"Nurik was here": Kirghiz can sit down for 10 years for defacing the Lincoln Memorial

A tourist from Kyrgyzstan scratched his name with a coin on the Lincoln Memorial, an American symbol of freedom and democracy.

(6 photos in total)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported on a citizen of the republic who was detained in Washington for an act of vandalism against a memorial to US President Abraham Lincoln.

The Washington police confirmed that the 21-year-old Kyrgyz was detained on charges of committing an act of vandalism on Monday, September 18, but the next day, September 19, he was released, obliging him to appear at a court hearing scheduled for early October.

With the help of a one-cent coin, the young man scratched the inscription "Nurt ilek" on the marble surface.

According to experts, it is impossible to remove the inscription from the stone without special polishing. The cost of the procedure was estimated at 2 thousand dollars.

The arrested man's name is Nurtilek Bakirov, and he is threatened with another fine of up to 25 thousand dollars and up to 10 years in prison if the court proves malicious intent in property damage.

The Lincoln Memorial is a memorial complex located on the National Mall in downtown Washington. It was built in honor of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln, whom in the United States he is considered one of the greatest presidents in history. The memorial, erected in 1914-1922, symbolizes Lincoln's belief that all people should be free.