Akim Kuliev's relatives explain why he is persecuted

The persecution of Akim Kuliev, which was reported by Khabib Nurmagomedov, an MMA fighter, was launched because of the desire to win authorities' favour of some high-ranking power agent in the Rutul District of Dagestan, Kuliev's relatives have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 25, Khabib Nurmagomedov, a Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, said that his friend Akim Kuliev was suspected of setting fire to the building of the district administration in Dagestan on September 14. While being tortured, Kuliev "cut his stomach open, saying that he would not sign what he had not done."

Ruslan Ibragimgadjiev, the acting head of the press service of the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), has refuted the reports on Kuliev's torture, stating that Kuliev "had cut himself with a piece of a tile."

Meanwhile, Akim Kuliev's father has stated that "power agents had planted firearms and drugs on his son."

"My son is an athlete; he has never used drugs... He is a multiple champion of Dagestan in ushu-sanda, hand-to-hand combat; he won international tournaments... He has two higher educations," said Arsen Kuliev, the father.

In his opinion, power agents try to make Akim Kuliev guilty of setting the administration building on fire. Therefore, they torture him "aiming to knock out his confession," the father of the detainee said. According to his version, Kuliev's advocate and members of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Dagestan "saw traces of torture with electric current on Akim's body."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.