Russia: Daghestani blogger sent to pretrial detention
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 January 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Daghestani blogger sent to pretrial detention, 6 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54be142bc.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 06, 2015
By RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service
MAKHACHKALA, Russia – A blogger in Daghestan region has been placed in detention over an explosives-possession accusation that his family says is false.
A court in Makhachkala, the capital of the region in Russia's North Caucasus, ruled on January 5 that Murad Nurmagomedov must be held in pretrial detention for two months.
The ruling came after Nurmagomedov's video showing prominent Daghestani Muslims criticizing the practice of celebrating the New Year with a fir tree, a common practice in the Soviet Union and now Russia, went viral in late December.
Police officers dragged Nurmagomedov from a vehicle on December 31 and detained him on suspicion of possessing explosives and ammunition that investigators said they had found in his house.
Investigators told the court on January 5 that Nurmagomedov promotes "extremist ideas" and supports the Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus.
Nurmagomedov's wife says the explosives and ammunition were planted.
His lawyer, Ziyavudin Uvaisov, says his arrest might be connected with the video.
Uvaisov added that Nurmagomedov had not been formally charged.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
