Defendants in case of "Sharia patrols" in KBR plead guilty

Eleven residents of the village of Anzorei in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), whom investigators treated as members of the extremist community, have pleaded guilty in the case of the so-called "Sharia patrols".

In October 2020, the above alleged members of the extremist community were detained in the Lesken District of the KBR. They "used force against those who did not share their views." The organizer, Sultan Atalikov, faces up to 10 years in prison; other defendants – up to six years.

It follows from the indictment that in 2016, the defendants, being guided by the Sharia norms, created an organization named "Jamaat". However, their defence believes that ordinary domestic conflicts became the basis for initiating the extremist community case.

The detainees have fully admitted their guilt, said Ramzan Uzuev, an advocate.

According to investigators, in June-November 2016, they threatened a local woman born in 1996 for non-observance of the norms of Islam. In September 2016, one of the defendants hit a man born in 1993 for non-observance of the norms of Islam.

Also, three other persons received threats from community members. One of the girls has stated that she received threats for the slits in her jeans and for walking late.

Relatives and neighbours of the defendants have stated that they did not know about any "Sharia patrols"; the defendants were characterized exclusively positively. They all have families, children and elderly parents.

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported referring to human rights defenders' opinion that the "Sharia patrols" case appeared amid a conflict of secular and religious norms in the Caucasus.