12:26, 14 March 2016

Ilya Yashin agrees to cooperate with investigators concerning report on Ramzan Kadyrov

Ilya Yashin. February 23, 2016. Photo by Dmitry Serebryakov for the ‘Caucasian Knot’.

The authorities of Chechnya try to use the law enforcement bodies as a lever of pressure on opponents. This was stated by Ilya Yashin, when he was commenting on the initiative to institute criminal proceedings against him for defamation because of his report devoted to Ramzan Kadyrov.

On February 23, at the Moscow office of the "PARNAS" Party, its co-Chair Ilya Yashin held a presentation of his report entitled "Threat to National Security". According to his own explanation, Ilya Yashin has prepared the report in order to "open the eyes of the Russian society" on the fact that with the connivance of the Kremlin, Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov commits actions that pose a threat to national security of Russia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Alvi Karimov, the spokesman for Ramzan Kadyrov, believes that Yashin’s report on the situation in Chechnya contains slander and unfounded accusations against the leader of the republic. In this regard, Alvi Karimov filed an appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office and the ICRF.

Ilya Yashin has stated that he was expecting such a reaction from Ramzan Kadyrov.

"It is not the first time when he tries to use the law enforcement bodies as a lever of pressure on his opponents. A criminal case is an attempt to shut me up," the oppositionist has written today on his Facebook page.

Ilya Yashin has noted he is confident that he is right and he is ready to defend his report from the political, moral, and legal positions.

"In case if I am summoned to the Prosecutor's Office and the ICRF, I will be ready to come and to give testimony. Perhaps, if investigators and prosecutors carefully read the report, they will finally have some questions to ask Ramzan Kadyrov himself," said Ilya Yashin.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.