A Dagestani resident has been convicted of murdering the rector of the Institute of Theology, Sadikov.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan sentenced a local resident to 15 years in prison for the 2011 murder of Maksud Sadikov, rector of the Institute of Theology and International Relations, and his nephew, Zalimkhan Musayev.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in April 2024, former State Duma deputy Magomed Gadzhiev* was charged in absentia with organizing the murder of Maksud Sadikov, rector of the Dagestani Institute of Theology, and was placed on the wanted list.

According to the case materials, unidentified individuals were recruited to commit the murder of the religious figure and his nephew. They recruited the defendant and another individual, whose identity could not be established, as the perpetrators.

The defendant and his accomplice had previously gathered information about the victim, his daily routine, and the vehicle he used, and had also acquired firearms. Knowing that the victim was accompanied by an armed security guard, who was his nephew, the criminals planned to kill both of them.

On June 7, 2011, in the courtyard of a house on Abubakarov Street in Makhachkala, the accomplices, after waiting for the victims to return, opened fire on them. As a result, the attackers fired at least 30 shots. Both died at the scene from their wounds. Two other people in the car with them were unharmed.

The criminal case was investigated for the murder of two people committed by a group of individuals by prior conspiracy, for hire. 1 The case against the alleged organizer of the crime, which he committed due to personal animosity, has been separated into separate proceedings, the press service clarified.

"The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Dagestan sentenced the defendant to 15 years' imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony. The sentence has not entered into legal force and can be appealed to a higher court," the statement reads.

According to Chernovik, the convicted man is Ramazan Magomedov, an employee of a security company.

In 2024, the Investigative Committee announced that it had solved the murder of Maksud Sadikov, naming former State Duma deputy Magomed Gadzhiev*, who is currently abroad, as the organizer, Kommersant reported on the night of April 10 in an article entitled "The deputy's order was fulfilled with excess".

"The suspect in the murder, security company employee Ramazan Magomedov, was detained in March 2023. According to investigators, he and an unidentified accomplice shot at Messrs. Sadikov and Musayev. Magomedov himself, whose case is being heard in the Supreme Court of Dagestan, denies any involvement in the crime," the publication states.

The case against Gadzhiev* was separated into separate proceedings. Witnesses questioned in connection with the case included employees of the Makhachkala private security company Gard-M, who worked for the security company in 2010-2011, the publication writes.

"The investigation also targeted the head of the private security company Sphinx Alliance and the former general director of the Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port (MCSP), Akhmed Gadzhiev. According to Kommersant, the brother of the State Duma deputy, the alleged organizer of the crime, went on an extended leave in 2017 and, without returning to work at MCSP, left Russia. According to unofficial reports, investigators have questions for the port's general director regarding several criminal cases that were underway," the publication reports.

According to case materials, in early June 2011, the deputy, "amid a previous personal animosity with Maksud Sadikov, decided to organize his murder by hiring assassins." "To commit the crime, he recruited "persons not identified by the investigation" and instructed them to find those who could kill the rector for money. "The order was carried out no later than June 7th - Ramazan Magomedov and an unknown individual were selected as the shooters," said the author of the article, Yulia Rybina.

As a reminder, Maksud Sadikov was known for his socio-political work, including as the leader of the all-Russian political public movement "Nur" (Light). From 1997 to 1999, he worked in the Ministry of National Policy of Russia, from 1999 to 2000 - in the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Nationalities of Russia as a consultant to the Department of Local Self-Government, and from 2000 to 2002 - in the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Nationalities, and Migration Policy of Russia. From 1998 to 1999, Sadikov headed the Russian Hajj mission, which organized the pilgrimage of Russian Muslims.

* is included in the register of foreign agents.

** Meta's activities (owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.