Three men to stand trial in Stavropol for desecrating the Eternal Flame
A criminal case against Islam Terloev, Alikhan Maashaev and Abdul Avtorkhanov has been submitted to the Stavropol Regional Court for consideration. They are accused of desecrating symbols of military glory by a group of people (Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code).
On March 1, 2024, while at the Eternal Glory obelisk in Nevinnomyssk, three young men walked along the pedestal of the Eternal Flame, repeatedly holding the soles of their shoes to the flame, one of them spat into the flame, and the fourth filmed their actions on his phone. Avtorkhanov was detained and, after being charged, taken into custody. Terloev and Maashaev were put on the wanted list.
As the Sova Research Center notes, the behavior of the young people deserves public censure. However, criminal prosecution is only justified in the case of crimes that pose a significant danger to society.
"At the same time, "desecration" of monuments, even if this term is understood not only as direct damage to them, in cases of increased public danger is subject to punishment under Art. 214 of the Criminal Code (vandalism). Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code provides for an even more severe punishment for desecration of symbols of military glory, which seems to us disproportionate to the degree of public danger of the act. In addition, the status of a symbol of military glory is currently legislatively enshrined only in the St. George ribbon," Sova notes.
