Dagestani journalists have secured recognition of police inaction as illegal.

The Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala ruled police inaction against journalists Magomed Magomedov and Idris Yusupov*, who were detained in January 2023, unlawful. For nearly two years, security forces ignored the journalists' complaints about their illegal detention and failed to respond to their lawyers' requests.

As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, in January 2023, security forces obstructed pickets in support of Chernovik journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev under absurd pretexts, detaining activists. On January 9, even a random passerby was taken to the police station, according to Dagestani journalists. On January 16, 2023, security forces took journalist Idris Yusupov* and deputy editor-in-chief of Chernovik Magomed Magomedov to the police station after they held solo pickets in Makhachkala.

On November 20, lawyer Shamil Isaev filed complaints with the Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala, asking that the inaction of the head and investigators of the inquiry department be declared illegal and unfounded: failure to make procedural decisions on the applications of Magomedov and Yusupov*, failure to notify the applicants of the decisions made, and failure to consider the journalists' petitions, the Memorial Human Rights Center reported*.

On December 2 and 4, 2025, judges Izrattin Khavaev and Patimat Makhatilova of the Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala The complaints filed by the lawyer were upheld. However, the judges' rulings differed in some of the wording.

Judge Khavaev heard the complaint filed by lawyer Isaev on behalf of Yusupov*, with the participation of investigator Saidova, who requested that the complaint be found unfounded and dismissed, and prosecutor Omarov, who also requested that the complaint be dismissed. When scheduling the hearing, the court also requested that investigator Saidova provide the investigation materials. Since the investigator failed to provide them, the court requested that they be resubmitted. However, the investigator never presented the materials to the court, and at the hearing, she was unable to explain why she had failed to do so.

Ultimately, Judge Khavaev ruled to uphold Isaev's lawyer's complaint in both parts: to recognize the inaction as illegal and unfounded, and to order the correction of the violations.

In her ruling of December 4, Judge Makhatilova found the inaction of the police department for the Sovietsky district of Makhachkala to be unlawful in terms of failing to notify Magomedov of the decision made on his complaint. In the operative part of the document, Judge Makhatilova ruled that the inaction of the head of the department was unlawful. Police. The judge also dismissed Isaev's lawyer's complaint seeking to have the inaction of the department head and investigator declared unlawful and unfounded, specifically regarding the failure to make procedural decisions on Magomedov's complaint, the failure to consider the petition, and the failure to rectify the violations committed. Colleagues of Chernovik editor Abdulmumin Gadzhiev regularly held solo pickets in central Makhachkala in his support. Gadzhiev's friends and colleagues believed his case was being overshadowed by other news, and the pickets reminded people of his fate. Among those participating in the pickets were Chernovik founder Magdi Kamalov, the publication's deputy editor-in-chief Magomed Magomedov, and Novoye Delo journalist Idris Yusupov*. Idris Yusupov*