19:06, 19 September 2018

Sentenced Imam Makhmud Velitov feels better

Makhmud Velitov. Photo http://ren.tv/novosti/2016-07-12/video-iz-suda-gde-za-ekstremizm-arestovali-imama-moskovskoy-mecheti

Makhmud Velitov, Imam of the Moscow "Yardyam" mosque, sentenced in the case on the justification of terrorism, is discharged from the hospital and transferred to a penal colony with conditions for inmates with low mobility. This has been reported by the Department for the Astrakhan Region of the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 29, it became known that Makhmud Velitov was placed to a hospital at a penal colony in Astrakhan. On September 10, he was again placed to a hospital in a penitentiary institution. Advocate Dagir Khasavov claimed that the Imam was returned to the place where he had not received any medical treatment and where he possibly suffered a heart attack.

In April 2017, Makhmud Velitov was sentenced to three years of imprisonment for preaching about Abdullah Gappaev, a killed Dagestani religious figure. The court found that the preaching justified terrorism. According to investigators, Abdullah Gappaev was a member of the terrorist organization "Hizb ut-Tahrir", banned in Russia. The Imam stated that he did not know that Abdullah Gappaev had been recognized as a terrorist. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" recognized the Imam as a political prisoner.

According to the FSIN's Department for the Astrakhan Region, medical officers reported about the stable health state of Makhmud Velitov, "without any threat to his life."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 19, 2018 at 8:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.