A court in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya sentenced a teenager on February 27 to 3 1/2 years in prison and 300 hours of community work for publicly burning a Koran. Nikita Zhuravel, 19, who set fire to a Koran in the Russian city of Volgograd, was found guilty of "insulting believers' feelings" and "religious hatred-based hooliganism." In August, video showing Adam Kadyrov, the 15-year-old son of Chechnya's authoritarian ruler Ramzan Kadyrov, beating Zhuravel while in custody caused public outrage. Rights defenders have questioned the legality of Zhuravel's trial being held in mostly Muslim-populated Chechnya instead of the Volgograd region, where the incident took place. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities, click here.
Court In Chechnya Sentences Teenager To More Than 3 Years In Prison For Burning Koran
Nikita Zhuravel (file photo)