Instagram users* expressed support for blogger Magomeddibirov and his family.
The father of Dagestani blogger Magomeddibir Magomeddibirov, who is on a hunger strike in an Astrakhan pretrial detention center, asked Vladimir Putin to facilitate a fair investigation into his case. Instagram users* supported the father and wished the blogger his release, but questioned the intended recipient of the appeal.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on June 10, it was announced that Dagestani blogger Magomeddibir Magomeddibirov has declared a hunger strike in an Astrakhan pretrial detention center, where he has been held for about six months following a traffic incident. Investigators ignored the fact that Magomeddibirov's opponent struck him first, although this is key to determining who was at fault in the fight, a lawyer and human rights activist pointed out.
Magomeddibirov Magomeddibirov was detained after a road rage incident with a handball coach in Astrakhan. The incident was captured on camera. The footage shows the coach striking the blogger first. As a result of the fight, Magomeddibirov suffered a concussion.
Saad Magomeddibirov's video message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was published on the arrested blogger's account. Magomeddibirov's associates, who call him by his nickname, Muhammad, noted in the video's caption that the blogger did not want to "involve the family" in his case, but his father decided to intervene. "Now Muhammad has a chance to improve his situation, but the prosecution is trying to prevent it. The family is not asking for pity—they are asking for justice, legality, and objectivity," the June 20 post emphasized.
“My son has been in pretrial detention for seven months now. My son was insulted and beaten on extremely dubious charges by a citizen whose actions have yet to be legally assessed. Without any evidence, he is accused of committing a serious crime,” Saadu Magomeddibirov says in the recording.
According to his father, the video of the road rage incident has been viewed by millions of internet users, many of whom “express their outrage at the investigative authorities and the prosecutor’s office of Astrakhan.” He asked Putin to instruct the heads of the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General’s Office “to assess the actions of officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the prosecutor’s office for the Kirovsky District of Astrakhan.”
By 7:45 PM Moscow time today, the post on Magomeddibirov’s page had garnered over 1,600 comments. The overwhelming majority of comments demanded the blogger's release, expressing support for his father. However, many doubted that appealing to Putin would yield results. "You're appealing to someone who won't respond," wrote user tatyanka777fedotova. "Putin hasn't given a damn about any of you for a long time," asserted avarstvo_.
Some suggested appealing to regional rather than federal authorities. "We need to go to the governor of Astrakhan," said adam.saudiya. "My brother, contact the new head of Dagestan (...) I think he will help you," remarked ba.khtiiar1981.
A number of commentators see Magomeddibirov's case as a manifestation of systemic problems with law enforcement in the Russian Federation. "I'm sick of our law enforcement system: they don't catch real criminals, they find innocent victims," wrote tell.u4. User shamilyakubich expressed outrage at the "lawlessness of law enforcement agencies," which "often occurs with respect to people from the Caucasus," and murad_lekia added that "this is not an isolated incident."
User volf1_012 also expressed distrust of the Astrakhan security forces. "Let justice prevail for your son, brother. But there are still so many cases like this, and they're just pushing crimes for nothing," he wrote.
"There has never been justice in Russia, and there never will be," said gusein__34. "There is no justice left in the Ministry of Internal Affairs; there is deep mistrust of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," noted n_nabievich22. "That's why I live in Europe. In Russia, there is chaos and no law; they do whatever they want," said ghalgha.gg.
"Judges, please be fair. In many cases, people's fates depend on you. You will still have to answer to the Almighty," wrote aisarat64. “We can’t save our own guys; what a miserable situation we’re in,” lamented _aslanbek_14.08.98.