Circassian activists ask Adygea head to stand up for Kochesoko

The criminal prosecution of Martin Kochesoko has to do with his social and political activities and is of an ordered nature, public figures of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) said in their appeal to Murat Kumpilov, the head of the Republic of Adygea.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Martin Kochesoko was detained on June 7, 2019, in Nalchik. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) then reported that he had pled guilty of buying and storing narcotic drugs, but the activist insists that the drugs were planted on him.

An initiative group of KBR public figures has turned to the head of Adygea, Murat Kumpilov, asking him to support Martin Kochesoko.

"We have absolutely no doubts that Martin's persecution is a result of his social and political activities and is exclusively of an ordered nature [...]. The incident with his detention and his subsequent criminal prosecution has triggered a wave of indignation in the Circassian community around the world," says the appeal posted on the website of the KBR's Human Rights Centre and on the Facebook page of the NGO named "Khabze".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 1, 2020 at 08:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.