Daghestani man convicted for posting on social media

Resident of Daghestan Abdulla Apavov was sentenced to two years in prison by a Daghestani court, for posts he made on social media. The North Caucasian District Military Court found him guilty of publicly promoting terrorism and inciting hatred.

According to the court’s press service, preliminary investigation revealed that Apavov ‘posted a publication with comments containing public calls to terrorism and their justification, as well as inciting hatred aimed at the denigration of human dignity on the basis of religion’ on one of his social media accounts.

The court found him guilty and sentenced him to two years in a penal colony. The sentence has not yet entered into force and can still be appealed.

Apavov’s case is the latest in a string of convictions in Daghestan for posts made online. A month ago, the court heard the case of another Daghestani man R Akhsarov. The authorities accused him of publishing on social media visual and audio materials which, in their opinion, were ‘aimed at inciting hatred and hostility’ as well as justifying terrorism.

In December, a 25-year-old Daghestani man from Untsukulsky District, whose name wasn’t released to the press, was included in the federal wanted list for justifying terrorism in social media and inciting hatred.

In November 2016, Shamil Magomedov from the village of Gigikh in Tsumadinsky District was fined ₽30,000 ($510). The court found him guilty of inciting religious hatred and justifying terrorism through social media.

In October 2016, resident of Makhachkala Arslan Khirasulov was sentenced to imprisonment of two and a half years for justifying terrorism in social media.

In June 2016, an unnamed 22-year-old resident of Daghestan was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for posting a video with a call to terrorism.