Russian student sentenced to 19 years for mosque attack plot amid alleged torture
A 19-year-old university student received a 19-year prison term for planning a terrorist attack on a mosque, and his family says he was beaten and bound after refusing to give officers his iPhone passcode.
The Second Western District Military Court sentenced 19-year-old Dmitry Bokov, a student at the Russian State University for the Humanities, to 19 years in prison for a planned terrorist attack on a mosque. He was found guilty under multiple criminal code articles for terrorist training, preparing to join a terrorist organization, weapons offenses and preparing the attack. Prosecutors said he attempted to join the outlawed far-right “White Power” movement and treated his participation in a weapons-education session at Patriot Park, self-defence lessons run by the Chistota initiative, and driving courses as terrorist training.
The case hinged on a smartphone seized during a search, which his family says did not belong to him. His father alleges that when Bokov refused to reveal the iPhone’s passcode, officers repeatedly shocked his leg with a stun gun, bound his hands with a field-telephone cable, and warned him not to mention the abuse, yet he spent the entire pre-trial period in detention rather than house arrest.
Why it matters
The case highlights Russia's severe terrorism penalties and alleged police torture, raising concerns about human rights and judicial fairness.
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