Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Murat Khokonov was dismissed from Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU) in September, 2023. The official reason cited for the dismissal was a "single gross violation of state secrecy regulations." The grounds for this decision were a three-day trip to Turkey by the professor, which he had previously reported to the university administration.
To challenge the dismissal, Khokonov filed a lawsuit against KBSU in the Nalchik City Court on October 3, 2023. The professor and his legal representatives argued that the dismissal was directly linked to Khokonov's public criticism of the university leadership during a meeting of KBSU’s Academic Council in June 2023.
The case was transferred to the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) as it "involved matters of state secrecy." On May 22, 2024, the court ruled in favor of Murat Khokonov, reinstating him as Head of the Department of Theoretical and Experimental Physics. The court also ordered the university to compensate Khokonov for his salary from September 2023 to May 2024, during the period of his "forced absence."
The university did not appeal this ruling yet refused to comply with it. Khokonov was nominally reinstated to his position but was immediately dismissed again, effectively preventing him from resuming his duties or accessing his workplace.
Murat Khokonov then filed a new lawsuit with the Supreme Court of KBR, seeking to declare the reinstatement and subsequent dismissal order illegal.
In August 2024, the Supreme Court of KBR referred the case back to the Nalchik City Court. On February 6, 2025, the Court reinstated Murat Khokonov to his position for the second time.
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