Akhmed Balkarov, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria, was transferred from Penal Colony No. 4 in the Penza Region. He had previously complained of religious persecution and systematic penalties. The Federal Penitentiary Service later decided to transfer him to a psychiatric facility. The prisoner's mother insists there are no supporting documents or justifications for this decision.

Irina Balkarova stated that claims of her son having a "mental disorder" are false and serve as a tool of pressure. According to her, Akhmed has already been transferred from the penal colony in the Penza Region, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

Irina Balkarova previously contacted the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center. According to her, her son has been subjected to ethnic and religious discrimination by the penal colony administration. He has been repeatedly forbidden to practice Islam. In her appeal, Akhmed's mother stated that he had been repeatedly subjected to disciplinary action and held in solitary confinement (SHIZO) and other strict conditions. This, she claimed, had worsened his psychological state. She also noted that Akhmed Balkarov was slated for transfer to a psychiatric hospital in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast. However, he had 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. Oleg Miskhozhev, Islam Shogenov, Ruslan Kipshiev, Kantemir Zheldashev, Artur Karov, Zaur Tekuzhev, and Ruslan Zhugov also received lengthy sentences ranging from 6 to 16 years.