The defense of a Dagestani imam has alleged falsification in his criminal case.

The defense of Dagestani preacher Akhmad Batlukhsky has filed a complaint with the Investigative Committee of Dagestan alleging falsification of evidence in his criminal case. This was announced by Shamil Khadulaev, head of the Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) of Dagestan.

The appeal was prompted by a ruling by a senior investigator at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Makhachkala ordering a psychological and psychiatric examination for Batlukhsky. The defense considers this ruling illegal and unfounded, as Batlukhsky is charged with slander. According to the lawyers, establishing the dissemination of knowingly false and defamatory information, as Batlukhsky is accused of, does not require specialized knowledge of psychiatry or psychology.

Furthermore, the ruling states that Batlukhsky has been registered with a drug addiction specialist since 2018, which, according to the defense, is untrue. Lawyer Ilyas Saidov sent a request to the drug addiction clinic, which did not confirm the preacher's registration.

Akhmad Batlukhsky is being held in Makhachkala. He previously criticized the local muftiate and its head, Akhmad Abdullayev. The prosecution of the preacher stems from posts he made on an Avar-language Telegram channel in March 2024, which were complained about by the muftiate secretary.

Akhmad Batlukhsky held various positions in the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Dagestan. He began his career as an imam in the villages of Nechayevka and Dylym, and then worked in the Shamil, Kazbekovsky, and Tsumadinsky districts. In Makhachkala, he served as deputy chairman of the council of imams, and in November 2021, he was appointed representative of the muftiate in the northern territorial district of Dagestan. He resigned from this latter position, as he explained, because he "came to the firm conclusion that the muftiate's policies are not consistent with Sharia law."

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