Moscow court confirms prison sentence for German satirist Tilly

An appeals court in Moscow on Tuesday upheld the sentence of eight and a half years’ imprisonment handed down to German satirist Jacques Tilly for his Carnival floats. 

Judge Vladimir Usov read out the decision of the three-judge panel, stating that the defence’s appeal against the verdict was dismissed and the sentence upheld.

In April, a court in Moscow found the well-known artist Tilly guilty in absentia of offending religious feelings and spreading false information about the Russian armed forces through his displays in traditional Carnival parades in his home town of Dusseldorf. 

On several occasions, Tilly mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, as well as Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

Public defender Natalya Dudkina said the case is now closed unless the sculptor requests it be taken to the next level of jurisdiction.

"That concludes the case," Tilly said in response to a dpa enquiry in Düsseldorf. "I see no reason to prolong this absurd show trial. The verdict is a farce anyway. It will not affect our satirical work during Carnival. We will carry on as before."

Tilly said he was not informed by the Russian judiciary at any point about the investigations against him. Staff from the German Embassy observed the appeal proceedings in Moscow.

Dudkina justified the appeal proceedings in court by arguing that Tilly’s criminal responsibility had not been assessed by a psychiatric report during the investigation. 

In her closing statement in early April, she requested an acquittal for Tilly on the grounds of lack of evidence.

“It was my legal duty as a defence lawyer to lodge an appeal against this verdict,” she told dpa in the courtroom. She argued once again that she was unable to make contact with Tilly himself. Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for him, she said.

The prosecution, which had largely succeeded in securing the sentence it sought, decided not to appeal the latest ruling.