On April 1, groups of athletes left Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and other republics North Caucasus for freestyle wrestling competitions in the Republic of Kalmykia. One of the athletes of the Dagestan team, walking along Elista, desecrated a Buddhist datsan. He put his feet in there, spat, and finally took a little pee there. All this was filmed on the phone and broadcast in the famous social network Periscope. On the this moment The video has been removed from public use. The indignant locals, who learned about this, surrounded the hotel and demanded to extradite the defiler. While he was not given out, several new cars with Dagestan numbers were burned, passing through Kalmykia. A double-decker bus was smashed with stones.
On the night of April 1-2, 2016, the duty station of Elista received a message that a mass domestic conflict between companies of young people had occurred in the city center. On the spot, the police found that athletes from the Republic of Dagestan, who came to the republican competitions in freestyle wrestling, participated in the conflict. Currently, the instigator of the conflict has been detained and taken to the police station for further investigation. Other Dagestan and Chechen athletes, as part of five teams, accompanied by police officers, left the region. Judging from discussions on the Internet, athletes spoke unflatteringly about architectural monuments with religious significance. The minister for physical education and Sports of the Republic of Dagestan Magomed Magomedov and Prime Minister of Dagestan Abdusamad Gamidov. “Residents of Elista, who saw the video, arrived at the hotel where the athlete was staying, dragged him out into the street, put him on his knees and forced him to publicly apologize. The athlete uttered the words of apology, but immediately depicted obscene gesture. The further development of the conflict was stopped by the police who arrived at the scene”, The heads of the republics also called.
A young man who became the instigator of the conflict faces an article for insulting religious feelings.
Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan Abdusamad Gamidov, in the presence of the head of the Republic of Kalmykia Alexei Orlov and media representatives, apologized to the people of Kalmykia for the act of vandalism committed by the sportsman of Dagestan the day before. “Our peoples have always lived as good neighbors. Thousands of Dagestanis live peacefully next to the Kalmyk people. They live together, work, respecting the religious and spiritual values ​​of our fraternal people. Therefore, we would like to offer a deep apology. The actions of some young people are a disgrace to our republic as a whole. We assure you that this fact will not go unpunished. To date, the coach of the national team, who brought our guys to freestyle wrestling competitions in Elista, has already been fired. This is another reason for us to pay attention to the education of the younger generation so that such incidents do not occur in the future.

The first hearing in the high-profile case took place on July 4. The court interrogated a number of witnesses, most of whom claimed that they had not seen the very process of Osmanov's desecration of the Buddha statue. In his last statement, the defendant pleaded not guilty and claimed that he "did not know about the religious sanctity of the statue." During the debate, the public prosecutor requested that he be sentenced to three and a half years in prison. In turn, the lawyers insisted on the innocence of the client and requested that he be released from custody on bail of 150,000 rubles.

By the verdict of the Elista city court, Osmanov was found guilty of committing crimes under articles 148 and 282 of the Criminal Code of Russia. Under the article "Violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion," he was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of one year without restriction of freedom. Under the article "Inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity" - one year and six months. By partial addition of punishments, two years without restriction of freedom were finally appointed. In accordance with Article 73 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the imposed sentence is considered suspended with a probationary period of one year, ”Delyas Yessenova, an official representative of the city court, told RG.

The verdict did not enter into force, as the law provides for a ten-day period for its appeal.

Recall that on the night of April 1-2, a Dagestan athlete who arrived in Elista for the All-Russian tournament in Greco-Roman wrestling named after Oka Gorodovikov, after dinner, together with other athletes, I went to a Buddhist temple. There he imitated power moves against the statue of the saint. He shared his act in Periscope.

Hundreds of angry residents of Elista, who saw this video, arrived at the hotel where they were staying. They found the wrestler, took him outside and forced him to apologize. Police squads intervened in the case, which saved the man from an angry mob. The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, and the chairman of the government, Abdusamad Gamidov, apologized to the people of Kalmykia. In addition, the Minister of Sports of the Republic, Magomed Magomedov, was reprimanded for the incident in Elista, and the coach of the wrestling team was fired.

