“Calls for desertion” were assessed at three years in prison – Kommersant Kazan

Blogger and designer of Muslim clothing from Kazan, Parvina Abuzarova, was sentenced to three years in prison. According to the FSB, she published a post on social networks with “calls for the desertion of Russian military personnel” participating in the special operation. Her actions were regarded as a threat to Russia’s security. The blogger herself did not admit her guilt and in court demanded compensation from the intelligence service for the search in her apartment. Human rights activists call Parvina Abuzarova a political prisoner.

The Novo-Savinovsky District Court of Kazan sentenced blogger Parvinakhan Abuzarova (on social networks she calls herself Parvina) to three years in a general regime colony. Kommersant-Kazan was informed about this by the press service of the court. The girl was found guilty under paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Art. 280.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for activities directed against the security of the state on the Internet). The decision was made by judge Maxim Khramov on September 11.

Parvina Abuzarova is a blogger and designer of Muslim clothing. Her Instagram page (belongs to Meta, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation and is banned) has more than 80 thousand subscribers. The girl mainly writes on the topics of Islam, as well as fashion, psychology, and posts poetry.

In a scientific article by the Center for Islamic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan on women’s Muslim activism in the republic (published in 2021), it was noted that Parvina Abuzarova “before the birth of her second child, she was actively involved in her clothing brand (Parvini one), which began as sportswear for Muslim women,” and then began to develop the “investment theme” and launched the “culinary studio project.” “Her activities are an example of how a Muslim woman can run a business and various projects that are aimed at a wide audience,” the publication said.

In March 2023, Parvina Abuzarova wrote on social networks that on February 14, her apartment was searched. She complained that she was then not allowed to call her lawyer and her mobile phone was taken away. Later, the woman was taken to an investigator, where, according to Ms. Abuzarova, she was told that she could be imprisoned for her posts in support of Ukraine.

“As I understand it, I am suspected of terrorism! In what way do I look like a terrorist to treat me like that!” — the blogger wrote then.

She associated the search with pressure from her ex-husband, who is allegedly “in conspiracy with the local authorities.”

On March 31, the FSB department for Tatarstan announced the detention of Parvina Abuzarova. According to the intelligence service, she published on social networks “calls for the desertion of Russian military personnel taking part in a special military operation in Ukraine.” The FSB emphasized that the woman initially admitted her guilt, but then stopped appearing when called by the investigator, after which she was put on the wanted list and detained in another apartment. Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan concluded Ms. Abuzarova under house arrest. The post itself, because of which a criminal case was opened, is now unavailable on the girl’s page.

The trial of the blogger started on August 7 in the Novo-Savinovsky District Court. At the first meeting, the girl declared her innocence. By data regional media, she asked the court to prosecute the employees who carried out the search in the apartment and to recover 15 million rubles from the FSB.

Human rights project “Support for political prisoners. Memorial (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation, replaced by the Memorial human rights center after its liquidation) called Parvina Abuzarova a political prisoner, considering that the criminal prosecution “violates her right to freedom of expression.”

Kommersant-Kazan was unable to find out whether Parvina Abuzarova will appeal the district court’s verdict. The phone number of her lawyer Anna Yarullina was unavailable.

Art. 280.4 appeared in the Criminal Code in July 2022 after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. Part 2 of this article provides for both imprisonment from 3 to 6 years and a more lenient punishment. For example, the court could impose a fine on a woman of 300 thousand rubles. up to 1 million rubles

Kirill Antonov