Nikita Zhuravel is a political prisoner

He has been accused of hooliganism and insulting religious feelings in a Quran-burning case

The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Nikita Zhuravel a political prisoner. He is being prosecuted under articles on insulting religious feelings and hooliganism in connection with an anonymous video of a Quran burning. Zhuravel’s persecution violates his rights to fair trial, protection from torture, and inhuman treatment.

We demand an end to Nikita Zhuravel’s prosecution and his immediate release.

What is the case against Nikita Zhuravel?

On 19 May 2023, a video with a burning Quran and a mosque in the background appeared on the Telegram channel Morning Dagestan. The video caused outrage among Muslims. Some Muslim clerics as well as Chechen officials called for finding and punishing the desecrator of the holy book.

On 20 May, security service officers detained Nikita Zhuravel, a student at a pedagogical university in Volgograd, in the case of insulting religious feelings (Article 148, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code). A video of Zhuravel, lying in handcuffs and saying that he had burnt the Quran as instructed by Ukraine, appeared on the Internet. He had been allegedly promised to be paid 10,000 roubles for this.

On 21 May, the head of Russia’s investigative committee Bastrykin handed over Zhuravel’s case to Chechnya, stating that many residents of the region consider themselves victims. Zhuravel was met outside a Grozny pre-trial detention centre by a crowd with placards demanding the death penalty.

In August, a 15-year-old son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov beat the detainee in a cell. Later, the father posted a video of Zhuravel’s beating on the Internet and wrote that he was proud of his son’s act.

At the end of September 2023, it became known that Zhuravel was also charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred (Article 213, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code).

Since October 2023, Zhuravel’s case has been pending before a court in Chechnya.

Why do we consider Nikita Zhuravel a political prisoner?

The public burning of the Quran is certainly provocative and deserves condemnation.

At the same time, we have every reason to doubt that it was Zhuravel who had burnt the Quran. Although the video had no indication of authorship, the suspect was detained the day after it was published.

The claim that Zhuravel set fire to a copy of Islam’s holy book and at the same time carried out surveillance of military facilities in Russia on the instructions of the Ukrainian security services seems dubious. It is likely that Russian security service officers obtained his ‘confession’, not corresponding to reality, by means of pressure.

Regardless of who exactly burnt the Quran, their actions, in our view, should be qualified as public desecration of religious literature (Article 5.26, Part 2, of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences), i.e. an administrative offence, not a criminal one. In our opinion, qualifying Zhuravel’s alleged actions as hooliganism is all the more unlawful.

The transfer of Zhuravel to the pre-trial detention centre in Chechnya contradicts the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. The admission of unauthorised persons to the centre and the beating of Zhuravel, endorsed by the head of Chechnya, are blatant violations which should be investigated.

Further information about this case and the position of the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project is available on our website.

Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with or approves of their views, statements, or actions.

How can you help?

You can write a letter at the following address:

In Russian: 364037, Чеченская Республика, г. Грозный, ул. Кунта-Хаджи Кишиева, 2, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по ЧР, Журавелю Никите Сергеевичу, 2004 г. р.

In English: Nikita Sergeevich Zhuravel (born 2004), Remand Prison No. 1, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service for the Chechen Republic, 2 Kunta-Khadzhi Kishieva Street, Grozny 364037, Russia.

You can also send an electronic letter via F-pismo.ru or Rosuznik if you use Russian bank services and via PrisonMail if you use other banks.

Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the recipient.

You can donate to support all political prisoners on our website.