10 August 2020, 11:10
Colleagues of Circassian activist Kochesoko see political motives in his prosecution
Colleagues of Circassian activist Martin Kochesoko associate the criminal proceedings against him with his social and political activities. According to Azamat Tsagov, the chairman of the board of the NGO "Khabze", investigators demonstrated their biased attitude.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 13, the Prosecutor's Office of Kabardino-Balkaria approved the indictment in the case against Martin Kochesoko, the head of the NGO "Khabze". The testimonies given by law enforcers in the drug case differ, and attesting witnesses during a search were false, the activist claims.
Martin Kochesoko was detained in Nalchik in June 2019. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported that he pleaded guilty to purchasing and storing drugs. According to the activist, the drugs were planted on him.
"Martin Kochesoko is a well-known public figure in Kabardino-Balkaria, and he is engaged in the preservation and development of the Adyg culture and language," declares the appeal posted on the website of the NGO "Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Human Rights Centre".
Azamat Shorman, the spokesman of the NGO "Khabze", claimed there was no evidence of the Martin Kochesoko's guilt.
"The defence found a lot of contradictory moments in the activist's criminal case, and that fact proves the case had been fabricated for political reasons," said Azamat Shorman as quoted by the "Kavkaz. Realii".
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 9, 2020 at 02:34 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
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