Four men found guilty of murdering Dagestani newspaper publisher, will spend up to 24 years in prison

A court in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don has sentenced four men accused of murdering Hadzhimurad Kamalov, the founder and publisher of a Dagestani Chernovik newspaper, to spend from 16 to 24 years in a maximum security prison, RIA Novosti reports.

Shamil Isaev, Dagestan’s former vice PM, and Murad Shuayabov, his partner in crime, were sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. Magomed Abigasanov and Magomed Khazamov will spend 23 and 24 years in prison, respectively. The prosecutor requested a life term for all except for Abigasanov.

The men were accused of murder, gang violence, assissting terrorism and illegal possession of firearms.

Hadzhimurad Kamalov was shot dead in his own office on 15 December 2011 in Makhachkala; a total of 14 bullets were shot.

The investigation found that Kamalov and Isaev had a confrontation over newspaper articles. The vice PM then offered Abigasanov a bounty of 500,000 to 1 million rubles (€8700/17,400) and part of the illegal income Isaev had from a gas station he owned for murdering Kamalov. Abigasanov involved Shuayabov and Khazamov; they purchased three pistols, made modifications to them, and then shot Kamalov as he was walking out of his office on 15 December.