YouTube videos cited as reason for arrest of Islamic blogger in Sochi

Security forces searched the apartment of blogger Mansur Gneev in Sochi, and he was arrested on extremism charges. Anti-Israeli videos and videos about the "Russian Community" are cited as possible grounds for the criminal case.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Islamic blogger Mansur (Boris) Gneev from Ust-Labinsk was fined 15,000 rubles and arrested for two weeks for inciting hatred and enmity and disobeying police. He stated that he had made unfortunate comments on his channel about Christianity and the ownership of Adyghe lands, and apologized. He previously published an appeal to Andrey Tkachuk, coordinator of the "Russian Community," on his YouTube channel.

Blogger and Islamic preacher Mansur (Boris before converting to Islam) Gneev, who was detained in Sochi, has been charged with incitement to extremist activity (Article 280 of the Russian Criminal Code), Kommersant reported today, citing a law enforcement source who declined to disclose details.

Mansur Gneev was detained in Sochi, in his apartment, around 6:00 a.m. An NTV journalist was present at the arrest. "As soon as Mansur opened the door, he found himself pinned to the floor. Then he was handcuffed. My husband offered no resistance. I was taken to the shared kitchen in the house, where we spent most of our time with our child. About ten people arrived to detain the 'especially dangerous criminal' with a four-month-old child," his wife, Alisa, wrote on the Telegram channel "Help for Mansur Gneev and His Family."

According to her, the charges stemmed from a September 19 video, "Attack on Qatar/Zionists Will Not Stop," criticizing Israel and promoting radical Islamic messages in the context of the conflict between Israel and Qatar (the video received 7,600 views).

She noted that Mansur was subjected to violence during his arrest. The report stated that Mansur has been arrested for two months, and the family is seeking a lawyer. Gneev's wife added that his passport name is Boris and he is 23 years old.

She also posted a video of the apartment after the search, showing things scattered around and the contents of the cabinets emptied out.

According to Gneev's wife, security forces, in particular, seized her phone, which has access to Mansur's YouTube channel.

At the same time, Kommersant reported that, according to unofficial information, the case is connected to a video by the blogger in which he allegedly criticized the "Russian Community."

As follows from Gneev's YouTube channel has recently released videos about the "Russian Community" at least twice—on August 19 and February 9. The first was viewed by 55,000 people, the second by 76,000.

The last video on Gneev's YouTube channel, which has 66,700 subscribers, was released on September 23. In it, he discusses property rights, specifically stating that any property can be lost in an instant if someone takes an interest in it, and that laws are of no help. The video has garnered 4,400 views.

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