A person who defiles a shrine deserves compassion and prayerful help, because he does not know that by his actions he harms himself, his loved ones, his people, - said the head of the Buddhists of Kalmykia, Shajin Lama Telo Tulku Rinpoche, regarding the incident.

Members of the monastic community of the Central Khurul of Kalmykia "Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni" performed a ritual of purification of the statue. It was attended by about a thousand people. Residents and monks cleaned the territory adjacent to the temple, painted the base of the rotunda, covered the statue itself with new paint and gold leaf.

09:38 — REGNUM The reaction of Dagestanis to the events that took place in Elista on April 1 initially came down to condemning the actions Dagestan athlete who allegedly desecrated a Buddha statue. But after the events in Elista became overgrown with new details, demands for an impartial investigation of the incident began to be heard from Dagestan.

Apology Parade

Recall that on April 1 there was a resonant incident, which has become the main topic in Dagestan over the past ten days. An athlete from Dagestan who went to the freestyle wrestling tournament in Elista Said Osmanov was detained for desecrating a statue of Buddha in the city center. A criminal case has been initiated against him. But before the arrest, a crowd of indignant citizens forced him to apologize and kneel in front of the statue.

When information appeared in the media and social networks that a Dagestani had defiled a Buddha statue, the leadership of Dagestan reacted instantly. Already on April 2, a few hours after the incident, the chairman of the government of Dagestan urgently left for Elista Abdusamad Gamidov and on behalf of all the inhabitants of the republic apologized to the Kalmyk people. Hamidov said that the wrestler's coach had already been suspended from work. Following Hamidov, on April 4, the head of the republic made an official apology on behalf of the Dagestanis Ramazan Abdulatipov, while saying that a reprimand was issued to the Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of Dagestan Magomed Magomedov for improper educational work with athletes. And on April 6, at the extended board of the Ministry of Sports of Dagestan with the participation of Prime Minister Abdusamad Gamidov, representatives of law enforcement agencies and the clergy, they again condemned the act of Said Osmanov and talked about the need to prevent deterioration of relations between fraternal peoples.

Although on highest level unanimously condemned the wrestler's actions, the Dagestan coaches, whose work was criticized by the authorities and the public, stated that the case was not quite the way it was described in the federal media. First spoke Anvar Magomedgadzhiev- trainer sports club named after Gamid Gamidov, where Osmanov trains.

According to the Novoye Delo newspaper, at the collegium of the ministry, he said that the athlete, although guilty, did not do everything that he was charged with. Opinions were also voiced there that it was not worth apologizing on behalf of all Dagestanis for the act of one person. To this, the chairman of the government replied that 25 thousand Dagestanis live in Kalmykia and that a large number of Dagestanis pass through the territory of the republic every day. Hamidov stressed that the apologies were made to prevent interethnic conflict.

The idea that apologies should have been brought not from all Dagestanis, but from specific perpetrators, was also expressed by others. Yes, a journalist Timur Jafarov writes on his Facebook page: “I don’t understand why they apologize “on behalf of the Dagestan people.” This means from me personally ... I did not offend anyone. Or do we have the principle of collective responsibility?

Who is responsible for suicide?

The assessment of what happened by Dagestani public opinion was influenced by the versions expressed by friends and relatives of Said Osmanov. According to them, the athlete did not enter the temple and did not desecrate the statue, but only obscene language took place, and the athlete and his comrades did not know that the monument was a statue of Buddha and the Kalmyks worship him.

The Dagestani newspaper Novoe Delo conducted its own investigation into the incident. According to the publication, the young man depicted in the photo spread on the network, who touched the face of the statue with his foot, is not Said Osmanov. In any case, according to the newspaper, the photo in question was published at least four months ago, long before these events. In addition, what is shown in the photo takes place indoors, and the statue of Buddha, with which the scandalous incident was associated, is located in the park.

