Defence claims falsification of riots case at Makhachkala Airport

Gerei Djamalutdinov was detained after the riots at the Makhachkala Airport; law enforcers forced him to self-incriminate; and no the witness' interrogation data, who state that he saw Djamalutdinov at the airport could be found in the case files, the advocate has stated. Among those arrested, there are those who simply observed what was happening, the Dagestani public oversight commission (POC) has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that by December 13, 2023, about 150 people had been arrested within the criminal case of mass unrests at the airport; one of them was also accused of attacking a law enforcer. One of those arrested, Gerei Djamalutdinov, claims that he was not at the airport, and law enforcers forced him to incriminate himself, but investigators refuse to check his alibi.

Gerei Djamalutdinov filed a complaint about the fabrication of the case against him, Shamil Khadulaev, a deputy head of the Dagestani POC, has stated.

In his opinion, there are people still kept at the SIZO (pre-trial prison), who can hardly be called rioters. "Of the ten people I talked to at the SIZO, several were onlookers, that is, people who just happened to be in the crowd and looked at what was happening ... And those who were the instigators, wearing black masks, I doubt that they were found," Mr Khadulaev believes.

According to Armail Gasanov, an advocate, on October 29, 2023, Djamalutdinov was at home with his parents, and on October 30, law enforcers forced him to go to the police station. Gerei said that he was not at the airport at the time of the riots. They started putting pressure on him, threatening that he would be "put on a bottle." After that, a policeman typed an explanation that Djamalutdinov admitted that he was at the airport. The guy got scared and signed it, Mr Gasanov has explained.

This explanation is used to continue keeping Djamalutdinov in custody, but, according to the advocate, it cannot be evidence.