Court in the case of Abdulmumin Hajiyev again refused to exclude confessions extracted under torture

The Southern Military Court in Rostov-on-Don will not exclude from the case file the confession of the accused to the head of the charity fund «Ansar» Abubakar Rizvanov, which he gave under torture. Another person, Kemal Tambiyev, had previously petitioned to have his testimony removed from the list of evidence because they had been evicted during the torture. He was also refused. 

Rizvanov and Tambiyev, together with Dagestan journalist Abdulmumin Hajiyev, are accused of participating in the activities and financing of a terrorist organization. Earlier experts confirmed the absence in Hajiyev’s articles of propaganda of religious intolerance, supremacy of Sharia and calls to terrorism. The examination also found that there was no indication in the materials submitted by the prosecutor that there was an incentive to transfer funds to a charitable fund and overthrow the authorities. 

The accusation of Abdulmumin Hajiyev was based on two components: the transfer of 16,000 rubles to ISIS (prohibited in the Russian Federation) and the propaganda of terrorism in twenty articles. Neither thesis was confirmed in court. Moreover, none of the prosecution witnesses was able to disclose incriminating information about the journalist.

Последние новости
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
Politics
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
29 July 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that Russia’s restrictions on Armenian exports are calling into question the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying the dispute could mark “the beginning of the end” for the Moscow-led bloc if it is not resolved soon.

Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Politics
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
29 July 2026

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has severed diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, effectively revoking its earlier recognition of their "independence." The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced the move.

Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
Society
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
29 July 2026

An attack on the family of a Meskhetian Muslim in the southern Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe has raised questions about the police response. The victims say more than ten men assaulted the local mosque’s imam, Shevket Dvalidze, but only two suspects were detained and later released on bail. Human rights groups are calling for investigators to examine whether the attack was motivated by ethnic, linguistic and religious hatred.

Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
Human rights
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
29 July 2026

The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the sentences handed down to staff members of the Azerbaijani YouTube channel Toplum TV, describing them as further evidence of the persecution of independent journalists in the country.