Journalist Guzel Kasimova arrested in Cherkessk

The Cherkessk City Court has sent Guzel Kasimova, a journalist from Kazan, accused of knowingly making a false report about a terror act, to the SIZO (pre-trial prison until January 22, 2025. The defence intends to appeal against the court ruling.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 21, in the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR), law enforcers detained Guzel Kasimova, an activist, on suspicion of posting announcements about an impending terror act. She was placed under arrest for 10 days, accused of disobeying law enforcers. Besides, law enforcers threatened her that, upon leaving the SIZO on December 1, she would be detained under a criminal case.

"They chose a freedom restriction measure in the form of detention until January 22, 2025. The investigator's request was unjustified. He could not clearly answer the defence's questions ... he referred to the severity of the crime and the fact that Guzel Kasimova was a resident of the city of Kazan. The court was presented with her exclusively positive characteristics. However, the court remained deaf to the advocates' arguments, who asked for a more lenient preventive measure not related to custody," the advocate has stated.