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 court in Alushta dismissed the case of the imam of the Yukari Jami mosque, Yusuf Ashirov. He was charged with illegal missionary activity.
Previously, documents were presented to the court according to which the Muslim community in the city where Yusuf Ashirov worked was registered in accordance with the procedure established by law. In addition, two witnesses were interrogated, who reported that there had never been another imam in the mosque except Ashirov.
This is not the first time that the Alushta Muslim community has come under pressure. Several of its members were arrested, Ashirov was fined twice for “illegal missionary activity,” and the community was fined for “unlabeled” literature. Searches were carried out in the mosque building more than once.