Seventeen people have been convicted in Kabardino-Balkaria in connection with the "Sharia Patrol" case.

The Chereksky District Court of Kabardino-Balkaria sentenced the organizer of the "Sharia Patrol" to four years and three months in prison. The remaining members of the group were sentenced to terms of two years and more.

According to investigators and the court, in January 2023, a local resident who held radical religious views created an extremist group. The community promoted religious superiority, imposed its own ideas about religious norms, and used violence against those it believed did not conform to its beliefs, Interfax reported today, citing the joint press service of the Kabardino-Balkarian judicial system.

01:54 26.06.2025

Activists consider the cases of "Sharia patrols" in Kabardino-Balkaria to be fictitious

The rise in popularity of Islam in Kabardino-Balkaria is noticeable, but human rights activists have not recorded any actual activity by so-called "Sharia patrols" in the republic, attributing the emergence of criminal cases against them to imitation work by security forces.

According to court documents, in 2023-2024, members of the community organized so-called "Sharia patrols," during which they identified people suspected of consuming alcohol, drugs, or other behavior contrary to their religious views.

Participants in the "Sharia patrols" carried out illegal During the investigation, they exerted psychological pressure on people, and also used physical violence. In some cases, victims were forced to publicly apologize, promise to change their lifestyle, and follow the rules established by the community members.

During the trial, the defendants fully admitted their guilt and expressed remorse for their actions.

By the court, the organizer of the "Sharia Patrol" was found guilty of creating an extremist community 1 and sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment in a general regime penal colony. He was also deprived of the right to engage in activities related to the management and participation in the work of religious public organizations for two years.

The remaining 16 defendants were found guilty of participating in an extremist community 2 and sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment - from two years and one month to two years and ten months in a general regime penal colony.

The sentence has not yet entered into legal force and can be appealed, the court clarified.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, in June 2025, the case of ten residents of Kabardino-Balkaria, accused of oppressing others People accused of behaving inconsistently with Sharia law were sent to the Elbrus District Court.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in April 2022, the Urvan Court sentenced 11 residents of the village of Anzorey to suspended sentences, finding them guilty in the case of forming an extremist community. According to the prosecution, the defendants, guided by Sharia law, used force against those who did not share their views. The defendants' lawyers and relatives, however, claimed that domestic conflicts were the reason for the extremism case, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Anzorei Patrols: From Sharia to Extremism".