Salekh Magamadov

A resident of Chechnya and participant in the opposition Telegram chat Osal Nakh 95, he was detained in Grozny on 5 April 2020. There, he, his brother Ismail Isaev, and other members of the chat were forced to record video apologies for criticizing the authorities. Later, the brothers reported that they were systematically beaten. They were held in custody until May 29, 2020, when they were released without any official paperwork. With the support of the Sphere Foundation for Social and Legal Assistance, which defends the rights of LGBT+ people, both fled to Nizhnii Novgorod.

On 4 February 2021, they were both detained again and taken back to Chechnya. The brothers later reported being subjected to violence during their arrest. Security forces denied their lawyer access and told him that Isaev and Magamadov had confessed to delivering food to a militant in hiding, Rustam Borchashvili (reportedly killed in October 2020). On 9 February, both were placed in custody on charges of aiding participation in an illegal armed group.

On 12 March, they retracted their earlier statements, saying they had signed them without reading, under threat of torture. Authorities pressured their relatives, and Grozny television aired a video in which family members demanded that Isaev and Magamadov no longer be associated with the LGBT+ community and issued threats toward LGBT+ organizations and journalists. In April, it was reported that the brothers were granted state protection due to the risk of an “honor killing” by their relatives.

On February 22, 2022, Magamadov was sentenced to eight years in a high-security penal colony.

You can read more about politically persecuted people in the Telegram channel OVD-Info LIVE and our politically motivated criminal prosecutions in Russia database