The Russian judiciary has continued the controversial criminal proceedings against the German sculptor Jacques Tilly, including charges of insulting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, with the presentation of evidence. Judge Konstantin Otschirow allowed the prosecutor to present, from thick file folders, statements from witnesses and experts as well as investigators’ findings on the allegations against the carnival artist for about an hour.
During the hearing, the case was repeatedly described in exhaustive detail: a 2024 carnival float by Tilly featuring figures of Putin in uniform and Patriarch Kirill engaging in homosexual oral sex.
In the tenor of the proceedings, uniformly identical statements were read aloud from three witnesses who described themselves as devout Christians and said their religious feelings had been offended. In Russia, such offenses carry severe penalties. Tilly is to stand trial in absentia, primarily on charges of defaming Russian state institutions, which, in addition to President Putin as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, also include soldiers.
Witnesses complain of offense to religious feelings
The three witnesses did not appear in court themselves; their statements were nearly identical in wording, down to the assertion that Tilly, in his critique of Russia’s war against Ukraine, had gone too far in insulting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and President Putin. One of the many allegations also included the forbidden “propaganda of homosexuality”—depicted precisely with figures of the Kremlin chief and the church’s top official.
The women also stated that they had heard about the criminal case against Tilly and volunteered as witnesses after they viewed the depiction of sexual relations between the Putin and Kirill figures on the internet. The prosecutor also presented interview statements from the investigations that quoted Tilly’s criticisms of Putin’s war against Ukraine. The investigative records also include accusations of hostility toward Russians, according to them. The proceedings indicate that Tilly is accused, among other things, of harboring hatred toward Russians.
The case is to continue in March
After such accusations, many opponents of Putin’s invasion have already been convicted in Russia. The decisions are widely criticized as unjust, emblematic of Russia’s arbitrary justice. The trial is scheduled to resume on March 16 at 1:30 p.m. local time, with the completion of the evidence and the delivery of closing arguments. If convicted, Tilly faces a fine or up to ten years in prison.
Tilly’s court-appointed defense attorney could not answer in an interview with the German press agency in Moscow why the carnival artist has not yet been informed by the Russian judiciary about the proceedings against him. The defendant himself is being kept informed by representatives of the German embassy, who are present as observers of the trial.
Tilly wants to keep making outspoken carnival work
Tilly told the German press agency that the trial has a “threatening dimension” and is meant to intimidate him into “not criticizing the tsar.” He and his team, however, are not backing down; they are “motivated” to continue delivering opinionated and provocative carnival works in the future.
He also said he feels vindicated in his practice of criticizing autocrats and dictators, noting, “That is our job as fools.” He added that in old courts, jesters were the ones who spoke the truth to rulers who were otherwise surrounded by favorites.
The prospect that he could be placed on Interpol’s wanted list at Russia’s urging and thus face restrictions on travel abroad is the price of speaking out, but he said it is not comparable to what opponents endure in Russian prisons. He does not have to fear extradition from Germany.
Tilly repeatedly makes Putin a recurring motif
Tilly is known for his sharply satirical float designs for Düsseldorf’s Rose Monday parade. His motifs surface on the front pages of German and international media in the days following Carnival, and many Russians can view the images on social media.
He has repeatedly dedicated his float designs to Putin. They are also a topic in the Moscow trial. One work shows Putin in a Ukrainian tub—bathed in blood. This year there was a float that looked at the Moscow trial—a sculpture of Putin in uniform stabbing the Düsseldorf carnival figure Hoppeditz with a sword.
