Journalist from Dagestan fined for solitary pickets

A court in Makhachkala found journalist Idris Yusupov guilty of holding pickets and fined him 30 thousand rubles. As a foreign agent, he has no right to initiate public events, the investigation found.

Idris Yusupov held pickets in support of Palestine and his convicted colleague Abdulmumin Gadzhiev. His lawyer noted that the journalist did not organize a public event, but held a picket alone and silently.

In November 2023, Idris Yusupov was added to the list of foreign agents. The Ministry of Justice justified this decision by his participation in the creation of materials for foreign agents and the dissemination of false information about Russian authorities.

The police repeatedly searched Yusupov's apartment and seized computers and phones. The security forces were interested in the circumstances of the transfer of funds to the Civil Assistance Committee. Yusupov explained that for several months he had been involved in a project of this public organization related to providing assistance to prisoners from the North Caucasus.