In court, almost all prosecution witnesses refused to incriminate Zarema Musayeva

Four employees of the Chechen colony said that they did not see Zarema Musayeva attack their colleague. They heard about this only from other people. However, these people are prosecution witnesses in the criminal case against Zarema Musayeva.

It is also noteworthy that none of the witnesses gave Musayeva negative characteristics. The head of the colony only mentioned two penalties, the reasons for which he could not remember.

This information was voiced at the next session of the Shali City Court of Chechnya. The seriously ill woman is accused of disorganizing the activities of the colony (Part 2 of Article 321 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigation, she attacked FSIN employee Bekbulatov and scratched his neck during a trip to the hospital.

The lawyer of the "Team against Torture" Alexander Savin recalled that during the consideration of the first criminal case against Musayeva, the quality of the testimony was approximately the same.

"In the first criminal case, the number of eyewitnesses to the incident was several times greater, and the testimony was extremely contradictory. There, in a similar way, there were those who did not see Musayeva attack a police officer during her transfer from Nizhny Novgorod to Chechnya, and they had information from their colleagues," the lawyer shared.

Zarema Musayeva denies the charges against her. Earlier in court, she quoted the words of the alleged victim Bekbulatov: "Your children write all sorts of things, including about me. I will say that you attacked me."

Zarema Musayeva is the wife of former federal judge Saidi Yangulbaev and the mother of Chechen activists Abubakar, Ibragim and Baysangur Yangulbaev. In early March 2024, the Pyatigorsk Court of Cassation reduced her sentence on the previous charge, reducing her prison term from 5 years to 4 years and 9 months. In July 2023, a court in Grozny found the woman guilty of using violence against a police officer and fraud and sentenced her to five years in prison. Investigators believe that she scratched the face of a police officer from Chechnya during her transfer from Nizhny Novgorod to Grozny. Human rights activists claim that the woman was kidnapped as a hostage and convicted for her sons' opposition activities.

Последние новости
Shchukin: Over 3 Billion Rubles Paid to Flood Victims in Dagestan
Society
Shchukin: Over 3 Billion Rubles Paid to Flood Victims in Dagestan
16 October 2026

More than 3 billion rubles have been paid out to residents of Dagestan affected by spring floods. Fyodor Shchukin announced this on October 15 while speaking at a session of the republic’s People’s Assembly. On the same day, deputies elected him as the head of the region, following which he took the oath of office and assumed his duties.

Court upholds sentences for four Crimean Tatars in ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ case
Human rights
Court upholds sentences for four Crimean Tatars in ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ case
16 October 2026

A Russian military appellate court has rejected the appeals of four Crimean Tatars—Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Vokhid Mustafayev, and Enver Khalilyayev—who were convicted of involvement with the organization ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir.’ The sentences handed down by the Southern District Military Court on May 21, 2026, remain unchanged. According to the TASS news agency, citing court sources, the individuals—part of what is known as the "third Dzhankoy group"—were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 15 years.

Six more individuals involved in the case concerning the storming of the presidential residence have been released in Georgia
Human rights
Six more individuals involved in the case concerning the storming of the presidential residence have been released in Georgia
16 October 2026

Six people convicted in connection with the events of October 4, 2025, in Tbilisi have been set free following the conclusion of plea agreements with the prosecutor's office. This was reported on October 16 by the television channel TV Pirveli.

UN Summit Participants in Yerevan Seek Ways to Halt Nature’s Destruction
Ecology
UN Summit Participants in Yerevan Seek Ways to Halt Nature’s Destruction
16 October 2026

On October 16, a Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity is taking place in Yerevan, organized as part of the preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). Participants are discussing how to accelerate the fulfillment of international commitments regarding biodiversity conservation and prompt more decisive action from governments.