The leader of an extremist group that carried out so-called "Sharia patrols" targeting people suspected of drinking alcohol in Russia's Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has been sentenced to four years and three months in a penal colony.
The man and 16 other members of the organisation were sentenced by a Russian district court for conducting illegal investigations into citizens they suspected of behaviour that conflicted with their religious beliefs.
Those targeted by the group were assaulted and forced to publicly apologise and promise to change their lifestyles in accordance with the organisation's extremist principles.
The group operated in the North Caucasus republic between March 2023 and August 2024 before being stopped by law enforcement authorities.
The Cherek District Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic found the group's leader guilty of creating an extremist community.
In addition to his prison term, he was banned for two years from leading or participating in religious organisations.
The remaining defendants were found guilty of participating in an extremist religious community and received sentences ranging from two years to 10 months in penal colonies. All defendants admitted their guilt.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, a mountainous North Caucasus region north of Georgia, was a centre of Islamic insurgency in Russia during the early 2000s.
By the early 2010s, however, Russian security operations had significantly weakened the insurgency. Other militants left the region to fight alongside ISIS in the Syrian Civil War.
Despite this, the region has continued to witness occasional outbreaks of extremist activity. In 2024, gunmen opened fire on security forces during a counter-terrorism operation in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria.
In the same year, Russian security services arrested 15 suspected members of another extremist organisation in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
The suspects were accused of disseminating radical Islamist ideology and coercing others to join the organisation under threat of violence.
The Muslim-majority Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is home to around 910,000 people.
Iran said on Monday (3 August) it is not negotiating with the U.S. over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying current talks with Oman are focused sol...
The Pacific island nation formerly known internationally as Nauru has officially adopted the name Republic of Naoero, restoring the traditional name u...
Georgia has unveiled a new funding model for public universities, highlighting the different ways higher education is financed across the South Caucas...
A tourist aircraft crashed near Peru's UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines on Saturday (1 August), killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said Tehran is not currently involved in direct talks with Washington about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were to begin on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Saturday he would hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal could be reached quickly to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a major wildfire in Greece on Sunday, killing two crew members as emergency services continued efforts to contain fires fuelled by extreme heat and dry conditions across Europe.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said wildfires that swept across France were now under control. Authorities warned that risks remained as Greece and Spain continued battling active blazes across parts of Europe.
The Pacific island nation formerly known internationally as Nauru has officially adopted the name Republic of Naoero, restoring the traditional name used by its people in a move to reaffirm the country's cultural identity and heritage.
France’s worst wildfire season since 1949 is stretching emergency services, raising questions about the country’s preparedness and increasing political pressure ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Police have arrested six people on suspicion of arson as prosecutors investigate dozens of wildfires that have broken out across Türkiye in recent days.
Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant may continue operating at reduced capacity until Tuesday, temporarily easing pressure on the country’s electricity grid during an intense heatwave.
Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, after years of questions over the health and well-being of the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment