October 20, 2026, 10:54 AMRSSRU

Ziiavdin Dapaev

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Ziiavdin Dapaev, born 1982, Dagestan. Charges: Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of the activities of an extremist organization); “The case of the Dagestan Nurcists”, opened on March 15, 2016. Sentence (November 6, 2017): four years' imprisonment in a general regime colony; previously convicted under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code. Status: at large. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, June 3, 2018; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, December 22, 2017.

In brief

Dagestan · Makhachkala · Extremism cases

Sentence

3 years

suspended imprisonment

Verdict May 17, 2011

Upheld November 14, 2011

Other verdicts

  • November 6, 2017 — four years' imprisonment in a general regime colony

Charges

Full wording of the charges

was a member of the extremist organisation Nurdzhular and distributed books by the Turkish theologian Said Nursi, banned for extremism

Latest event

December 18, 2024 — removed from the rosfinmonitoring list

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Removed from the Rosfinmonitoring list

  2. · Imprisonment ends

  3. · Persecution ends

  4. · Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion

    Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

  5. · Appeal ruling

    upheld

  6. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

Criminal case

Ziiavdin Dapaev case

There are no other defendants in this case in the database.

The case of the Dagestan Nurcists

Other defendants in the case

Thematic group: The case of the Dagestan Nurcists (Nurcu followers)

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

On 15 October 2010, Ziiavdin Dapaev, a resident of Dagestan, gave personal recognizance at the Department of Internal Affairs of the Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service in Dagestan. Dapaev signed the document after he returned from Istanbul, where he had attended a conference on the legacy of Said Nursi. On 24 January 2011, the trial began in Makhachkala. Dapaev was charged under Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (organising the activities of an extremist organisation). Dapaev denied his involvement in the Nurdzhular organisation, which was banned for extremism. He claimed that the organisation as such did not exist in Russia. On 18 May 2011, a verdict was passed in Makhachkala. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organising the activities of an extremist organisation) and sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment with a probation period of 2 years. On 28 June 2011, Ziiavdin Dapaev was reported to have appealed the sentence. On 3 August 2011, the federal Leninsky Court of Makhachkala began hearing the appeal. In November 2011, it was reported that on 20 September 2011 the Leninsky District Court of Makhachkala had issued a ruling on the appeal of Ziiavdin Dapaev, a follower of Said Nursi, against his conviction. The court overturned the decision of the court of first instance regarding the destruction of all 1,820 books and brochures seized from Dapaev, because they included publications not recognised by the court as extremist, as well as publications not translated into Russian, and decided to hand over the seized literature to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Dagestan to "resolve the issue regarding the destruction of banned books and brochures". The rest of the sentence was upheld. On 15 November 2011, the Supreme Court of Dagestan dismissed the appeal. On 15 March 2012, the Leninsky District Court of Makhachkala was reported to have ruled to return all the books confiscated during the investigation by law enforcement officers to Dapaev, except for the works of Said Nursi.

In March 2016, he was detained together with thirteen people, searched, arrested on charges of organising the activities of the extremist organisation "Nurdzhular", the existence of which has not been proven. On 7 November 2017, he was sentenced to four years in a general regime colony. He was apparently released in April 2019.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Persecution episodes
2
Sources (2)

Other people prosecuted under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

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