Imprisoned Russian Mathematician Azat Miftakhov Publishes Research Paper Written Behind Bars; Supporters Say He Endured Torture in Custody

A new academic paper by Russian mathematician and political prisoner Azat Miftakhov has been published in the French journal RMS (Revue de la filière mathématiques), supporters report. The article, which appears in the journal’s August issue under the title "Гильберт киңлегендә Чуи гипотезасы," was written while Miftakhov was detained in the Mäläkäs prison, according to a group backing the scholar.

Supporters say Miftakhov worked on the problem for roughly four months while deprived of basic research resources: he had no access to the internet, no scientific library at the detention facility, and no possibility of engaging with other mathematicians in discussion. Despite those constraints, they say, he carried out the necessary analysis in custody, documented his findings in a manuscript and sent the text to relatives by letter. The manuscript was then forwarded to France, where mathematician and Solidarité FreeAzat member Бернар Ранде (Bernard Rande) read and reviewed the work and helped shepherd it toward publication.

According to those assisting Miftakhov, Rande not only reviewed the manuscript but had previously collaborated with or supported Miftakhov’s research by sending him problems related to the Chuï hypothesis; the subject had been unresolved among mathematicians. With Rande’s help, the French-language presentation of Miftakhov’s results was prepared and accepted by RMS for publication. Supporters add that the University of Pisa plans to feature Miftakhov’s results at a scientific seminar scheduled for April 2027 and has extended an official invitation to him.

The RMS publication is the latest in a string of academic outputs Miftakhov has managed to produce while detained. His supporters note this is at least his third paper to appear in peer-reviewed outlets since his first arrest. In 2020 a paper co-authored with Сергей Березин (Sergey Berezin) was published in the Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Mathematics; in 2021 a second solo paper appeared in Rivista di Matematica dell’Università di Parma.

Miftakhov, a graduate student at the mechanics and mathematics faculty of Moscow State University (МДУ), was first detained in 2019. In January 2021 he was convicted in a high-profile case tied to an attack on a United Russia party office and sentenced to six years in prison. He denied the charges. Allegations in that case relied in part on testimony from an anonymous witness, according to his defenders. After serving time in Kirov region’s Penal Colony No. 17 in Omutninsk, his release in 2023 was interrupted when authorities detained him again on a separate charge they described as "террорчылыкны аклау"; he was subsequently sentenced on that basis and ordered to serve 2.5 years in prison followed by a term in a strict-regime colony.

Miftakhov’s account of abuse in custody has been a focal point for human rights advocates. He reported that after a transfer on April 21 to the colony known locally as "Полярная сова" (ИК-18) near Kharp, he was subjected to severe mistreatment. He has said he was electroshocked, struck on his heels with a wooden mallet and threatened with sexual violence. Miftakhov named specific penal service employees allegedly involved in the abuses; investigative outlet The Insider later identified two Federal Penitentiary Service (ФСИН) officers as Михаил Соболев (Mikhail Sobolev) from Tyumen and Павел Киселёв (Pavel Kiselev) from Sverdlovsk. According to reporting, Sobolev was accused of participating in beatings and threats while Kiselev was present during the electric shock incident. Authorities have denied the allegations and no disciplinary or criminal consequences have been publicly reported against the named officers.

Miftakhov’s case has drawn sustained international attention from academics and activists. Regular demonstrations and conferences in France, including events in Saint-Denis and Paris, have called for his release. Activists have petitioned French municipal authorities to grant him honorary citizenship in Saint-Denis ("Сен-Дели" in the original reports). His family has been able to visit under constrained conditions; supporters say meetings with his mother and wife were limited and difficult due to distance and procedural barriers.

The publication of Miftakhov’s latest paper highlights a difficult intersection of academic life and political repression: a scholar continuing research amid detention while human rights monitors and fellow academics press for accountability and humane treatment. The case also underscores broader concerns about access to independent media in Russia; the reporting outlet noted that Азатлык Радиосы (Azatlyk/Radio Liberty) has been blocked inside Russia, complicating domestic coverage and public scrutiny of such cases. Human rights organizations and academic colleagues continue to demand independent investigations into Miftakhov’s abuse allegations and to press for his immediate and unconditional release.