Social media users touched by wedding party of Ingush political prisoners

Ismail Nalgiev and Zarifa Sautieva organized their wedding party immediately after their release. Residents of Ingushetia and other Russian regions joined in congratulating the newlyweds. Social media users noted that they were touched by the story of Ismail Nalgiev and Zarifa Sautieva.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 1, Ingush activist Ismail Nalgiev was released from a penal colony in the Stavropol Territory. He served his full sentence in the case on an extremist community. Zarifa Sautieva was released on December 28, 2024.

On his Facebook* page, Ingush human rights defender Magomed Mutsolgov called the marriage of political prisoners “the wedding of the century.”

Zarifa Sautieva and Ismail Nalgiev were brought together by their participation in protest action, as earlier, they were just friends and like-minded people, not thinking about a relationship. Journalist and Zarifa Sautieva’s friend Isabella Evloeva noted that the marriage of Zarifa Sautieva and Ismail Nalgiev became a “challenge to Ingush society”: there had never been a case of an Ingush couple getting married in prison, and in addition, Zarifa Sautieva is much older than Ismail Nalgiev.

“I know of cases where couples were hesitant to get married just because the woman was older. The fact that Ismail did not back down and fought for his feelings speaks of him as a very strong and courageous person,” the journalist noted.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.