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Court charges Sydney resident of defiling Orthodox graves at Rookwood cemetery

Late at night on November 27, 2015 unidentified attackers smashed more than 50 tombstones on Russian, Greek and Serbian graves at Rookwood cemetery

© AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file

SYDNEY, March 24. /TASS/. A court in Sydney has charged a local resident with the illegal keeping of drugs and with defiling tombs in the Orthodox area of Rookwood cemetery last November. In preliminary hearings the accused, Muhammad Ibrahim, pled innocence.

He was released on bail and promptly left the courtroom. An authorized picket of descendants of Trans-Baikal Cossacks, who were demonstrating in front of the court building at the moment, chanted "Coward!" as Ibrahim hurried away.

"We are here to express support for Russia and also to support the Australian police, who detained this man," said Simeon Boikov, the leader of The Trans-Baikal Cossack Society of Australia, recognized by the Trans-Baikal Cossack Army in Siberia.

Late at night on November 27, 2015 unidentified attackers smashed more than 50 tombstones on Russian, Greek and Serbian graves at Rookwood cemetery. The damage is estimated at 150,000 dollars.

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