The Second Western District Military Court in Moscow has sentenced Alisher Ismatzoda, a coach of Moscow and Russia's youth freestyle wrestling team, to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of financing the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, TASS reports.
"The court sentences Alisher Ismatzoda to nine years of imprisonment and a fine of 400,000 rubles. The first three years he will serve in prison, with the remainder in a high-security penal colony," the judge announced.
The convicted coach denied his guilt throughout the trial, asserting that he was unaware of the recipient's ties to the IS group and that the payments were made to settle a personal debt.
The court reportedly determined that two transactions totaling 9,000 rubles were made from the athlete's bank card to the terrorist's account.
The defense presented dozens of witnesses in court, including the mothers of children coached by the accused. They described him as a compassionate and honorable coach who worked with children "seven days a week," often buying them sports gear like uniforms and shoes out of his own pocket and rewarding them for their achievements.
The prosecutor, however, dismissed the defense witnesses' testimonies and argued that the defendant knowingly transferred funds to terrorists rather than repaying a debt.
The military court sided with the prosecutor and issued a guilty verdict, which can be appealed.
Alisher Ismatzoda, 32, has over 10 years of coaching experience. Born in Dushanbe, he graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, and Tourism in 2015. He is a master of sports and a top-tier coach.
He was arrested by the Shcherbinsky District Court of Moscow in early July this year on suspicion of financing terrorism (Article 205.1 (1.1) of Russia’s Penal Code).
The Russian Wrestling Federation confirmed his detention at the time, calling the situation a shock.
