Uzbek community leader in Moscow faces ‘incitement of hatred’ probe

Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation against the leader of the Uzbek community in Moscow, Usman Baratov, on suspicion of inciting hatred, the Russian Investigations Committee said on Thursday in a post on its Telegram channel.

It said Baratov had been detained and brought to the Committee’s Moscow department “so that investigative measures can be conducted” as part of a probe under the criminal article on “incitement of hatred or hostility or insulting human dignity”.

It added that the Committee was also working on identifying “other persons involved in the crime”.

The report said the investigation was linked to a December social media post by Baratov and “others” that “humiliates the dignity of a group of Russian Federation citizens”, including participants in “the special military operation”.

In another post on Friday, the Committee said a court has ordered Baratov to be placed in pre-trial detention.

It added that Baratov denied the accusation.

The punishment for the offence ranges from a hefty fine to up to six years in jail.

According to Russian media reports, Baratov’s post in question was reported to the authorities by “Russian military correspondents” – pro-war bloggers.

Reports say the post appeared on Baratov’s page on the Odnoklassniki social media platform. A reaction to the recent hike in egg prices in Russia, it featured a picture of hens with words “We are giving you no eggs! Bring the cockerels back from the front.”

It is reported that Baratov has expressed regret about “the satirical picture of hens, which was posted without any intention of insulting SMO [special military operation] participants”.

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