Two participants in the riots at Makhachkala Airport have received harsher sentences. The Georgievsky City Court in Stavropol Krai also found Anvarbek Atayev and Rabadan Radzhabov guilty of failing to comply with transport safety requirements.
The first defendant was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, while the second received 10 years. Both will serve their sentences in a general regime penal colony. Previously, the Armavir City Court in Krasnodar Krai convicted them of mass riots and violence against a government official, sentencing them to terms ranging from 6 years 4 months to 8 years 6 months.
As a reminder, large-scale riots occurred at Makhachkala Airport on the night of October 30, 2024. People blocked roads, broke into the terminal, ran onto the runway, and surrounded an aircraft arriving from Israel. Those gathered spoke out against Israel's actions in Palestine.
Human rights activists had previously pointed out the bias in the trial: the defendants may have included people who did not participate in the airport storming. Relatives of many of the defendants stated that they considered the sentences too harsh and unfair. Eleven prosecution witnesses were unable to identify the defendants.
