been removed from the charges against Fazyl Valiakhmetov, a 70-year-old elderly man from Tatarstan. His family members have reported this.

Valiakhmetov was originally accused of repeated “discreditation” of the Russian army (part 1, article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) because of five posts, and of “justifying terrorism online” (part 2, article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) because of one post on VKontakte.

A psychological and linguistic analysis found no signs of discrediting the armed forces in three of the posts. Another comment was not included in the final charges because it was published before the court decision in Valiakhmetov’s earlier administrative case for discrediting the army (article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) had come into force.

The charge of “justifying terrorism” was brought against Valiakhmetov for posting a video address by the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion to Russians. The only remaining episode under the “discreditation of the army” article concerns a post in Tatar. In this post, as translated into Russian, he wrote among other things: “…There is globalisation happening on the planet, borders are practically disappearing (for example, in Europe). Live where you want, buy land or a house, start your own business, etc. In fact, there’s no need to seize any country, to create new borders <…>, destroying cities and killing tens of thousands of people. That means ordinary people do not need this. This separate grief is only necessary for ‘politicians’ so they can show themselves off, boast about having done something, using the basest human instincts of scoundrels, while still remaining in power, playing with them.”

The investigation is complete, and the case will soon be handed over to the Central District Military Court.

Mailing address: 420111, Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Yapeeva Street, 16, Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Tatarstan, Fazyl Abdullovich Valiakhmetov, born 1955. Write via ‘Vestochka’

Valiakhmetov needs to raise 156,000 rubles (about US$1,670) to pay for a lawyer. Donations are open on Zaodno—a platform where you can safely support OVD-Info’s defendants directly. Support Fazyl!

• Fazyl Valiakhmetov is a resident of Karabash, a settlement in Tatarstan and a veteran of the Tatar national movement. In May 1991, he took part in a political hunger strike in Kazan (the capital of Tatarstan) for the region’s sovereignty and against holding Russian presidential elections in the republic. He also initiated the opening of a Tatar lyceum and magazine in Bugulma (a city in central Russia), and led the museum-library dedicated to repressed Tatar public figure Khadi Atlasi.
• In December 2024, his home was searched and the elderly man himself was placed in a pre-trial detention centre (SIZO), despite suffering from Stage 3 hypertension—a medical condition that is supposed to prevent detention.