Crimean Tatar political prisoner was unable to participate in the trial due to health conditions

Citizen journalist Rustem Sheykhaliev, sentenced to 14 years, was unable to participate in the hearing to consider the appeal against his sentence via video conferencing from pre-trial detention center No. 3 in Novocherkassk. He suffered severe nosebleeds twice.

The first time the Crimean Tatar political prisoner bled in a cell of a pre-trial detention center, the second time - in the cell from where he and other defendants convicted in his case were supposed to participate in the hearing.

According to lawyer Lily Gemedzhi, three days before the hearing, Rustem suffered from headaches. He took painkillers, but they did not help. The prisoner also complained about the lack of medical care. He suspects he has heart failure, and the administration of the detention center, according to him, does not respond to requests for an electrocardiogram.

In 2022, Sheikhaliev was sentenced to 14 years on charges of terrorist activities and attempting to seize power. He pleaded not guilty and considers his prosecution political, as he criticized the authorities of the Russian Federation and Crimea after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.

Последние новости
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
Human rights
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
23 August 2026

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).

Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
Politics
Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
23 August 2026

Azerbaijan intends to continue developing relations with Russia, despite the deteriorating media narrative surrounding Baku in Russian outlets. Rahman Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia, stated this in an interview with RTVI.

Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
Politics
Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
23 August 2026

Wildfires broke out in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions due to falling drone debris. In the Rostov region, the railway overhead power line was also damaged, while in the Kuban region, three people—including two children—were killed in an attack the previous day.

Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
Society
Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
22 August 2026

In Dagestan’s Karabudakhkent District, a criminal case against the head of the private Chudo kindergarten in the village of Paraul, where 10 children suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in February, has been sent to court, the republic’s prosecutor’s office said.
The woman is accused of providing services that failed to meet safety requirements for consumers’ lives and health. The case will be heard by the Karabudakhkent District Court.