(Moscow Times) Five Chechen men went on trial in Austria for outing and harassing female compatriots for exhibiting “Western behavior,” Austrian media reported Thursday.
The defendants were accused of running an online chat where they threatened, intimidated and occasionally abused Chechen women for allegedly not adhering to strict Islamic rules, according to the Die Presse daily.
“The defendants wanted to enforce Sharia-compliant behavior among Chechen women,” the prosecutor was quoted as saying.
A court in Vienna reportedly sentenced the one defendant who pleaded guilty to five months in prison and 10 months probation. According to Die Presse, 38-year-old Shaid N.’s time spent in jail counts toward his sentence and he will not spend any more time behind bars.
