USA: Tatar activist on trial over praise for Orlando nightclub massacre
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 30 January 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, USA: Tatar activist on trial over praise for Orlando nightclub massacre, 30 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a4bea.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 30, 2017
Tatar activist Ramil Ibragimov in court on January 30.
A youth activist in Russia's Tatarstan region is being tried on terror-related charges over a social-media post praising the killing of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida last year.
The Volga Regional Military Court in the city of Samara started hearing Ramil Ibragimov's case on January 30.
Ibragimov, the head of Tatarstan's Union of the Young Leaders of Innovations, was charged with "public calls for terrorism and justifying terrorist activities" over a June 14 Instagram post supporting the killing of people it referred to as "fags."
In very vulgar language, the post expressed regret that dozens of injured people who survived the shooting "did not croak."
The post came two days after Omar Mateen, an American with Afghan roots, fatally shot 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Mateen, who was killed by police at the scene, pledged allegiance to the extremist group Islamic State (IS) during the attack.
In his Instagram post, Ibragimov called Mateen "a straight Afghan fella."
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
