ICRF: lawyer Rustem Valiullin, defender in case of Islamic books disappears in Altai

Lawyer and human rights defender Rustem Valiullin, known for resonant cases, involving Muslims, disappeared in the Altai Territory. This was reported by a source at the Investigatory Committee of the Republic of Altai. The Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) does not exclude the possibility that the disappeared man drowned in the mountain river.

"Lawyer went to swim and disappeared"

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by officials from the Investigatory Committee of the Republic of Altai that the Muslim human rights defender had disappeared "and the investigation into establishing the whereabouts of the disappeared man was underway."

Zhanbolat Okhtaubaev, the Mufti of the Republic's Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM), stated that Rustem Valiullin was supposed to arrive in Kosh-Agach on June 24. At the Barnaul station, he was met by local imams Serzhan Svatov and Khaidar Ali Bugusynov, and their local lawyer. Together, they went in the direction of Kosh-Agach.

According to the mufti, while companions of Rustem Valiullin took takharat and got prepared for namaz on the river's bank, the lawyer went to swim and disappeared. His body has not yet been found.

"The man is being looked for in water and on land in the territory of the Maima District. Initially, witnesses tried to organize searches on their own; however, then, they turned for help to the police and the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE)," the "Lifenews.ru" quotes the source at the MIA as saying.

Versions of lawyer's stay in Altai are controversial

According to preliminary data, voiced by the Investigatory Committee, Rustem Valiullin arrived to Altai as a tourist.

However, acquaintances of Rustem Valiullin do not agree with that version. According to a source in the SAM, the lawyer went to the district centre of Kosh-Agach in the south of the republic to defend imams Serzhan Svatov and Khaidar Ali Bugusynov, suspected of membership in the international religious organization "Tablig", prohibited in Russia.

"Rustem had no time to rest, and he died on the way of Allah," the website "Islam News" quotes an author of the message, posted on the website "First Online Madrassa" as writing.

Bakhrom Khamroev: Rustem Valiullin actively defended persons, convicted "for extremism"

According to Bakhrom Khamroev, a staff member of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", the disappearance of Rustem Valiullin can be used to put pressure on human rights defenders, working to help Muslims, on journalists and on public figures, "who have an active civil position and protect the rights of Muslims."

Bakhrom Khamroev said that Rustem Valiullin was active in the defence of those persons, who were sentenced "for extremism."

"He was worried about what was happening in Russia. I mean repressions, fabrications of criminal cases that take place against Muslims. And his activity was quite successful. His last case was a resonant prohibition of 65 Islamic books in Orenburg," Bakhrom Khamroev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The human rights defender has added that on his website "For the rule of law", Rustem Valiullin published a detailed report on his work, which represented "rather sharp articles."

"I think it is a signal to intimidate others, to force other human rights defenders to think. Of course, the case will be completed by investigators; however, many Muslims put the disappearance of Rustem Valiullin on a par with the murder of Kurman Ismailov (Kurman Ismailov, Deputy Mufti of the Stavropol Territory, was killed in the evening of February 13 in the car explosion in Pyatigorsk, note of the "Caucasian Knot")," the human rights defender Bakhrom Khamroev believes.

Bloggers in the social network "Facebook" claimed their intention to conduct their own investigation into the disappearance of the lawyer.

Rustem Valiullin dealt with the case on prohibition of 65 Islamic books in Orenburg. On March 21, the Lenin District Court of Orenburg pronounced the decision in that case on recognition of 65 materials on Islam as extremist. Those materials included books and brochures of all major Russian publishing houses of Islamic literature "UMMAH" (owned by Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Izdatel E. Ezhaev" (Publisher E. Ezhaev)), "Novy Svet" (New Light), "Ansar", "Sad" (Garden), and "Dilya".

According to the Court's decision, the list of extremist materials mentions not only Russian translations of such sources of Islamic law as compilations of Hadiths "Gardens of Righteous" and "40 Hadiths of Imam al-Nawawi", but also the book is of Shamil Alyautdinov, a well-known Russian theologian, entitled "Way to Faith and Perfection", and the work of Elmir Kuliev, the Azerbaijani scientist, the author of translation of the Quran into Russian, entitled "On Way to Quran".

According to leaders of the Muslim book publishing houses, the Court's decision was transmitted to them only on June 15, and they were not invited to the very court session. Rustem Valiullin filed an appeal against the Court's decision on June 18. He requested to restore period for appeal against the Court's decision in connection with procedural violations and to cancel the verdict of the Court and stop the proceedings in the case.