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Russia Jails 10 Men for Anti-Israel Riots at Dagestan Airport

People in the crowd walk shouting antisemitic slogans at an airfield of the airport in Makhachkala. AP / TASS

Two courts in the southern Russian Stavropol region sentenced 10 men to more than eight years in prison on Wednesday, each for an anti-Israeli riot at an airport in the southern republic of Dagestan, according to the Stavropol Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

A mob of 1,200 people stormed the Makhachkala International Airport on Oct. 29, 2023, seeking to confront Jews and Israelis who were rumored to have arrived on a flight from Tel Aviv. The riot, which caused extensive injuries and damage, took place amid anger in Russia’s North Caucasus region over Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Palestine.

As many as 91 people were jailed in the aftermath.

The Alexandrovsky regional court in Stavropol found seven men guilty of mass rioting and traffic safety violations. One of them was also found guilty of using violence against a law enforcement officer.

The seven men were sentenced to between eight and nine years in a medium-security prison.

Three other men were found guilty of the same charges by the Shpakovsky regional court in Stavropol and were handed prison sentences ranging from eight years to eight years and two months.

A total of 15 men have now been imprisoned in connection with the anti-Israeli riot after a court in the southern Krasnodar region sentenced five men in August.

Interfax reports that 65 more people are facing trial in Stavropol.

The trials were moved from Dagestan due to the sensitivity of the case.

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