The publication also draws attention to the fact that, in fact, lynching was carried out over Said Osmanov with the connivance of the police. This is noticeable in the video, where Osmanov is kneeling in front of the crowd, he is pulled by people in civilian clothes, and uniformed police officers simply stand still. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kalmykia did not answer the official request of the editors whether measures would be taken against the police for inaction in this episode, according to Novoye Delo.

After all these circumstances became known, calls began to be heard in Dagestan to judge the athlete according to the law, not following the lead of public opinion. With a request to contribute to a fair assessment of the actions of an athlete to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika appealed State Duma deputy from Dagestan Umakhan Umakhanov. In a letter to the Prosecutor General, he writes that, in fact, a collective lynching with moral humiliation of the dignity of a citizen was committed over the perpetrator of this incident.

“I believe that our general federal legislation should be impartial and should equally apply to all participants in this conflict. The inaction of law enforcement officers, who allowed the crowd to freely humiliate the human dignity of a citizen of the Russian Federation, cannot be left without a legal assessment. All those who took part in the collective lynching of a citizen should receive a legal assessment, ”the letter says.

Difficult past

Some Dagestan commentators argue that the leadership of the republic, which actively reacted to what happened on April 1, did not show due activity in connection with other events in Kalmykia. Thus, there were many reminders on the net about how in 2014 in Elista, unknown people threw a Molotov cocktail into a Muslim prayer room, and that for several decades the Muslims of Kalmykia did not receive permission from the authorities to build a mosque in Elista. Dagestanis also recall an incident that occurred in 2001, when an act of hooliganism was committed in a mosque in the village of Prikumsky. The temple was closed after this incident. In 2005, an almost completed mosque was destroyed in the village of Sadovoe.

Relations between the two republics are also affected by disputes over 100,000 hectares of land in the Lagansky district of Kalmykia, which are used by Dagestanis. Dagestan farms appeared in Kalmykia in 1954, when the Kalmyks were in Siberian exile. For 19 mountain farms of Dagestan in Kalmykia, lands for distant pastures were allocated. Since 1957, the Kalmyk ASSR was restored, but the relations of the republic with land tenants - Dagestan farms were not formalized. It was only in the early 2000s that contracts with land tenants began to be drawn up. The lease of pastures on the territory of Kalmykia was extended by intergovernmental treaties and agreements between the two republics.

In 2011, the leadership of Kalmykia decided to return the "distant" lands to the republic, but the Dagestan leadership insisted on keeping the government acts in force, according to which this land was transferred to mining enterprises for unlimited use. Former President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov in a letter to the head of Kalmykia Alexey Orlov wrote about the resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of 1954 and 1955, according to which the seasonal pastures of the state fund were transferred to Dagestan for unlimited use.

As a result, the Dagestan farms remained on the territory of Kalmykia. In 2012, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Kalmykia. The agreement extends the lease of "Lagan" lands. However, the leadership of Kalmykia in every possible way renounces this, stating that the agreement does not contain a clause on lands.

Officials in Kalmykia periodically draw attention to violations of the so-called "principle of transhumance" by Dagestanis, arguing that cattle are kept on pastures all year round, while it is allowed to keep them there only from October to May. In these territories, it is also impossible to build stationary capital buildings, however, this prohibition is also ignored by Dagestan livestock breeders, they say in Elista.

The real shock was caused by the behavior of one of the participants in the freestyle wrestling tournament in Kalmykia. The incident took place in Elista on the night of Saturday, April 2. The 22-year-old athlete, in his spare time from the competition, together with his teammates went to a Buddhist temple, relieved himself there and kicked a Buddha statue in the nose. He shared his act on the social network Periscope.

