A Dagestani resident has been accused of publicly justifying terrorism.

Statements made in the presence of others in 2024 have become the basis for the criminal prosecution of a resident of the Derbent district of Dagestan. The man faces up to five years in prison.

The article on public calls for terrorist activity, justification of terrorism, or its propaganda (Part 1 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code) carries a sentence of two to five years in prison.

According to investigators, in June 2024, a man in the Derbent district of the republic "publicly expressed his views among a group of people." Law enforcement officers found in his statements "statements aimed at justifying the terrorist activity" of an international organization banned in the Russian Federation.

The man "supported the ideology of terrorism" and "disseminated information among those present that formed a belief in the permissibility of terrorist activity," the Investigative Committee's official Telegram channel reported today.

The report does not specify the circumstances under which the described performances took place or how many people were present. It also does not provide information about the defendant's age, occupation, or the measure of restraint chosen for him.

The case has been sent to the prosecutor for approval of the charges, after which it will go to court, the agency noted. It is not specified whether the man admitted his guilt.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that courts in southern Russia regularly sentence local residents to prison terms for social media posts under the article justifying terrorism via the internet. Thus, in April, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Dagestani resident Ramazan Musayev, finding him guilty of inciting terrorism for publishing materials endorsing the activities of militants. It is impossible to determine the actual number of such convictions, as not all cases justifying terrorism are included in public court records.