Barakh Chemurziev demands to transfer arrested activists from Nalchik to Ingushetia

Keeping the Ingush activists, arrested after rallies in Magas, in Nalchik creates problems for their legal defence and meetings with relatives, said Barakh Chemurziev, an activist. He asked human rights defenders to facilitate the transfer of those arrested to Ingushetia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at least 96 activists were persecuted after mass protests in March in Ingushetia; criminal cases have been initiated against at least 29 of them.

On June 6, Barakh Chemurziev, the leader of the "Support of Ingushetia" movement, addressed Boris Zumakulov, the Ombudsman in Kabardino-Balkaria, and Valery Khatazhukov, the head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Centre, complaining about the keeping Ingush activists outside Ingushetia.

Mr Chemurziev believes it unreasonable to conduct a preliminary investigation and judicial proceedings in Nalchik, since Ingushetia is the seat of the alleged crime in his case."

He treats the keeping activist in Nalchik as a violation of their constitutional rights. "My relatives and advocates have to travel to me for 110 kilometres [...] Similarly, the rights of 30 other residents of Ingushetia, who were detained with me, are violated," the oppositionist said in his appeal.

Barakh Chemurziev asked Messrs Zumakulov and Khatazhukov to facilitate the transfer of the arrested Ingush activists to the SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Ingushetia.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2019 at 01:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.