Russian Islamic activist Salman North is arrested in Armenia

The Yerevan court arrested the Muslim activist, a citizen of Russia and Ukraine Maxim Baidak, known as Salman North. According to the "Caucasian Knot", the preventive measure was chosen last Sunday. On April 9, an arrest appeal should be considered.

In 2013, Russia put Baidak on an international wanted list on charges of terrorism. It is included in the federal list of terrorists and extremists.

32-year-old Baidak flew to Yerevan from Kyiv on March 27. On March 30, he returned to Ukraine and has already passed border control at the Zvartnots airport. Before landing on the aircraft, the activist was detained by the National Security Safety Service of Armenia. According to them, Baidak used a fake document in the name of Bogdan Kalyusky. Since 2016 in Ukraine, Baidak, who lived there, received citizenship there and changed the name to Bogdan Kalyusky.

Employees of the SNB of Armenia held the baidak for 14 hours without executing. As it became known to the defense, in a court decision on the arrest of April 1, a criminal case instituted against Baidak in Russia is mentioned.

"Although the case was opened in Armenia under an article on the forgery of documents and the illegal crossing of the border, at the current level of dependence of the Armenian law enforcement agencies from Russia, Bogdan’s extradition to this country cannot be excluded," Arthur Sakuntz from the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly. According to him, human rights activists appealed to the European Court of Human Rights with a request to prohibit Baidak's extradition to Russia, where he is threatened with torture.

A representative of the Yerevan Office of the Supreme Commissioner for Refugees (UVKB) of the UN has already met in the investigative isolator with a baidak.

Baidak had previously lived in St. Petersburg and was an activist of the National Organization of Russian Muslims, which unites ethnic Russians professing Islam, and adheres to moderate ideology. Baidak fled from Russia in 2013 after criminal proceedings against him.

As Baidak himself reported, the case against him was initiated by article 205.2 of the Criminal Code (public calls for terrorist activity or public justification of terrorism). The basis for initiating the case was the statement of Baidak in defense of the Primorsky partisans. None of the defendants in this case was convicted of participating in terrorist activities.

After emigration from Russia, Baidak lived in Turkey for several years, where he acted as a press secretary of the Association of Russian Muhajirs of Turkey. Later, for security reasons, he moved to Ukraine.