Last month, a Moscow court handed down a nearly two-year sentence in a penal colony to a 16-year-old boy from Chechnya, eliciting widespread discontent among Chechens of various political affiliations.

Muslim Murdiev faced charges of criminal hooliganism stemming from a street altercation in 2023, and his situation attracted support from a diverse group, including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his most vocal critics in exile.

“This is more than just a criminal case. It has come to symbolize the injustice and discrimination faced by a teenager from Chechnya, including in daily life,” commented Abubakar Yangulbaev, a well-known human rights lawyer from Chechnya and a vocal opponent of Kadyrov.

After a brawl at Khodynskoye Polye park in December 2023, Murdiev was placed under house arrest. Prosecutors alleged that he and four other youths instigated the fight by verbally assaulting an unsuspecting passerby. The Investigative Committee of Russia indicated that this incident was part of a series of street confrontations instigated by the teens, resulting in injuries to eight individuals.

Murdiev refuted the claims, asserting he was merely defending a friend during the altercation and denied being part of any other fights.

Many from his homeland believed his assertions. “He acted to defend those in trouble — that’s how the public and the diaspora typically interpreted his actions,” Yangulbaev stated to The Moscow Times.

In December 2024, during his year-end press conference in Grozny, Kadyrov emphasized Murdiev’s case, claiming he had spoken directly with every official involved.

“Murdiev’s case illustrates that individuals at the top, like Bastrykin and Kolokoltsev, are not fulfilling their roles properly,” Kadyrov remarked, referring to Alexander Bastrykin, Russia’s chief investigator, and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

“They won’t imprison him. They won’t take any action against him,” Kadyrov was quoted by state-run Chechen media.

Neither Bastrykin nor Kolokoltsev responded to Kadyrov’s comments, and the Kremlin opted not to provide any statements. Despite Kadyrov’s threats that “the Almighty will punish” those prosecuting the case, Murdiev was sentenced nonetheless.

Yelena Milashina, a veteran reporter from Novaya Gazeta, interpreted Kadyrov’s inability to stop the investigation as a sign of his diminishing influence.

However, analysts interviewed by The Moscow Times offered a different perspective. Although Kadyrov “clearly did not achieve his desired outcome,” noted North Caucasus analyst Harold Chambers, it remains uncertain whether the Kremlin facilitated any covert communications between Kadyrov and senior legal officials, as well as “the extent of alignment between Kadyrov’s private actions and his public outcry.”

“There is insufficient information to draw firm conclusions about Kadyrov’s position based on this case,” Chambers stated.

Yangulbaev contended that Murdiev’s sentencing indicates that Kadyrov’s relationship with Moscow remains largely the same. While projecting an image of an untouchable leader, Kadyrov is still reliant on support from Moscow, “constantly compelled to demonstrate his allegiance.”

“If this young man hadn’t garnered such public backing, Kadyrov would have been the first to condemn him, demanding the maximum penalty to show loyalty to the Kremlin,” Yangulbaev asserted.

“Kadyrov’s fixation on this case is not driven by genuine concern, but rather represents a display of power and a strategy to garner public support… He defends a young, courageous boy because the public shares this viewpoint. It’s a tactic for him to balance his authority: punishing with one hand while protecting with the other,” the lawyer elaborated.

Social media users from the North Caucasus have rallied around Murdiev, creating numerous accounts and pages titled “Free Muslim,” along with video messages directed at Russian officials.

Regardless of the truth of Murdiev’s claims, his arrest resonated with the Caucasian community, reflecting their experiences with systemic discrimination in Russia.

“I am an ethnic Chechen woman who has lived in Moscow for 30 years. Lately, I have been alarmed by the selective application of justice… in Moscow and across Russia,” social activist Aset Tasueva stated in a viral video appeal to President Vladimir Putin.

“We are part of Russia. We are Chechens. We have no homeland besides Russia. But we are starting to feel like outsiders because everywhere we hear that Russia is for Russians and we are considered migrants… in our own land,” Tasueva added, using Murdiev’s case as an example of unjust treatment.

The outrage expressed by both the public and Chechen officials led the Investigative Committee of Russia to release a video that reportedly showed a fight involving Murdiev.

In the video, which The Moscow Times could not independently verify, a voice off-camera is heard shouting, “Throw him off, Muslim!” indicating apparent support for Murdiev.

However, the footage failed to alter public opinion or pacify Kadyrov.

“In this specific situation, Kadyrov’s interest… was shaped by the increasingly aggressive policing of natives from the Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as Muslims in general, following the Crocus City Hall attack,” Chambers explained.

Yet, human rights advocate Stefania Kulaeva advised against framing the trial solely through the lens of ethnic discrimination. While it is true that individuals from the Caucasus, particularly Chechnya, experience ethnic profiling, “the examination of how the investigation and the court approached this case must be contextualized with similar cases involving adolescents,” Kulaeva, an expert with the Brussels-based Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC) Memorial, told The Moscow Times.

“Why did this incident spark outrage over this boy? Is it because the others weren’t Chechen and Kadyrov was indifferent towards them? Who were these other teenagers, anyway?” she questioned, referring to the four other defendants who received harsher sentences of up to three and a half years’ imprisonment.

“That’s central to determining whether bias was involved,” she suggested.

Regardless, Kulaeva believes that Murdiev’s situation highlights several pressing issues within Russian society, particularly the increase in street violence during wartime and the imprisonment of teenagers for minor infractions.

Russian authorities are increasingly resorting to imprisonment as a punitive measure against minors who criticize the war in Ukraine or government actions.

By 2023, at least 544 minors had been detained over anti-war protests, according to the human rights organization OVD-Info. As of December 2024, there were at least 56 teenagers aged 14 to 17 imprisoned on charges related to terrorism and sabotage, and 166 more were added to Russia’s “terrorists and extremists” list that same year, reported the Memorial human rights group.

“Never before have so many young people been arrested and handed lengthy sentences,” noted Kulaeva.

“In Russia, children are imprisoned even for private online communications that involve social media statements, among other reasons. Therefore, it’s challenging to consider Murdiev’s case as an isolated incident,” she pointed out.

Murdiev, who has spent 10 months under house arrest, is anticipated to serve over a year in prison. His sentence may be shortened through an appeal in the coming months.