Leader Of Aum Shinrikyo Cult's Russian Branch Jailed For 15 Years On Terrorism Charges

ROSTOV-ON-DON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) ON-DON, Russia, November 26 (Sputnik) - A military court in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday sentenced Mikhail Ustyantsev, the founder of the Russian cell of Aum Shinrikyo cult (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) to 15 years in prison, the court's spokesman told reporters.

The investigation had established that Ustyantsev and a number of his associates founded the Aum Shinrikyo branch in 2010. He spread the cult's doctrine in the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Volgograd, urging followers to donate money that he sent to Aum Shinrikyo's leadership in Japan, thus engaging in an act of funding terrorism. During the trial, Ustyantsev and his accomplices were accused of disseminating propaganda via social media by sending out invitations for the so-called wellness courses taught by Aum Shinrikyo members.

"As per the court's verdict, the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 15 years in a strict regime penal colony," the spokesman said.

The case was launched under the three articles of the Russian Criminal Code including the organization of the terrorist network, organization of terrorist activities, and the establishment of a non-profit organization that infringes upon Russian citizens' rights. Ustyantsev's accomplices were put on the wanted list.

The verdict has not yet come into legal force.

Aum Shinrikyo, or Aleph, is a Japanese doomsday cult that was founded in 1984 and is notorious for its 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, which led to it being designated as a terrorist organization in several countries.