Titiev's case results in closure of "Memorial" office in Chechnya

The court running the case of Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", is frankly supporting the prosecution; however, the defence hopes for his release after sentencing, his advocates have stated. After Titiev's and the pressure on his colleagues, the office of the HRC "Memorial" in Chechnya was closed, Oleg Orlov, the head of the "Hot Spots" programme at the HRC, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 21, the judicial investigation into Titiev's case was completed. On March 6, the advocates conducted an experiment, which, in their opinion, testified to falsification of the case.

The outcome of the case has been actually predetermined, since Titiev had been already declared guilty by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said Ilya Novikov, one of Titiev's advocates.

"We see a ten-year-long history of pressure on human rights defenders and journalists, persecutions of anyone who dares criticizing Kadyrov and Chechen authorities," said Rachel Denber, a representative of the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Before the Titiev's arrest, in Chechnya, "there were cases of planting drugs on the people, who criticized the authorities," Ms Denber has stated.

It was Titiev, who was the source of information about numerous human rights violations in Chechnya, Pyotr Zaikin, another advocate, has noted.