Residents of Elista, who saw this video, arrived at the hotel where the athlete was staying and forced him to apologize, putting him on his knees. The development of the conflict was stopped by the police who arrived at the scene. A resident of Dagestan was detained and taken to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Because of this incident, the freestyle wrestling tournament had to be cancelled.

On April 4, the Elista city court decided to detain a 22-year-old Dagestani wrestler. In a relationship young man a criminal case was initiated under Part 2 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion”).

The chairman of the government of Dagestan, Abdusamad Gamidov, arrived in Kalmykia and apologized for the act of vandalism on behalf of himself and all citizens of the republic. Gadzhimurad Akhmedov, press secretary of the Minister for Physical Culture and Sports of the Republic, said that the incident with the desecration of the statue of Buddha in Elista does not have a religious or national background. He also said that a conversation was held with the wrestler, and his coach was fired.

Izumrud Mugutdinova, permanent representative of the Republic of Dagestan under the President of Russia, proposed to judge the Dagestan wrestler who desecrated the statue of Buddha at the place of residence.

“This is an immoral act. But I know that he asked for forgiveness, and his coach was seriously punished, and the Minister of Sports of Dagestan received a reprimand. I don’t think that this guy had any goals to desecrate this monument or on some religious grounds, most likely, this is such stupidity, ”Mugutdinova emphasized.

The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, apologized for the desecration of the statue of Buddha in Elista by an athlete. The corresponding letter was sent to the head of Kalmykia Alexei Orlov.

“In Dagestan, with a feeling of deep indignation and condemnation, they perceived the news of an act committed by a native of our republic in Elista. Unfortunately, ignorance, lack of culture and low level upbringing still leads to such shameful actions that cannot be justified,” the message says.

Abdulatipov assured that "what happened will not be left without a proper response." “All measures will be taken to prevent this from happening in the future. The team coach has already been fired, the Dagestan Minister for Physical Culture and Sports has been reprimanded for improper educational work among athletes,” he said.

Religious figures believe that the vandal deliberately desecrated Buddhist shrines. The rector of the St. Petersburg datsan, Buda Badmaev, compared the behavior of the Dagestan athlete in the Buddhist temple in Elista with Pussy Riot's "punk-prayer" in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2012.

According to Badmaev, the athlete should be punished for insulting believers. The abbot of the Buddhist monastery-university also noted that if the incident had occurred in a country where Buddhism is more widespread than in Russia (for example, in Thailand), the punishment would have been more severe.

Indeed, in the legislation of Thailand there are several articles that define religious crimes. You can not appear in the temple with a naked torso and shorts. Your shoulders and knees should be covered by clothing. In many temples, special clothes are given out at the entrance to cover bare legs. Also, when entering the temple, it is supposed to take off your shoes.

The image of the Buddha is sacred, no matter what state it is in and what size it is. In no case should you climb onto the statues and in any other way desecrate them.

When sitting in a temple in front of a Buddha image or statue, do your best not to point your feet at it. Otherwise, your gesture may be regarded as sacrilege. It is also not worth pointing at objects and people with your finger in the temple.

Women are not allowed to touch Buddhist monks. One should not sit cross-legged in the presence of a monk.

Obscene behavior in a temple or disrespect for religious symbols can be punished by imprisonment for a term of two to seven years. If you feel like wearing an orange monk's robe just for pampering, consider if it's worth a year in a Thai prison.

ALL PHOTOS

The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, apologized to the head of Kalmykia, Alexei Orlov, for desecrating a statue of Buddha by a native of the republic, Said Osmanov. The corresponding letter was published on the website of the head of Kalmykia.

"In Dagestan, with a feeling of deep indignation and condemnation, they perceived the news of an act committed by a native of our republic in Elista," the letter says. "On behalf of all Dagestanis and on my own behalf, I apologize and regret what happened," Abdulatipov wrote.

