Murtazali Murtazaliev, a 30-year-old resident of Dagestan, was killed in the war in Ukraine. He was convicted in 2025 for participating in an anti-Israeli pogrom at Makhachkala airport. According to his widow, he was released from prison to participate in military operations and died a month later.
Earlier, a court found Murtazaliev guilty of participating in mass riots and sentenced him to eight years in prison. However, his family denies his guilt. He is one of 47 people convicted in the "airport case," in which the Investigative Committee is prosecuting 142 people.
Human rights activists have pointed out the bias of the trial: the defendants may have included people who did not participate in the airport storming. Relatives of many of the defendants stated that they consider the sentences too harsh and unfair. Eleven prosecution witnesses were unable to identify the defendants.
As a reminder, large-scale riots broke out at Makhachkala Airport on the night of October 30, 2024. People blocked roads and broke into the terminal, ran onto the runway, and surrounded an arriving plane from Israel. Those gathered were demonstrating against Israel's actions in Palestine.
