An Uzbek citizen who prayed in the street in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is set to be deported after being accused of illegal missionary activity. This was announced by Darya Lebedeva, head of the press service for Saint Petersburg courts.
According to reports, the incident occurred on May 12 on Savushkin Street. Police officers identified the Uzbek citizen, identified as Dadaboev, while he was praying in a public place. He was subsequently charged with "engaging in missionary activity."
A court representative stated that the defendant was judged to have conducted a religious ceremony as an imam without the necessary permits or authorization. It was also noted that he performed the prayer in a public space without coordinating with local authorities.
The Uzbek citizen was held accountable as a foreign national under Part 5 of Article 5.26 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses. During the court proceedings, he admitted his guilt and stated that he was unaware that praying in the street was prohibited.
According to the court's decision, he was fined 30,000 rubles and ordered to be forcibly expelled from Russian territory.
It is worth noting that this is not the first such incident. In February of this year, another Uzbek citizen who prayed in a dormitory with the door left open was also accused of "missionary activity" and faced fines and deportation.
