Ten residents of Kabardino-Balkaria have been detained for extremism.

A 68-year-old resident of the Baksan district and his associates exerted physical and psychological pressure on other local residents, forcing them to observe religious canons, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

According to investigators, in 2019, the 68-year-old resident of the Baksan district, who held radical religious beliefs, decided to gather like-minded individuals around him. He organized a meeting with those willing to participate, declared himself their leader, and assigned roles and tasks among them.

The group's leader and members then sought out local residents whose beliefs conflicted with their radical views. They were forced to observe religious canons using physical and psychological pressure, the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported today on its website.

Security forces detained the founder and nine active members of the extremist group. The founder is charged under Part 1 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, "Creation of an extremist community" (which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, - note by "Caucasian Knot)), and nine active participants are charged under Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, "Participation in an extremist community" (which carries a sentence of up to six years in prison, - note by "Caucasian Knot").

"The court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention for eight accomplices, and another defendant has been placed under house arrest," the department noted.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on April 12, officers of the Center for Combating Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Kabardino-Balkaria reported the detention of a 31-year-old local A resident is being charged with financing an extremist organization.

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