Rustam Midov

Rustam Midov, a resident of Nalchik, is the brother of Kaplan Midov, who was convicted in the 2005 attack on Nalchik. Rustam Midov said that on the day of the attack he was detained and severely beaten like other detainees, and then for a long time law enforcers came to his relatives' homes, he himself was repeatedly detained and threatened because he was helping his brother. According to Midov, they tried to kidnap him in 2013, but people passing by who stopped to find out what was going on prevented it. Midov left for Pyatigorsk and then Moscow. In the spring of 2014, his relatives received a summons from the Investigative Committee, and Midov returned home. His home was searched, he was detained, beaten and tortured with a stun gun, and threatened to have his relatives raped and killed, as a result of which he testified that he had participated in the preparation of the attack on Nalchik. After Midov was released, he went to Moscow, where he was detained by FSB officers and also tortured and forced to sign a paper on cooperation. Midov was released and left for Turkey on 30 May 2014. On 24 June 2014, a criminal case was opened against him for involvement in an illegal armed formation. On 24 April 2017, a case was opened against Midov in Russia for involvement in a terrorist organisation in connection with the attack on Nalchik; on 31 May, the two cases were merged. The case stated that Midov was involved in the war in Syria, where he had never been, according to his own words. He was placed on the Interpol list, prompting the Istanbul prosecutor's office to launch an investigation and deportation proceedings, but the investigation was dropped after it was establisged that there was no evidence of his presence in Syria or involvement with terrorist groups. Midov believes the persecution is due to the fact that he helped his brother Kaplan after he was detained in a criminal case. Midov's mother has been searched several times since Rustam's departure.