Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has urged the country's authorities to close the border with Russia and ban Russian citizens from entering. He outlined his position on Facebook from custody, commenting on reports regarding the death of an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.
Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Jelal and activists Aziz and Asan Akhtemov were transported from the pre-trial detention center in Simferopol. The first two were taken to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the third to the Vladimir Central Prison. Previously, their relatives and wives were not allowed into the pre-trial detention center. Leviza Dzhelalova, Repika and Adile Akhtemov defended the interests of the spouses in court as public defenders along with lawyers.
Nariman Jelal is the deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, banned on the territory of the Russian Federation as an “extremist organization.” Aziz and Asan Akhtemov are Crimean Tatar activists. They were detained on September 3 and 4, 2021 on suspicion of blowing up a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalnoye by order of Ukrainian intelligence. The men were sentenced to 17, 15 and 13 years in prison, respectively. They did not admit their guilt.