A prosecution witness in the case of Imam Tamaskhanov admitted to lying.
At the latest hearing in the case of Ingush imam Muhammad Tamaskhanov, witness Alikhan Ozdoyev told the court that he had given false testimony against the religious figure to investigators.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the trial of Imam Muhammad Tamaskhanov, accused of failing to report a crime, began in the Magas District Court of Ingushetia in February. At the hearing on April 1, a secret witness under the pseudonym "Pliev" gave contradictory testimony: he claimed to have attended prayers at the mosque, but could neither give its address nor describe the building. A large support group of the imam attends all hearings in the Tamaskhanov case; his supporters come from various towns and villages across the republic.
On April 10, 2025, Muhammad Tamaskhanov, imam of a mosque in Nazran, and Magomed Sultygov, imam of a mosque in Karabulak, were detained in Ingushetia. The reason for their detention was allegedly concealing information about a request for assistance from Khazir Ganiev, a member of a militant group associated with Amirkhan Gurazhev, who had attacked traffic police posts in the republic. A criminal case for failure to report was opened against both imams, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "The Main Thing About the Detention of Ingush Imams Tamaskhanov and Sultygov." Tamaskhanov denied the charges, and Sultygov also declared his innocence. Both are popular among followers of the Salafi school of Islam.
During another hearing in the Magas District Court on April 20, prosecution witness Alikhan Ozdoyev retracted his testimony against Imam Tamaskhanov. Ozdoyev openly admitted to perjury, stating that he disliked the imam "due to disagreements with his religious activities."
"Tamaskhanov and I have never done business together and are not acquainted. The testimony I gave was fabricated," the Instagram* page of the imam's supporters, mechet_za_kanalom, quoted the witness as saying.
Ozdoyev's statement could "drastically change the course of the case," as it "casts a shadow over the entire evidence base based on his testimony," Tamaskhanov's supporters noted.
On April 20, as on previous days of the hearing, numerous supporters of Muhammad Tamaskhanov, including his fellow religious figures and imams, arrived at the courthouse. Footage filmed outside the courthouse shows over 100 people – some gathered in the courtyard, while others had to wait behind the fence. When the imam emerged from the building, people greeted him and expressed their support.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 7.
The arrest of imams Muhammad Tamaskhanov and Magomed Sultygov has sparked widespread controversy. Security forces used brute force to detain Imam Magomed Tamaskhanov, using pressure and "illegal interrogation methods" to extract confessions from him about ties to a terrorist group, according to religious figures who demanded that the Ingush authorities intervene. Tamaskhanov himself previously linked the persecution to his religious activities, including the construction of mosques and support for the "Antilirika" movement.
Imam Magomed Sultygov, detained along with Tamaskhanov, was sentenced in late 2025 to a fine of 50,000 rubles under the article on failure to report (Article 205.6 of the Russian Criminal Code), Fortanga reports.
Sultygov's sentence was handed down by the Karabulak District Court of Ingushetia. According to the prosecution, in August 2023, Sultygov was approached by a certain Ganiev, a member of the "Gurazhev group." He asked the imam to "assist in raising funds under the guise of charity for the activities of a terrorist organization," but was refused.
In court, Imam Sultygov admitted guilt and expressed remorse, but refused to testify, the United Press Service of the Republic's Courts reported in December 2025.