Russian authorities in Ingushetia have charged a blogger and member of the Committee of Ingush Independence with justifying the activities of the Caucasus Emirate.

According to the local pro-government Telegram channel Rozysk Ingushetia, Adam Aushev is accused of public calls for extremism, justifying terrorism, and rehabilitation of Nazism, and has been placed on an international wanted list.

Aushev does not reside in Russia.

The channel said that in posts on social media in 2022, Aushev defended and promoted the activities of the Caucasus Emirate, which is recognised as a terrorist organisation in Russia.

The Caucasus Emirate superceded the more secular Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in 2007 as the main force resisting Russian rule in the North Caucasus.

Ruslan Youloy, a spokesperson for the Committee of Ingush Independence, told OC Media that since 2021, five criminal cases had already been initiated against Aushev.

The committee was created in Turkey in January 2023 as a ‘social movement created by independent supporters of the Ingush nationality who are ready to defend the right of the Ingush people to freedom and independence’.

‘We do not see anything surprising in this’, Youloy said. ‘As Goncharov said: “In times of universal lies, the truth becomes dullness”. On the contrary, it aroused recognition and respect for [Aushev].’

The Committee said the charges were an attempt to influence Aushev’s activities.

‘This is, first of all, an attempt to put pressure on Adam. The Russian government for a long time used brutal methods to fight against opponents, including women, children, and even corpses.’

Youloy also cited the authorities’ practice of demolishing the houses of the relatives of opponents in the North Caucasus, historically and in the present day. 

The Committee also accused the authorities of persecuting Aushev’s family because of his activity, including abducting his father and brother.

In 2022, a video of Aushev’s brother, Ilez Aushev, was spread on social media in which he stated that his family was abandoning Adam. 

‘I am the brother of Aushev Adam, who lives in Cyprus and is blogging. We want to apologise to the people for offending the elders, imams, and law enforcement. My family and our entire teip are denouncing it’, he says.

At the beginning of 2022, the elder of the Aushev teip, Akhmet-Bashir Aushev, also stated that because of the criminal cases against Adam, ‘there are no roads for him to Ingushetia’