Humaid Khaidayev

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Humaid Khaidayev, born 1979, Irkutsk Oblast. Charges: Article 212 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of mass riots); Article 321 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code (Disorganisation of the activities of institutions providing isolation from society). Sentenced on February 26, 2025; previously convicted under Article 208 part 2, Russian Criminal Code; Article 317, Russian Criminal Code. Status: at large.

In brief

Irkutsk Oblast, Chechnya · NULL, NULL · Farmers

Sentence

17 years

Imprisonment (special regime)

Verdict February 26, 2025

Upheld March 23, 2026

Other verdicts

August 13, 2008 — 13 years 1 month of imprisonment in a strict regime colony
Imprisonment (open prison colony) — 10 months

Charges

Article 208 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Participation in armed groups against the interests of the Russian Federation including in the territory of a foreign state
Article 317, Russian Criminal Code — Attempted violence against a law enforcement officer, military personnel, or their close relatives.
Article 212 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Organization of mass riots
Article 321 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code — Disorganisation of the activities of institutions providing isolation from society.

Full wording of the charges

According to the investigation, he was one of the organisers and active participants of the riot in IK-15 in the Irkutsk region. As Memorial notes, according to the testimony of Alexei Karbovsky, a convict who cooperated with the administration and was in a so-called "safe place" at the time of the riot, Khaidayev shouted: "Give us the 'bamshchiks' [occupants of the safe house], and we will leave." At the hearing, however, Karbovsky was unable to identify Khaidayev. Bair Rinchino, the former head of the detachment in the colony, claims that Khaidayev shouted to him: "You've reached the limit, now we'll deal with you!". Former colony employee Artem Yermakov, who is charged in the case of abuse of power, refers to employee Parygin, who said that Khaidayev was in charge of the prisoners who attacked and beat him. Yermakov also shows that Khaidayev was one of the main negotiators on the part of the prisoners, who demanded that they be allowed to live as they wished and encouraged other prisoners with the words "We do not give up, we stand to the end." Convict Alexei Chechin also described Khaidayev as an active negotiator. The former head of the colony Andrei Vereshchak, against whom several criminal cases were brought, claims that Khaidayev was among the convicts who came to his office for negotiations, behaved inadequately: he shouted and tore his shirt, demanded not to make the riot public and not to initiate criminal proceedings against him for beating Parygin, as well as threatened the operative officer Artem Gridasov, who also suffered from the actions of the convicts.

Latest event

October 20, 2026 — case status changed

Became known October 20, 2026 · checked October 18, 2026

Timeline

March 23, 2026 · Appeal ruling
upheld
February 26, 2025 · First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 17 years
April 1, 2020 · Criminal case opened
July 6, 2011 · Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
December 8, 2008 · Appeal ruling
upheld
August 13, 2008 · First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 13 years 1 month
September 1, 2007 · Criminal case opened
September 1, 2006 · Persecution begins
September 1, 2006 · Preventive measure: pre-trial detention

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

A resident of Chechnya, he helped his parents raise cattle on the farm. After an amnesty was granted to members of armed groups in September 2006, he signed an acknowledgement of guilt in the police department of the neighbouring district. Some relatives believe it’s possible that he had previously carried food to members of the local underground resistance. After Khaidayev signed his acknowledgement of guilt, an officer of the local district police department detained him, apparently wishing to improve performance at his expense. A case was initiated against Khaidayev on participation in an illegal armed formation. His relatives claim that he was tortured. They demanded money from his relatives to buy weapons that could be handed over as material evidence. Khaidayev was sentenced to ten months in a penal colony in February 2007. He was released on parole in August.

In September 2007, he was detained together with a fellow villager, tractor driver Yubetirov Ya. and accused of attempted murder of a policeman in 2001. Khaidayev later said that he was forced to testify against Yubetirov and himself under torture.

According to Memorial's fact sheet, Chechen human rights activists claim that four young men from the same village were previously kidnapped under the same circumstances. They were never found.

On 14 August 2008, Khaidayev was sentenced to 13 years and one month in a strict regime colony.

On 16 April 2020, it became known that Khaidayev was accused of organising mass riots and six episodes of disorganising the work of a correctional institution in connection with a riot in Corrective labour colony-15 in Angarsk. After the riot was quelled, Khaidayev was taken to a pre-trial detention facility; his lawyers were only able to see him a few days later. Memorial refers to a report by the human rights organisation Civil Assistance that Khaidayev was subjected to cruel torture: his fingers and a hand were broken, burned his body with a red-hot spoon, and skin on his face was peeled off with a sticky mask. Under torture, he was forced to sign a confession, which he was not allowed to read. He was refused to initiate criminal proceedings in connection with torture.

The investigation declared Khaidayev one of the main organisers of the riot, despite the fact that he had four months left to serve of his sentence for the attempted assassination of a policeman.

In December 2023, Khaidayev went on hunger strike demanding that he be provided with halal food.

Human rights defenders consider the cases of attempted assassination of a policeman and organising a riot in the colony to be falsified. In September 2007, he was detained together with a fellow villager, tractor driver Yubetirov and accused of attempted murder of a policeman in 2001. Khaidayev later said that he was forced to testify against Yubetirov and himself under torture.

According to Memorial's fact sheet, Chechen human rights activists claim that four young men from the same village were previously kidnapped under the same circumstances. They were never found.

On 14 August 2008, Khaidayev was sentenced to 13 years and one month in a strict regime colony.

On 16 April 2020, it became known that Khaidayev was accused of organising mass riots and six episodes of disorganising the work of a correctional institution in connection with a riot in Penal Correctional Institution-15 in Angarsk. After the riot was quelled, Khaidayev was taken to a pre-trial detention centre; his lawyers were only able to see him a few days later. "Memorial" refers to a report by the human rights organisation "Civil Assistance" that Khaidayev was subjected to cruel torture: his fingers and hand were broken, red-hot spoon was burned to his body, and skin on his face was peeled off with a sticky mask. Under torture, he was forced to sign a confession, which he was not allowed to read. He was refused to initiate criminal proceedings in connection with torture.

The investigation declared Khaidayev one of the main organisers of the riot, despite the fact that he had four months left in his sentence for the attempted assassination of a policeman.