At least 19 journalists are imprisoned in pre-trial detention centers or are serving sentences in prisons in Russia. “Verstka” reported this, citing media reports and human rights activists.

Among the eight convicted journalists are Crimean Tatar Remzi Bekirov and Dagestan resident Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, recognized as political prisoners.

Remzi Bekirov was sentenced to 19 years in a maximum security colony in 2022. He was accused of participating in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in the Russian Federation.

The editor of the “Religion” section of the Dagestan newspaper “Chernovik”, Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, was recently sentenced by the Rostov District Military Court to 17 years in prison. He was found guilty under articles of “participation in the activities of terrorist organizations” and “financing terrorism.” According to investigators, the journalist published articles about the Ansar charity foundation and did not mention that part of the money collected was sent to the Islamic State, banned in the Russian Federation. The examinations did not find any signs of justification for terrorism in Hajiyev’s articles, and prosecution witnesses spoke in favor of the defendant.