In their opinion, the defendant does not deserve leniency.
On Tuesday, 7 May, the jury announced its verdict in the case of anti-war activist Zulfiya Sitdikova from Kazan, who is accused of “rehabilitating Nazism” and repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces. The basis for this were posters with the slogans “9th Way” and “No to War.”
A panel of eight jurors found Sitdikova “guilty” and “not deserving of leniency.” About an hour passed from the time the jury was removed to the deliberation room until the verdict was announced. At the same time, as Idel.Realii learned, that on the eve of 6 May, one of the jurors dropped out of the trial and was replaced by an assessor “from the bench.”
The Supreme Court of Tatarstan has been considering the case of Zulfiya Sitdikova on its merits since 18 April. During this time, the Republican Clinical Anti-Turbeculosis Dispensary managed to refuse the woman hospitalization and a comprehensive examination, despite the referral she had. Later, the Tatarstan branch of the Yabloko party found out that Sitdikova’s refusal was acting. The chief physician of the RKPD, Alexey Nikitin, worked most of his career in hospitals at correctional institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service.
Formally, the trial was adversarial, but the judge decided what evidence was or was not shown to the jury. Idel.Realii learned, that because of this, the defence side, in particular, was unable to provide a review of an independent specialist on the psychological and linguistic examination involved in the case, and, in addition, interrogate this very court specialist.
As our publication has already reported, Kazan security forces have been persecuting anti-war activist Zulfiya Sitdikova since 2022. In the summer of 2022, she was fined for “discrediting” the army because of a sweater with the inscription “No war”, in which she came to Oleg Gazmanov’s concert.
In September of the same year, Sitdikova’s house (as a witness) was searched as part of a criminal case for “justification of terrorism” (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The security forces were unable to find any evidence of the activist’s involvement in this case.
On 28 April 2023, Sitdikova, along with another Kazan activist, was detained in Uritsky Park. She allegedly attempted to hold a rally at the monument to soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War. A piece of paper was confiscated from Sitdikova, on which a number and letters were pasted – “9 way”. This is one of two posters, which later formed the basis of charges under articles of “repeated discrediting of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation” and “rehabilitation of Nazism.”
On 16 May 2023, another search was carried out in Sitdikova’s apartment, seizing several mobile phones and personal belongings as part of a criminal case about “repeated discrediting of the Russian army” brought against another Tatarstan resident, Pavel Chumakov. On 4 July, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan declared this search illegal.
However, by that time, a criminal case was already being prepared against Sitdikova. The second basis for bringing the activist to criminal responsibility was a photograph from the Internet, in which a poster with the inscription “No to war” lies near the Eternal Flame (presumably in Kazan Victory Park). The security forces also attribute holding the action and posting photographs on the Internet to Sitdikova.
The initiation of a criminal case became possible thanks to the conclusion of specialists – linguist Ekaterina Palekha and psychologist Anastasia Kasimova from the Kazan Interregional Centre of Expertise. It was they who found in the two slogans, among other things, “signs of a negative assessment of the USSR armed forces activities” and “humiliation of the part in and dignity of veterans of the Great Patriotic War.” Later, they conducted a comprehensive psychological and linguistic forensic examination of the case, seeing in the actions attributed to Sitdikova also the “rehabilitation of Nazism.”
At the same time, Palekha, with whom the “Idel.Realii” correspondent entered into correspondence, unofficially admitted that “discrediting” the army in cases like the Sitdikova case can only be “pulled by the ears.”
When familiarizing themselves with the case materials, Sitdikova and her lawyer learned about the existence of three classified witnesses in the case. The first testified at the end of November 2023, the second at the end of December, and the third on January 4, 2024.
The court plans to announce Sitdikova’s final verdict on 13 May.
