A Russian court has ruled that U.S. citizen Joseph Tater is not criminally responsible for assaulting a police officer, citing a mental health condition that requires psychiatric treatment. The decision, handed down by the Moscow City Court on Monday, mandates that Tater be placed in a medical institution offering psychiatric care, according to a statement released on the court’s official Telegram channel.
Tater had been held in custody since August 2024. His initial detention followed an accusation of petty hooliganism after allegedly verbally abusing staff at a Moscow hotel, a charge he denied. Following this, he was jailed for 15 days. However, the situation escalated when he allegedly assaulted a police officer during or after his initial detention, prompting a more serious criminal case.
A previous court hearing had found that Tater suffered from a mental disorder warranting hospitalization. As a result, the court determined he should not bear criminal responsibility for his actions and instead be treated in a psychiatric facility.
Reports from Russian news agencies indicate that Tater had arrived in Russia seeking political asylum. He reportedly rejected his U.S. citizenship and claimed to have faced persecution in the United States. During court proceedings, he requested that American diplomatic representatives leave the courtroom.
Tater’s case is one of several involving American nationals detained in Russia on various charges, further straining diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow.
Just last week, Russian authorities released Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for making a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine. She was part of a prisoner swap for a dual Russian-German citizen accused by the U.S. of operating an international smuggling ring that supplied sensitive electronics to the Russian military.
The U.S. State Department has yet to issue a formal response to the court’s ruling in Tater’s case.
