Russia: CFWIJ condemns the arrest of blogger Malika Dzhikayeva

March 4, 2021, Chechnya - The Chechen Supreme Court upheld the verdict of Malika Dzhikayeva, sentencing her to three years in prison. Blogger Malika Dzhikayeva was arrested by law enforcement agencies on charges of drug possession. The blogger maintains that the drugs were planted on her in order to frame her. Malika came into prominence when her provocative videos posted on social media created public outrage among some segments of society. It is widely believed that this is an attempt to silence the blogger because of the nature of her content.

Malika Dzhikayeva was initially arrested on March 9, 2020, on charges of drug possession. She has since spent more than a year in state custody in a pre-trial detention centre. The latest decision by the Supreme Court means that Malika will now be transferred to a regime colony to fulfil the remaining time of her sentence. Marina’s lawyer, Inara Bedoeva, claims that the decision will be appealed in Fifth Cassation Court. Malika was initially sentenced by the Factory Court in Grozny on December 11 to three years in a general regime colony.

Immediately after Malika’s arrest, the news of the death of her sister, Karina Dzhikayeva, came to light. Their mother Angela Kudzieva has since appealed to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, to reconsider the decision based on humanitarian grounds. Her relatives insist that Malika is being targeted because she wears the hijab, and the drugs in her bag were planted by members of the law enforcement agencies because her videos had upset “powerful people”. Malika was reportedly taken from the apartment of an acquaintance without a warrant and any formal charges. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns what is clearly the political victimization of a blogger whose views were causing discomfort. This is an attempt to silence Malika and in violation of her civil rights. Malika Dzhikayeva should be immediately released from state custody.