Blogger Areg Shchepkin, who became a victim of an attempted kidnapping by Chechen law enforcement officers in central Moscow this summer, has been sentenced to five years in a general regime colony, reports the publication "Mediazona."
The court upheld the prosecution's case, which initially sought six years of imprisonment for the blogger.
As part of the criminal case, Shchepkin was accused of insulting the feelings of believers, public calls for extremism online, and inciting hatred and enmity with the threat of violence. The direct reason for initiating the case was a video in which the blogger made offensive remarks about Muslims.
The kidnapping incident occurred on June 3: Kadyrov's supporters detained Areg Shchepkin at Yaroslavsky Station, placed him in the trunk of a vehicle with a flashing light, and took him to an unknown location. Several hours later, the blogger was released, with visible signs of beating on his face.
Chechen authorities denied the kidnapping, claiming it was a lawful detention. On June 6, Shchepkin was transferred to a pre-trial detention center. A criminal case was also initiated against the kidnappers themselves—for abuse of power and kidnapping—but they were released on a written pledge not to leave the area.