Criminal case against Rostov Imam Nail Bikmaev closed

The criminal proceedings against Nail Bikmaev, Imam of the Central Mosque in Rostov-on-Don, have been stopped. Earlier, he has been accused of inciting inter-confessional hatred. The Prosecutor's Office offered him a written apology for the unjustified prosecution.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 10, 2013, Nail Bikmaev, a son of Djafar Bikmaev, Chair of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of the Rostov Region, was charged with inciting hatred or hostility, and humiliation of human dignity. According to investigators, during the Friday sermons in the Central Mosque of Rostov-on-Don, Nail Bikmaev "admitted statements, promoting incitement of inter-confessional hatred."

According to the information and analytical centre "Sova", the re-examination of the suspect's statements, conducted by the Institute of Criminalistics of the FSB, has shown that "the preaching statements taken in context do not aim to cause enmity or hatred towards followers of religious concepts."

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported that on December 21, 2010, Djafar Bikmaev filed a complaint to the law enforcement bodies about disappearance of his son Nail Bikmaev. At night of January 7, 2010, Nail Bikmaev was detained in Makhachkala as a member of the armed grouping. On January 21, 2011, the pre-trial restriction measure against him was changed due to the personal guarantees of his father.

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