The Supreme Court of Dagestan has ordered that former police officers Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulayev—convicted for the torture of Yulduz Kurashova and the fabrication of a criminal case against her—be sent to a penal colony. On October 14, the court converted their suspended sentences into actual prison terms, according to the human rights organization "Team Against Torture." The case had been under review for the fourth time.
A preliminary examination of the body of Abkhaz blogger and activist Daur Buava, who was found dead in Tbilisi, revealed no signs of violence. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs told the Georgian news agency IPN.
The body of 30-year-old Buava has been sent to the Levan Samkharauli National Forensic Bureau. Specialists will determine the exact cause of death.
Buava was found dead in an apartment in the Dighomi district. According to preliminary information, he may have been dead for several days by the time he was discovered. Local residents previously reported that neighbors noticed a strong odor coming from the apartment and called emergency services. After opening the apartment, they discovered the blogger's body.
The investigation is ongoing under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Georgia—incitement to suicide.
Daur Buava was known as one of the few public Abkhaz activists who openly advocated for reconciliation and the restoration of dialogue between Abkhazians and Georgians. A native of Tkvarcheli, he ran a popular TikTok blog and, after a trip to Tbilisi in 2021, began publicly speaking out about the need for rapprochement between the two peoples.
Buava later received Georgian citizenship and, together with like-minded individuals, founded the youth organization "Amra" ("Sun"), which focused on developing contacts between Georgian and Abkhaz youth.
His views provoked a sharp reaction from the authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia. In 2022, a criminal case was opened against Buava for "high treason" and he was placed on the wanted list. The blogger himself denied the charges, stating that he advocated exclusively for peace and the restoration of relations between the Abkhazians and Georgians.