The whereabouts of Nikita Zhuravel, a man convicted in Chechnya for burning the quran, have finally been confirmed after months of uncertainty following his ‘disappearance’ during a prison transfer. Zhuravel’s location remained unknown since late December. Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council, cited a letter penned by Zhuravel to his mother, dated March 26th, confirming he was imprisoned and feeling well.
The letter also revealed he had sent a prior letter home approximately a month earlier, hoping it had been received, but his family never received it. “We’re so glad to have heard from our son at all,” his mother expressed. Reports of Zhuravel’s absence surfaced in March 2026.
His lawyer, Andrei Sabinin, contacted Merkacheva, stating he hadn’t had contact since December 24th, 2025, after Zhuravel was transferred from Moscow during the last ten days of December. The Federal Penitentiary Service initially denied the disappearance, asserting Zhuravel continued his sentence and received a letter from his mother on January 21st, information his mother disputed. Born in Crimea, Ukraine, Zhuravel had a background studying at cadet schools and universities in Volgograd.
In May 2023, he was detained and charged after a video showed someone burning a copy of the quran before a mosque. Subsequently, he and his case were transferred to Chechnya under the direction of Aleksandr Bastrykin, despite legal requirements for investigations to occur in the original location. Following his arrest, the man was beaten in the Grozny Detention Centre by Adam Kadyrov, who claimed he was defending Islam.
Zhuravel received a sentence of three and a half years for hooliganism and insulting religious feelings. He later faced additional charges, including ‘state treason’ and cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine, leading to a further 14-year prison sentence. The human rights organization Memorial recognized Zhuravel as a political prisoner, advocating for the offense to be treated as administrative rather than criminal.
Topics: #man #burning #quran
Nikita Zhuravel, a convict from Chechnya who burned the Quran, has been located after a prolonged period of mystery surrounding his disappearance during a prison transfer.
Nikita Zhuravel, a convict from Chechnya who burned the Quran, has been located after a prolonged period of mystery surrounding his disappearance during a prison transfer. His location was unconfirmed