Note that there is no such letter or apology in any other form on the website of the head of the RD. On April 3, Abdulatipov's press service released a statement saying only that "a telephone conversation took place at the level of the leaders of Dagestan and the Republic of Kalmykia." In addition, it is indicated that "the parents of the young man" who defiled the statue of Buddha apologized, the coach of the team, of which the hooligan was a member, was fired, and the minister of physical culture and sports of the Republic of Dagestan was reprimanded. "What happened will not be left without a proper response," the Dagestan administration said in a statement.

Buddha statue desecrated by Dagestanis to be cleansed with mantras

The Buddha statue, which was abused by a wrestler from Dagestan, will undergo a purification ceremony on April 5, said Nikolay Sandzhiev, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Kalmykia.

“Initially, the statue will be cleaned and washed, then it will be covered with special paint, the statue will be fumigated, for this purpose, juniper will be burned around it. Later, purification mantras will be read,” he said (quoted by RIA Novosti). According to Sanjiev, it is expected that at least a thousand people will gather for the ceremony.

Osmanov's father about his son's act: "He just took me apart piece by piece"

The father of the young man admitted that he was shocked by the act of his son. “He just took me apart with his act. I just can’t imagine how Said could do this, who inspired him to do such a thing,” NTV.Ru quotes his father.

On April 4, the wrestler's father addressed the Kalmyk people with an appeal in which he apologized for his son's behavior and expressed the hope that this incident would not affect relations between the two peoples, REN TV reports.

"To my great regret and indignation, I learned about the immoral act of my son committed by him at the competitions in Elista. I want to offer my sincere apologies to the Kalmyk people about this incident. His act will not go unpunished. I am sure that this incident will not serve as a reason for the deterioration relations between the fraternal peoples of Kalmykia and Dagestan," the wrestler's father said.

In Dagestan, the act of a vandal wrestler is considered "stupid", but they want to judge it themselves

The press secretary of the Ministry of Sports of Dagestan, Gadzhimurad Akhmedov, called Osmanov "an idiot". “This fool has dropped a stain on the whole republic, the whole republic condemns him,” Gadzhimurad Akhmedov told Komsomolskaya Pravda. “He won’t be professionally involved in sports anymore in Dagestan, regardless of whether he is convicted. This is an already formed man, he must answer for your act."

Nevertheless, in Dagestan they want to return the guilty athlete to his homeland so that he can stand trial there. Such a proposal was put forward by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Dagestan under the President of the Russian Federation Izumrud Mugutdinova, radio "Moscow Says" reports.

"This act is immoral. However, I know that he asked for forgiveness, and his coach was seriously punished, and the Minister of Sports of Dagestan received a reprimand. I do not think that this young man had any task to desecrate this monument or for some or religious aspects, perhaps this is just stupidity," Mugutdinova specified. She said that the trial of Osmanov would be a lesson to all residents of Dagestan.

Recall that a 22-year-old athlete from Dagestan arrived in the capital of Kalmykia as a participant in a Greco-Roman wrestling tournament. Walking along Elista in the evening, he went to the temple, relieved himself there and struck a statue of Buddha in the face.

The hooligan filmed his actions and posted the video on the Internet. The video caused a public outcry among local residents. They arrived at the hotel, dragged the hooligan out into the street and forced him to kneel and ask for forgiveness.

The wrestling tournament has been cancelled. The head of the government of Dagestan, Abdusamad Gamidov, urgently arrived in Elista. He apologized to the people of Kalmykia for the act of vandalism committed by a Dagestani.

A criminal case was initiated against the hooligan under Part 2 of Art. 148 ("Violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion"), providing for up to three years in prison. The Elista City Court of Kalmykia placed him under arrest for two months, until June 2. In addition, they promised to excommunicate the vandal from sports forever.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation announced a possible connection of the Dagestani fighter with terrorist organizations, in particular, the Islamic State (IS, DAISH) banned in Russia.