The administration of the Daghestani city of Khasavyurt has published an apology video of an 18-year-old local resident accused of promoting terrorist activity through social media posts.
In the video, posted on the administration’s official information channels, the unidentified young man admitted to allegedly publishing materials supporting the activities of banned organisations and warned other residents of the region against repeating such actions. His face remained obscured throughout the recording.
‘In December 2024, I published materials on social media supporting terrorist activities. As a result, a criminal case has been opened against me. I want to warn all residents of Daghestan against publishing content linked to banned organisations, as this may entail legal responsibility’, the young man said on camera.
According to local authorities, the criminal case against the youth was initiated in August. He is accused of spreading terrorist propaganda, which can result in a prison sentence of five to seven years.
The Khasavyurt administration did not specify which preventive measures had been applied to the accused. The Investigative Committee of Daghestan has also not published further details of the investigation.
There have been several similar cases in Daghestan in recent months.
On 12 August, Daghestan’s Investigative Committee reported that it had opened a criminal case against a local resident suspected of publicly justifying terrorism using the Internet.
According to the investigation, a resident of Makhachkala published a video in a messaging app justifying terrorism, ‘aimed at forming a terrorist ideology and legitimising terrorist activity’.
On 5 August, the Investigative Committee reported opening a criminal case for the same reasons against a resident of the Kizilyurt District who posted an audio recording in a messaging app.
In July, investigators stated that they had completed their investigation into a Makhachkala resident accused of posting audio recordings justifying terrorism in a messaging app. The case was then sent to court.
In all cases, the names of the suspects and other personal details have not been disclosed.
Elizaveta Chukharova
