Imam of Derbent mosque suspected of unlawful confinement

The Imam, detained by the police, is suspected of unlawful confinement of a 27-year-old woman from Derbent and her four-year-old child, said Rasul Temirbekov, the spokesman of the Investigating Department for Dagestan of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the evening on February 9, residents of Derbent reported about the detention of the Imam of a Salafi mosque in the territory of the district named "Airport". The GOVD (City Division of Internal Affairs) has confirmed the detention of the Imam.

According to Temirbekov, a criminal case was opened against the Imam under Article 127 of the Russian Criminal Code "Unlawful confinement" (punishable by compulsory labour for up to five years or by imprisonment for 3-5 years).

According to investigators, on February 9, the Imam "brought the 27-year-old local woman and her 4-year-old daughter into a room in the territory of the mosque." According to the woman, the Imam "under a threat of violence, took away the keys to her apartment and her 3 mobile phones."

"Only two hours later, the woman and the child were released by the police," said a source from the ICRF. The freedom restraint measure against the Imam has not been chosen yet.

Today, at least 300 parishioners gathered outside the GOVD of Derbent, opposing the detention of the Imam. According to eyewitnesses, power agents fired into the air, beat up the protesters and detained at least 20 of them.

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