Rights defenders offer Ingush activists to abandon boycotting the court

The presence at the trial is a chance for Ingush activists to convey their position to the society, the human rights defenders, Oleg Orlov and Natalia Taubina, believe. For their systematic violations, the defendants can be removed from the courtroom, but they must be allowed to be present at sentencing and their last plea, said Genry Reznik, a lawyer.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the leaders of Ingush protests, accused within the case of the rally in Magas, went on a hunger strike and refused to participate in the trial in protest against the court's decision to return the activist, Zarifa Sautieva, back to custody from her house arrest. On March 23, the hunger strike was stopped.

Since the March 23 court session did not take place due to the poor health of Akhmed Barakhoev, Malsag Uzhakhov and Barakh Chemurziev, it was postponed, said Bilan Dzugaev, an advocate.

According to his story, it cannot be ruled out that if the activists try to boycott the sessions in the future, the court may remove them for the contempt of court.

Oleg Orlov, the head of the "Hot Spots" programme of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has noted that the activists' participation in the trial is "the only way to defend their rightness." In his opinion, a mitigating of freedom restraint measure during a trial is a rare case, and a return to a harsher measure is an even rarer thing.

Natalia Taubina, Director of the "Public Verdict" Foundation*, has also noted that participation in the trial is the only opportunity for activists to convey their position to the society. "There is no other legal mechanism to achieve justice besides the court," she said.