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Russian Court Convicts Man for Not Informing on 'Terrorist' Friend

The Yarovaya packet, introduced by politician Irina Yarovaya, introduced a wide-range of strict anti-terror legislation. TASS

A man has been fined 70 thousand rubles ($1,180) by a Russian court after failing to tell police that his friend had joined a terrorist group.

Ulugbek Gafurov was found guilty after appearing at the Kirovsky District Court in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan.

He was prosecuted under new anti-terrorism laws which compel Russian residents to inform the police if they are aware of any terrorism-related crime.

It is the first time that the law has been successfully used in Russia since its introduction as part of the infamous Yarovaya package in July 2016. Those found guilty can face up to a year in prison.

The court ruled that Gafurov knew that his friend, Kyrgyz national Ravshan Akbarov, had travelled to a militant training camp to fight alongside a terrorist group.

Akbarov appeared before a court in the Russian region of Chechnya in December 2016, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Yarovaya packet, introduced by ultra-conservative Russian politician Irina Yarovaya, introduced a wide-range of strict anti-terror legislation.

The proposals include harsher penalties for inciting or justifying terrorism online, requiring parcels to be checked for illegal items and increasing the number of crimes with which children aged between 14 and 17 can be charged.

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