A court in Moscow sentenced the German sculptor Jacques Tilly in his absence to eight years and six months in prison. Tilly was found guilty of insulting religious feelings and disseminating false information about the Russian armed forces, ruled Judge Konstantin Otschirow in the controversial criminal case. He was also ordered to pay a fine of roughly 2,000 euros and received a four-year ban from work. The case’s background rests on the carnival floats Tilly built that criticize Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and the war he ordered in Ukraine.
The prosecutor had requested nine years behind bars, a four-year work ban, and a fine amounting to several thousand euros. The court-appointed defense lawyer urged acquittal for lack of evidence. The defense had tried to reach the defendant but failed—the German Embassy in Moscow could not facilitate contact. “Because of that, it was not possible to assess the goals and motives,” she said. There was a lack of expert testimony that could confirm the charges against Tilly and determine the subjective motives behind the acts alleged.
Throughout the months-long trial, talk repeatedly circled around an alleged insult to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This accusation did not become concrete on the day of the verdict. The offense under which Tilly was convicted prohibits defaming Russian state organs, which includes not only the armed forces but also the Kremlin leader Putin.
Much of the Moscow case centers on one of Tilly’s works. The proceedings described in detail his 2024 carnival float, featuring figures of Putin in uniform and Patriarch Kirill engaging in homosexual oral sex.
Tilly does not have to fear extradition
Tilly had repeatedly stated that he had not been informed about the proceedings by the Russian judiciary. However, diplomats from the German embassy in Moscow were observing the trial with his knowledge. The artist had built carnival floats for Düsseldorf’s Rosenmontag parade, often caricaturing Putin.
Following such accusations of alleged disrespect toward the army, many opponents of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine have already been convicted in Russia. The rulings are widely criticized internationally as unjust applications of Russia’s arbitrary justice system.
Germany-to-Russia extradition does not loom for Tilly, but he could face travel complications if convicted, when visiting countries that extradite wanted criminals to Russia. Moscow could issue him for Interpol if it sought his arrest.
Violation of religious feelings?
During the months-long proceedings, three female witnesses—who described themselves as devout Christians—testified in unison that their religious feelings had been offended. Offenses against religious feelings carry heavy penalties in Russia. The prosecutor cited this in her closing argument.
The women argued that Tilly crossed a line in criticizing Russia’s war by insulting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and President Putin.
One of the many charges also concerns propaganda of homosexuality—banned in Russia—depicted precisely with figures of the Kremlin leader and the church leader. The women said they had learned of the trial and volunteered as witnesses after they had seen online the depiction of sexual activity between the Putin and Kirill figures.
Putin—an ongoing motif in Tilly’s work
Tilly is known for his sharp, satirical float designs for Düsseldorf’s Rosenmontag parade. His motifs appear on the front pages of German and international press in the days following Karneval. He has repeatedly dedicated his floats to Putin. One work shows the Kremlin leader in a blood-drenched Ukrainian tub.
This year, there was a float referencing the Moscow trial—a sculpture of Putin in uniform skewering the Düsseldorf carnival figure Hoppeditz with a sword.
One prosecutor on a court day also read from the investigative files interview statements by Tilly about his critique of Putin’s war against Ukraine. The material repeatedly touched on accusations against the Russian armed forces for killing Ukrainian civilians. According to the records, Tilly is also alleged to harbor hatred toward Russians.
