MCC leaves Imam Velitov under house arrest

The Moscow City Court (MCC) has ruled that the extension of house arrest of Makhmud Velitov, an Imam of the Moscow mosque, accused for his words about the cleric, assassinated in Kizlyar, of justifying terrorism, should not be revised.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Makhmud Velitov, an Imam of the Moscow mosque "Yardyam", was detained on July 11. Investigators have treated his words about the Dagestani religious figure Gappaev, pronounced in his interview and at one of the sermons, as justification of terrorism. The Imam has partially pled guilty, but his advocate states his innocence. On August 25, the Butyrka District Court of Moscow extended Velitov's house arrest until October 27. The Imam himself asked the court to release him under recognizance not to leave.

The MCC has upheld the ruling of the district court, his advocate Dagir Khasavov has stated today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Gappaev was killed on September 16, 2013, in the city of Kizlyar. His friends said that he had received threats from power agents, and was summoned to the police after the incident with a wedding cortege with Islamic flags, which occurred on April 27, 2013. The witnesses then stated that power agents had beaten up the participants of the wedding ceremony; and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in response reported about detention of members of an extremist organization.

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