A district court of Moscow has extended the detention of Armenian businessman and blogger Areg Shchepikhin for six months, Kommersant reports.

He is charged with insulting the feelings of believers, as well as inciting hatred on the grounds of gender, race, or nationality.

In court, the prosecution stated that the grounds for commuting his measure of restraint continue.

The blogger asked to be kept under house arrest, or released on bail.

Also, Shchepikhin stated that he had confessed to the count of violation of the right to freedom of religion under pressure from the investigator.

Khimki city businessman Areg Shchepikhin was kidnapped on the evening of June 3 from the square of a Moscow railway station. Several people had grabbed him and shoved him into the trunk of a black Mercedes with flashing lights.

Subsequently, the Moscow police had detained both the kidnappers and Shchepikhin.

On June 4, it was reported that the businessman had been released “by order of the Kremlin,” but on June 6, a court remanded him in custody.

Chechen Minister of National Policy Akhmed Dudayev had said that Areg Shchepikhin, who had filmed a video with words insulting the Chechen people, Allah, and the Quran, “was not kidnapped, but was detained by law enforcement officers.”

The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel had posted audio messages, according to which people from the circle of Russian State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov had participated in the kidnapping.