Moscow blogger arrested in extremism case

A Moscow court has arrested Areg Shchepikhin for two months in a criminal case of extremism. The reason for this was the videos he published insulting Chechens and Muslims. The man was charged under the articles on "calls for extremism" and "incitement of hatred or enmity."

The Investigative Committee also opened cases of kidnapping and abuse of power against six Chechens suspected of kidnapping and beating the blogger. There was no official announcement of their arrest.

On June 3, near Moscow's Yaroslavsky Station, several men, in front of witnesses, dragged Areg Shchepikhin into the trunk of a Mercedes with flashing lights and Chechen license plates. At the same time, the Chechen authorities called this a detention and added that Chechen security forces "are cooperating with the relevant departments in Moscow."

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