SC demands reconsidering arrest of Kullar protester

The Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan has sent for reconsideration the investigator's motion concerning Elmar Mekhtiev, an Azerbaijani citizen, accused of using violence during a protest action in the tent camp in Kullar; the defence insisted on his transfer from custody to house arrest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 15, 2020, a protest action was held in the Kullar tent camp, which escalated into clashes with law enforcers. A total of 83 protesters were arrested for 10 days. Another 10 Azerbaijanis, including Elmar Mekhtiev, were criminally prosecuted for the use of violence against state officials and deliberate destruction or damage of other's property.

The consideration of the appeal against Elmar Mekhtiev's arrest was held on July 25 at the Dagestani SC.

Murad Velikhanov, his advocate, pointed out that the Magaramkent District Court made procedural errors, and also reminded about "the humanitarian circumstances of the case." According to his story, Mekhtiev was actually deprived of the right to defence, when his case was considered by the first-instance court.

As a result, the SC has partially satisfied Velikhanov's appeal by cancelling the judgement of the Magaramkent District Court on Mekhtiev's arrest. The SC has also sent the investigator's petition on Mekhtiev's arrest for reconsideration to the same district court, but by a different bench.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 25, 2020 at 02:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.