School shooter Ilnaz Galyaviev descended from heaven to earth

On Monday, Ilnaz Galyaviev, a former student of Kazan gymnasium No. 175, gave the last word in the Supreme Court of Tatarstan, who, according to the prosecution, shot seven children and two adults in it in May 2021. The defendant promised to pay the victims compensation for non-pecuniary damage – for this he wants to write a book in conclusion. The prosecutor’s office requested a life sentence for Galyaviev, but the defendant’s lawyer believes that he needs compulsory treatment, since he previously called himself a god.

Ilnaz Galyaviev, speaking with the last word, promised to fully pay off the claims of the victims in the amount of more than 120 million rubles. To do this, while serving his sentence, he intends to write a book. “I will not limit myself to work in the colony. I will try to write a book and pay off claims with money,” the defendant said.

Galyaviev asked for forgiveness from the victims. “I know that no words and money will bring back the dead, the disabled will not be made healthy,” he said. In the end, he said: “I was not God and do not consider myself as such. Once again, I apologize for what I did.”

Recall, according to the materials of the criminal case, on May 11, 2021, “out of hooligan motives”, Ilnaz Galyaviev committed an attack, armed with a hunting rifle and an improvised explosive device. Galyaviev – a graduate of the 175th gymnasium, left it after the ninth grade. At the time of the crime he was 19 years old. The authorities believe that he fell under the influence of the Columbine subculture (in the Russian Federation, the movement is recognized as terrorist and banned).

According to the state prosecution, Ilnaz Galyaviyev planned the massacre in advance: seven days before the attack, he shared his intentions in a Telegram channel called “God”.

Galyaviev legally received a hunting license by submitting an application through the State Services website, passed a medical examination and learned how to handle weapons.

Then he received permission and a license from the republican department of the Russian Guard to purchase hunting weapons. With his help, I bought a 2017 Hatsan hunting rifle and hundreds of different cartridges with buckshot. And with the help of instructions from the Internet, he prepared a bomb on his own.

According to the materials of the criminal case, the former student entered the building of the gymnasium through the main entrance, shooting several times at the guard. Moving around the educational institution, he fired a total of about 30 shots at teachers and students. According to regional authorities, 714 children were in the gymnasium at the time of the attack. After the message on the school radio, students from all classes locked themselves in classrooms, except for 8 “A”, where they allegedly did not hear the warning about the threat. It was the children from this class that became the main victims of Galyaviev, who burst into their office and opened fire. In addition, in the corridor near one of the classrooms, he set off an improvised explosive device, but no one was injured from the explosion.

Because of the actions of Galyaviev, nine people died, including seven children, and 139 people were injured. 667 people were recognized as victims in the case. Initially, the amount of civil claims amounted to 48 million rubles, but in the course of the trial it exceeded 100 million rubles. The mayor’s office of Kazan demanded compensation for material damage to the school building, estimated at more than 1.4 million rubles.

Ilnaz Galyaviyev was charged with five crimes, including under Part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder of two or more persons), part 3 of Art. 30 and part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted murder), part 1 of Art. 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal acquisition and possession of weapons), part 1 of Art. 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal manufacture of explosives), part 2 of Art. 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (deliberate destruction of property). Galyaviev fully admitted his guilt.

Last week, the state prosecution requested life imprisonment for the defendant with the first five years in prison, and then in a special regime correctional colony. The prosecution also insists on the full satisfaction of the claims of the victims.

Prosecutor of Tatarstan Ildus Nafikov, who led a group of state prosecutors, called the crime “a brutal, diabolical act of a subhuman” and demanded a “punishment” such that “the evil would never happen again.”

On Monday, when the debate on the case continued, Ilnaz Galyaviev asked the court to “remove five years in prison from the requested sentence.” “I already have a life sentence. Then it didn’t make sense to make a deal (with the prosecutor’s office. – Kommersant),” he explained.

His lawyer Ruslan Nuriakhmetov even asked to send Galyaviev for compulsory treatment. “It is subject to release from criminal liability with the application of coercive measures of a medical nature to him,” the lawyer said.

Mr. Nuriakhmetov recalled that the first examination conducted at the Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology showed that at the time of the attack on the school, Ilnaz Galyaviev was out of his mind: he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and did not realize “the public danger of his actions.” Later, he was transferred to the Kresty pre-trial detention center in St. Petersburg for a second psychological and psychiatric examination, which showed that Galyaviev was sane. However, the lawyer believes that it is necessary “to be guided by the primary psychiatric examination.” Ruslan Nuriakhmetov recalled that Galyaviev testified that he was “a god who came into this world in the guise of a man in order to get rid of all living beings in the universe.” “I believe that such thoughts cannot occur to a mentally healthy person,” the defender pointed out.

In addition, the lawyer did not agree that Galyaviev destroyed the property of the school, since the building continues to function and was restored with sponsorship money.

The verdict is expected to be announced on April 13.