A Chechen man serving a 17-year prison sentence for allegedly preparing a terrorist attack faces a new disciplinary sanction shortly after spending five days in a punishment cell. His wife says he is being treated unfairly and fears he could be transferred to stricter prison conditions.

According to Vissayev's wife, a lawyer visited him on Aug. 17. The five-day period he was due to spend in a punishment cell, known as a SHIZO, was supposed to end that day. His wife said he had been sent there after prison staff allegedly found coffee and spices in his possession.

After leaving the punishment cell, Vissayev was transferred to a quarantine unit. He was then informed that another disciplinary report had been filed against him, dated Aug. 12. This time, the alleged violation was an unfastened button on the sleeve of his prison uniform.

Vissayev's wife said the clothing issued to him was too small and the sleeves were too short, making it impossible for him to fasten the button. He was due to appear before a disciplinary commission, which would decide what sanction to impose. His relatives had not been informed of the decision by the time of publication.

"The lawyer said that Apti looked completely exhausted," Vissayev's wife wrote. She said that while in the punishment cell, he was given a mattress only from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that on Aug. 17 he drank hot tea for the first time in six days.

The family believes prison officials are deliberately recording disciplinary violations in order to eventually transfer Vissayev to stricter conditions of detention. These claims have not been independently verified, and Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) has not commented publicly on the latest disciplinary reports.
 

Previous convictions and terrorism case

Apti Vissayev was born in Grozny in 1985. In 2005, the Supreme Court of Chechnya convicted him on charges including involvement in an illegal armed group, terrorism and attacks on law-enforcement officers. He was released in August 2019 after serving nearly 15 years in prison and remained in Norilsk.

In April 2021, Vissayev was arrested again in Pyatigorsk, where he had travelled with his family. Investigators accused him of persuading another person to carry out a terrorist attack and of aiding terrorist activity. According to prosecutors, Vissayev was involved in preparations for a suicide bombing during Victory Day events in Norilsk.

Vissayev denied the charges. His lawyers and relatives said the criminal case had been fabricated.

In October 2023, the 1st Eastern District Military Court sentenced him to 17 years in prison. He was ordered to spend the first five years in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony. In April 2025, Russia's Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

Vissayev and his relatives have previously complained about harsh treatment and detention conditions at pre-trial detention centres in Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk. They have reported an alleged beating, inadequate medical care and conditions that the prisoner himself described as "torture". FSIN representatives have not publicly confirmed those allegations.