The pretrial detention of the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg has been extended

The court has extended the pretrial detention of Shahin Shikhlinsky, the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg. He will be held in pretrial detention until at least May 31, 2026.

Shikhlinsky is accused of organizing two murders and leading an ethnic criminal group in the Sverdlovsk region in the 2000s. He denies his guilt. His son, Mutvala Shikhlinsky, is also involved in the criminal case, accused of using violence against a law enforcement officer.

Shakhin Shikhlinsky was arrested on July 1. According to investigators, the car his son was driving struck a law enforcement officer. Shikhlinsky stated that the incident was an accident and that he regretted it.

This followed a large-scale operation on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, during which Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent suspected of involvement in previous crimes were detained. According to the Azerbaijani side, some of the detainees were tortured, resulting in the deaths of two. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal investigation into the torture and murder of Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent. Following these events, persecution of Azerbaijani diaspora leaders, including Shikhlinsky, has reportedly increased in Russia.

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