Human rights activists assessed the prospects for the investigation of lawyer Kaituev's case.

Punishment for the security forces responsible for the beating of Makhachkala lawyer Zaur Kaituev is possible. However, in practice, public cases of pressure on lawyers in Dagestan have never reached court, and law enforcement and regulatory agencies actively cover up the crimes of their employees.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on June 18, 2025, Makhachkala lawyer Zaur Kaituev reported that he was beaten outside the building of a Dagestani law enforcement agency, where he had arrived to represent his clients. He was then detained and beaten in the building of another law enforcement agency. After the beating, Kaituev's condition worsened, requiring hospitalization. Security forces threatened to force the lawyer to unlock his phone and gained access to confidential information about his cases, the Dagestan Bar Association stated. Investigators have opened a criminal case against "unidentified officers" of the security forces for the beating, and Kaituev's colleagues expressed hope that his case would be investigated more effectively than the attack on Alexander Nemov in Chechnya. However, on February 4, Kaituev stated that security forces were exerting serious pressure on him and his loved ones, and the identification of the law enforcement officers involved in the violence is not being carried out in the criminal case.

Zaur Kaituev, a lawyer with the Makhachkala Bar Association, still hasn't received a response to his complaint about the investigation's delays and pressure, even though he sent it to Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, on January 17. "First, they told me the complaint had been accepted. Then, in another response from the Investigative Committee, they told me it would take 30 days to prepare a response. This is the legal deadline for a response, so we're waiting," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

According to Kaituev, the criminal investigation has stalled at the identification stage. "We haven't made any further progress yet. The case has been opened against unidentified officers, and identification isn't being conducted," he explained.

The lawyer noted that not only he and his family, but also his clients, have been subjected to pressure from security forces. Some of Kaituev’s relatives are under pressure even due to their direct affiliation with the security forces.

“My cousin, an Interior Ministry employee, was forced to resign. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Interior Ministry and was an employee of the criminal investigation department. My younger brother, an active Interior Ministry employee, is also under pressure, but he copes with the pressure and fulfills his official duties. Fortunately, he serves in another region of the country. My clients are being pressured to admit guilt under trumped-up charges: one of them was accused of planting a weapon on him, and his brother is being charged under Article 318, an attempt on an active employee, although this has not been proven. They are being pressured to incriminate themselves. I am being pressured to abandon my legitimate demands for a criminal investigation,” Kaituev said.

Lawyer Patimat Abdulaeva does not recall any cases of law enforcement officials being persecuted or punished for interfering with their legal work. "I don't know the details of the Kaituev case, but in any case, it's impossible to interfere with lawyers' activities. At the same time, lawyers, in turn, need to behave calmly and not cause a scene to please people. We must be able to maintain dignity, composure, and not follow their lead," she told the "Caucasian Knot."

Law enforcement officers, unlike ordinary citizens, most often go unpunished, stated Interior Ministry Colonel and PhD candidate Amir Kolov.

"This situation is most clearly seen in the Interior Ministry and other security agencies in Dagestan, where security forces, often driven by profit or carrying out political orders from officials, openly commit crimes against ordinary citizens and those who defend their rights. There are numerous cases of criminal provocations, psychological pressure, threats and blackmail, the use of physical violence, and the subsequent concealment of these crimes." "The immediate superiors and direct management. After which, also shielding these werewolves in uniform, officials from supervisory agencies, investigative bodies, and the judicial system make obviously illegal decisions," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

Kolov emphasized that this trend has been strong for many years, and lawyers have already become victims of illegal actions by Dagestani security forces.

"For several years, Dagestani authorities have been covering up the facts of grievous bodily harm to lawyer Samoev Zagalav, who suffered broken legs and other injuries. Representatives of the "Consensus" organization, Shamilov, Magomedov, and other activists, are also subject to constant blackmail and threats of criminal prosecution. Even I, an Interior Ministry colonel, was threatened in the presence of Shamilov and Magomedov by Center "E" officers, hinting at fabricating a criminal case—they asked me: "Don't you have children, a family?" "And relatives, perhaps?" trying to blackmail me into abandoning my appeal of the actions of Dagestani government officials who violate the rights of public figures. Regarding the disclosure of the crime against lawyer Zaur Kaituev: I believe that officials in the republic's security agencies and supervisory bodies will continue to shelter the criminals until they remove the heads of this corrupt, clannish, and mutually responsible hydra," he emphasized.

The head of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission, Shamil Khadulaev, does not rule out the possibility of punishing security officials in the Kaituev case. "In principle, this is possible, especially since, after the scandal that arose, an internal investigation has likely already been conducted. As for precedents of interference in lawyers' activities by security officials, they certainly exist, but they were not made public," he told the "Caucasian Knot."