Monday, November 11, 2019

Fearful of Demonstrations, Prosecutors Shifting Ingush Protester Trials to Other Republics;


Paul Goble

            Staunton, November 6 – Invoking the decision of the Russian Supreme Court that prosecutors are free to shift the trials of Ingush protesters to other republics, the procuracy in Ingushetia has already shifted the trials of 12 to outside the republic and may shift those of the other 19 in the coming weeks.

            The reason for the shift, which is a violation of Russian law and Russian judicial procedure, is, according to defense lawyers, because prosecutors fear that if the trials are in Ingushetia, that alone will spark new protests from the supporters of the 31 (capost.media/news/zakon/dela-ingushskikh-aktivistov-rassmotryat-v-zheleznovodske-/ and  kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/342070/).

            Meanwhile, a group of Ingush parliamentary deputies have asked the courts to release Zarifa Sautiyeva, the only women among those arrested, on her own recognizance and have pledged to assume responsibility for her return to court as scheduled (capost.media/news/society/arestovannaya-zarifa-sautieva-zaruchilas-podderzhkoy-deputatov-parlamenta-ingushetii/).

            There were two other Ingushetia-related legal developments. First, a Russian telegram channel leaked the name of the suspected murderer of Ibragam Eldzharkiyev. He is Akhmed Bdkhoroyev, a former republic deputy (crimerussia.com/gromkie-dela/prinimal-pozdravleniya-po-sms-stalo-izvestno-imya-podozrevaemogo-zakazchika-ubiystva-nachalnika-tspe/).

            And second, a Moscow court has fined Memorial 100,000 rubles (1600 US dollars) for failing to have its Ingushetia office declare on all its documentation that Memorial is a foreign agent. Lawyers for the organization say the charge, clearly intended to act as a form of intimidation, has no foundation in fact or law (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/342055/).


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