The mother of Akhmed Balkarov, who is serving a sentence in Correctional Colony No. 4 in the Penza Region, contacted the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center. She alleged that her son was subjected to ethnic and religious discrimination by the prison administration. He was repeatedly forbidden to practice Islam.

Irina Balkarova stated in her appeal that Akhmed had been repeatedly subjected to disciplinary action and held in punishment cells (SHIZO) and other strict conditions. This, she said, worsened his psychological state. Furthermore, the mother restricted visits with her son, and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia ignored the complaints.

The woman also noted that Akhmed Balkarov was scheduled to be transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, even though he has not been diagnosed with any mental disorders.

In 2017, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Akhmed Balkarov to 15 years in prison for attempting to establish a Sharia-based caliphate in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Other defendants—Oleg Miskhozhev, Islam Shogenov, Ruslan Kipshiev, Kantemir Zheldashev, Artur Karov, Zaur Tekuzhev, and Ruslan Zhugov—also received lengthy prison terms ranging from 6 to 16 years.