Moscow’s Plans for Show Trial of Ingush Opposition Leaders Not Working Out, Memorial Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, August 1 – The Russian government’s hope for a show trial against the leaders of the Ingush opposition appears to be collapsing because despite the efforts of prosecutors and courts, none of those charged with any crimes arising from the March 2019 meeting has admitted that there was any organization behind the clashes, the Memorial Human Rights Center reports.

            It is striking, the center says, that prosecutors have insisted that all those charged with involvement have been accused of either giving directions – most of these remain behind bars – or taking them from such leaders but that no one has yet admitted to doing either, the Center says in its latest report on the Ingush cases (memohrc.org/ru/news_old/obnovlyonnyy-spisok-figurantov-dela-o-mitinge-27-marta-2019-goda-v-ingushetii).

            As a result, and despite continuing to hold all hearings outside of the republic either in Stavropol or Pyatigorsk, the authorities have not been able to come up with any evidence to back up their charges. That is likely why, the Center suggests, that so many of the 44 originally charges remain in pre-trial detention and may very well remain there for a long time to come.

            Moscow and Magas obviously hope that someone will break as detentions are extended again and again, but both the facts of the case and Ingush solidarity are working against their plans.  The longer this effort to organize a political trial continues, the angrier and more united the Ingush nation will be in response.

            And its increasing solidarity will likely cause those still in pre-trial detention to resist even more Russian pressure, psychological and otherwise, to get them to change their testimony.