A lawyer for an Abkhazian resident believes the sentence for publishing texts about Basayev is unfounded

Timur Agrba's defense intends to seek an overturn of the sentence, which they believe was unfounded. Lawyer Victoria Novikova stated that most of the publications that served as the basis for the conviction concerned the recognition of Shamil Basayev as a hero of Abkhazia, a position confirmed by official Abkhaz authorities.

"There were ten posts on the Telegram channel mentioning Shamil Basayev as a hero of Abkhazia, and only one of them, along with information about Abkhazia, included descriptions of actions in the Russian Federation," Novikova explained, emphasizing that the court ignored these arguments.

The lawyer also believes that publications about relations between Russia and Abkhazia cannot be considered a justification of terrorism.

Earlier, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Abkhazia resident Timur Agrba to five and a half years in a general regime penal colony. He was accused of justifying terrorism for posts on a Telegram channel that, according to investigators, glorified Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev.

The charges stemmed from 10 posts made by Agrba in Abkhazia between late September and early December 2024. This period coincided with the conflict surrounding a museum exhibit in Sukhumi, which, among other photos, included a portrait of Basayev, who had been awarded the title "Hero of Abkhazia."

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