Dagestan: court decides to liquidate books of the follower of Turkish theologian

Today, the Supreme Court of Dagestan has upheld the decision of the Lenin Magistrate Court of Makhachkala, prescribing to liquidate the religious books confiscated from Ziyavdin Dapaev, a follower of the Turkish theologian Said Nursi, who had been earlier convicted of organizing an extremist organization.

The guilty verdict against Ziyavdin Dapaev was passed on May 18, 2011. Dapaev appealed against the sentence; and on September 20, 2011, the same court upheld it, but the point about liquidation of Nursi's books, confiscated from his followers, was suspended. Dapaev appealed to the Supreme Court of Dagestan, which is November 15, 2011, also upheld the decision of the district court, but decided that the fate of the confiscated books by Nursi should decide the court, not the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Dagestan (SAMD).

The decision of the Magistrate Court was challenged in the appellate and cassation order; however, the Supreme Court has upheld the verdict.

"We asked to return the books, which were not prohibited, to their owner, but the court refused to do it," said the lawyer Murtuzali Barkaev, who defends the interests of Ziyavdin Dapaev.

According to his story, after that they decided to appeal to the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Dagestan in the supervisory order. "However, the decision of the Magistrate Court has entered its force today," said the lawyer.

In total, law enforcers have confiscated more than 100 books, said Ziyavdin Dapaev. "The court had ruled to liquidate all the confiscated literature – more than a hundred books, including the verses of the Koran. I don't understand how they can do it in the republic, where most people are Muslims," said the follower of the Turkish theologian.

In 2007, the Koptevo District Court of Moscow found signs of extremism in the books of Said Nursi. The Russia's Supreme Court upheld the claim of the General Public Prosecutor of the Russian Federation to recognize the organization "Nurdzhular" as an extremist one. Based on these verdicts, Dagestan conducted searches and detentions of Said Nursi's followers.