Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
The Visaitovsky District Court of Grozny has completed the interrogation of victims in the case of Nikita Zhuravel, accused of burning the Koran.
In particular, the imam of the Sheikh-Mansurovsky district mosque, Beslan Visitov, called for the defendant to be severely punished. The imam of the mosque in the Baysangurovsky district of Grozny, Sulimpasha Misaev, said that the defendant’s act offended the feelings of Muslims and caused them moral damage. All the other victims were also unanimous: they perceived the burning of the Koran as a blatant insult.
The interrogation of all 13 imams involved in the case has ended. The next court hearing is scheduled for January 9, 2024.
Nikita Zhuravel is accused of insulting the feelings of believers and hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. According to investigators, in May he burned the Koran near the building of the Cathedral Mosque in Volgograd, allegedly acting on instructions from the Ukrainian special services.
In August, Zhuravel stated that he was beaten by Kadyrov’s son Adam in a pre-trial detention center in Grozny. A month later, the head of Chechnya published a video of the beating. Two weeks later, Kadyrov announced that his son was awarded the title “Hero of the Chechen Republic.” Then he received many orders and titles.