This video grab taken from a handout footage and released by the Krasnodar Regional Court on Aug. 23, 2024, shows five people sentenced to prison for participating in anti-Israel riots at an airport in the predominantly Muslim Russian Caucasian republic of Dagestan on Oct. 29, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
A Russian court on Friday sentenced five people to prison terms of up to nine years for their involvement in an anti-Israel riot at an airport in the southern region of Dagestan.
Hundreds of protesters overran Russia's Makhachkala airport on Oct. 29, charging onto the runway in a bid to encircle a plane that had flown in from Israel.
The riot in the Muslim-majority region took place as tensions ran high around the world with Israel bombarding the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of protesters already received lighter sentences, including detention of up to 10 days, for their involvement in the riot.
A court on Friday sentenced four men to more than six years in prison for "participating in mass riots," while a fifth defendant was sentenced to nine years for the same charge, as well as using "violence against law enforcement officers".
"The defendants who were looking for the passengers of the flight from Tel Aviv... broke down the doors of the terminal and entered the tarmac... completely blocking the airport's operation," the court said in a press release on the verdict.
More than 1,500 people took part in the riot, with 136 of them identified, the court added.
Several police officers were injured in the riot, and more than 80 people were initially detained.
Officials had vowed severe punishments for those who took part.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine and the West were behind the calls to riot, while Kyiv said the protest was a symptom of Russia's "deep-rooted anti-Semitism."
A Russian court on Friday sentenced five people to prison terms of up to nine years for their involvement in an anti-Israel riot at an airport in the southern region of Dagestan.
Hundreds of protesters overran Russia's Makhachkala airport on Oct. 29, charging onto the runway in a bid to encircle a plane that had flown in from Israel.
The riot in the Muslim-majority region took place as tensions ran high around the world with Israel bombarding the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of protesters already received lighter sentences, including detention of up to 10 days, for their involvement in the riot.
A court on Friday sentenced four men to more than six years in prison for "participating in mass riots," while a fifth defendant was...
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