The verdict in the murder case of the editor-in-chief of Chernovik has been upheld

The Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of Russia dismissed the appeals of former Dagestan Deputy Prime Minister Shamil Isayev, Magomed Khazamov, and the defense of Murad Shuaibov, who died in prison, against the verdict in the case of the murder of Chernovik editor-in-chief Khadzhimurad Kamalov. Isayev had signed a contract and was wounded in the SVO zone.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ,"  Khadzhimurad Kamalov  was murdered on December 15, 2011. The killers  shot him 14 times . Kamalov was an investigative journalist, including on disappearances, and authored articles critical of the authorities and the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan. Former Dagestan Deputy Prime Minister  Shamil Isayev  (he was named as the mastermind behind the crime), as well as Murad Shuaibov, Magomed Khazamov, and Magomed Abigasanov, were accused of organizing the murder and carrying out the killing. On July 1, 2022, the court found all four defendants guilty. Isayev and Abigasanov each received 16 years in prison, Shuaibov received 23 years, and Khazamov received 24 years. Murad Shuaibov, who was convicted of murdering Khadzhimurad Kamalov, founder of the Chernovik newspaper,  was found dead in a prison colony in March 2024.

The Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of Russia (SC) rejected the cassation appeals of those involved in the murder of Dagestani journalist and editor-in-chief of the Chernovik newspaper, Khadzhimurad Kamalov. The investigation and the court determined that the killing was committed in retaliation for critical articles. Three perpetrators were convicted, along with former Dagestan Deputy Prime Minister Shamil Isayev, who ordered it. By the time the appeals were heard, Isayev, despite his advanced age, had already been sent to the SVO and even returned from there wounded, while one of the killers died in prison, Kommersant reported today.

A panel of three judges from the judicial panel for cases involving military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, which recently heard the cassation appeals of those convicted of the murder of Khadzhimurad Kamalov, issued its ruling in just a couple of hours. The judges had reviewed all the arguments of the defendants and their lawyers in advance. Only three of the defendants filed appeals: Shamil Isayev, the convicted instigator of the crime, and the two direct perpetrators, Murad Shuaibov and Magomed Khazamov. Another participant in the murder, Magomed Abigasanov, who sought out the killers and helped keep an eye on the victim, did not file an appeal.

The brother of the deceased, Magdi Kamalov, who was previously recognized as a victim, requested that the convicted persons be acquitted or their sentences be mitigated. He is convinced that, apart from Abigasanov, the other defendants had nothing to do with the journalist's death.

Only Khazamov and Abigasanov, who did not file an appeal, participated in the Supreme Court panel hearing via videoconference from prison. According to documents presented by his lawyer, Isayev was sent to the Special Military District in February 2024 and is currently undergoing treatment for a wound sustained on the front lines. The judges noted in their ruling that "information related to Isayev's participation in a special military operation, his conditional release from punishment, and subsequent expungement of his criminal record under Articles 80 and 86 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, cannot serve as grounds for overturning or modifying the contested court decisions."

Murad Shuaibov's lawyer, Asad Dzhabirov, stated that he "has the authority to continue defending the deceased's good name," and he, like the lawyers of the other convicted men, intends to file a further appeal against the guilty verdict and the decisions of the appellate and cassation courts—as part of the review process by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

As a reminder, in November 2022, the editorial board of Chernovik announced the suspension of the newspaper's print version, citing government actions that put pressure on printing houses, distributors, and advertisers.