Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
At the regular meeting in the Visaitovsky District Court of Grozny, five imams who appeared as victims in the case of Nikita Zhuravel spoke. A young man is accused of burning the Koran near a mosque in Volgograd.
According to the imam of the mosque in the village of Turbina, Khasan Gorshuev, he felt ill and his blood pressure rose when he learned about what the defendant had done. The imam of the mosque in the Avtotrest village, Isa Tasuev, in turn, called Zhuravel’s act humiliating, explaining that he caused him and all Muslims “enormous moral harm.”
Previously, witnesses also stated that Nikita Zhuravel’s actions offended the feelings of all Muslims and caused them moral harm. 13 imams are listed as victims.
Nikita Zhuravel is accused of insulting the feelings of believers and hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. According to investigators, in May he burned the Koran near the building of the Cathedral Mosque in Volgograd, acting on instructions from the Ukrainian special services.
In August, Zhuravel stated that he was beaten by the son of the head of Chechnya, Adam, in a pre-trial detention center in Grozny. A month later, Ramzan Kadyrov published a video of the beating. Two weeks later, Kadyrov Sr. announced that his son was awarded the title “Hero of the Chechen Republic.” Then the teenager received many orders and titles.