Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Journalists Wage Solidarity Campaign for Colleague Jailed on Terrorism Charges

Abdulmumin Gadzhiyev, the religious affairs editor for the independent Chernovik news weekly, faces life in prison on charges of financing terrorism and participating in a terrorist organization Screenshot Youtube / gazetachernovik

Prominent journalists have made a video appeal in support of their colleague who is accused of financing terrorism in Russia's republic of Dagestan.

Abdulmumin Gadzhiyev, the religious affairs editor of the independent Chernovik news weekly, faces life in prison on charges of financing terrorism and participating in a terrorist organization. Gadzhiyev’s colleagues say the charges, stemming from his alleged writings about a preacher who the authorities accuse of having ties to the Islamic State, are fabricated.

“Our views may not fully align with those of Gadzhiyev, but we believe that journalists shouldn’t be kept in jail and tried for their professional activity,” the journalists said in the video address posted Sunday.

Speakers included reporters for Russia’s Kommersant and Vedomosti business dailies, the investigative Novaya Gazeta newspaper and the Ekho Moskvy radio station. The chief editors of independent online outlets Mediazona, Znak.com and Proekt also spoke in support of Gadzhiyev.

“The charge of financing terrorism in the North Caucasus is about the same as planting drugs on Ivan Golunov in Moscow,” one journalist said, referring to the Meduza news website’s special correspondent who was among the video’s speakers.

Authorities detained Golunov — who was released days later and is now attempting to bring his arresting officers to justice — around the time of Gadzhiyev’s arrest. 

The 16 correspondents, bloggers and editors called on other journalists and supporters to hold one-person pickets Wednesday in front of the Dagestan representative office in Moscow.

A high court in Dagestan rejected Gadzhiyev’s appeal Monday. He has been placed in pre-trial detention until March 13.

"If the court read his articles, they’d see there’s nothing extreme there,” his wife Dana Sakiyeva told the U.S. outlet Voice of America. 

“My husband himself tells them to look and see,” she was quoted as saying.

One of Dagestan’s most popular newspapers, Chernovik has been subject to harassment by the authorities in the past, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom group has said. 

After being accused of collaborating with terrorists for three years, Chernovik was acquitted in 2011. Its founder was shot and killed a few months later.

Russian authorities have waged a years-long antiterrorism campaign in the country’s restive North Caucasus region.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more