Ibragim Nagoev is a political prisoner
A resident of Maykop was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being accused of communicating with the ‘Council of United Circassia‘
Ibragim Nagoev from Adygea was reportedly detained in October 2025. He was charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to investigators, Nagoev administered a Telegram channel belonging to the ‘Council of United Circassia,’ which is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia. He was also charged over online publications and participation in a public event dedicated to the Circassian national liberation movement. The ‘Council of United Circassia’ itself has denied any connection with Nagoev.
On March 16, 2026, a military court found Nagoev guilty and sentenced him to 11 years in prison. He is to spend the first two years in a prison.
The ‘Council of United Circassia’ says its goal is to establish an independent Circassian Republic on the historical territories inhabited by Circassians. It has also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the deployment of Circassians to the war. There is no information in open sources indicating that the ‘Council of United Circassia’ has been involved in terrorist activities.
Nevertheless, in 2024, the organization was unlawfully and unjustifiably designated as a terrorist organization in Russia as a structural unit of the ‘Forum of Free States of Post-Russia,’ which allegedly brings together 172 other public associations and initiatives. Some of these groups advocate for the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples, while others do not actually exist and were invented by the security services. This approach allows the authorities to prosecute a wide range of people for alleged interaction with one of the initiatives on the list and, essentially, to outlaw expressions of national identity that are not controlled by the Russian authorities.
We believe that the ‘Council of United Circassia’ was unlawfully designated as a terrorist organization and that Nagoev’s actions were artificially criminalized. Significantly, the security services also mentioned in their report on the verdict that Nagoev had participated in an event ‘dedicated to the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War (1817–1864), without submitting the required notification of the event,’ and had promoted the event on Telegram. This gives the impression that any attempt to exercise the constitutional right to freedom of assembly is being treated by the authorities as a criminal offense.
A detailed description of Ibragim Nagoev’s case and of our position is available on our website.
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