A court in Stavropol Krai has sentenced Makhach Bashirov, who is accused of financing terrorism. The Southern District Military Court sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The defendant's family insists that shortly before his arrest, he transferred two thousand rubles to charity.

Investigators allege that in the spring of 2020, in Kislovodsk, Bashirov transferred funds to the Islamic State terrorist organization, which is banned in Russia. Details of the alleged amount, the prosecution's evidence, and the defendant's position were not disclosed in the court case. Official statements from law enforcement agencies after the Stavropol resident's arrest also contained no further details.

In the summer of 2021, in addition to Bashirov, six more individuals were arrested: Rasul Umarov, Yusup Ismailov, Islam Tambiyev, Anzor Kakhunov, Adam Darsayev, and Rabadangadzhi Rabadanov.

They were previously accused of involvement in a terrorist religious organization. The Investigative Committee did not disclose the name of the organization, but the alleged members were also accused of planning a terrorist attack in Kislovodsk, scheduled for April 2021.

Human rights activists in Russia regularly raise the issue of confessions extracted under torture. Those involved in such cases often testify in court that they were coerced into giving testimony.