20 August 2020, 10:16
Lawyers doubt chances of changing the conclusions of inquiry into Umaeva's death
The case of the death of Madina Umaeva, a resident of Gudermes, will get new direction under recommendations of the regional branch of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation, Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender, has hoped. However, the lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe that investigators will carry out all the required actions, but there are no guarantees that the inquiry into the case will really restart.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Chief Investigating Department for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) recommended to reconsider the refusal to initiate a case on Umaeva's death, but did not question the objectivity of the Chechen investigators.
The sudden death of Madina Umaeva in Gudermes and her funeral held at night provoked a wide public response in Chechnya. In social networks, users disseminated versions stating that Madina Umaeva fell victim to domestic violence. The mother of Madina Umaeva succeeded in seeking the exhumation of her daughter's body. However, the leader of Chechnya did not wait for the results of the forensic examination, met relatives of the deceased young woman, and her mother apologized for the claim about the violent death of her daughter. In early July, human rights defenders from Russia and other countries appealed to Alexander Bastrykin, the chief of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) with a request to transfer case materials about the Madina Umaeva's death from the jurisdiction of the Chechen investigators and take the case under personal control.
The voiced recommendations of the Chief Department to Chechen investigators mean a desire to cancel the refusal to initiate a case, Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the "Civil Assistance" Committee, believes.
"I admit that these recommendations are a sign that the decision to refuse to initiate a case will be revised; and there will be new developments in the case," Ms Gannushkina has added.
Meanwhile, Marina Agaltsova, a lawyer at the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has doubted that the case would receive a proper investigation. According to her version, quite often the regional branch of the ICRF is formally revising the case and upholds the initial conclusion – that there are no grounds to open a case.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 19, 2020 at 10:15 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Gor Aleksanyan Source: CK correspondent
