Lawyers treat mitigation of restraint measure for Ramazan Dugiev as a good sign

At the request of his employer, the court has softened the freedom restraint measure of Ramazan Dugiev, a participant in the 2019 Magas protests, Ramazan is one of the few sign language interpreters in Ingushetia; and his release from the SIZO (pre-trial prison) allows to hope for a reclassification of charges, the lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have pointed out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ramazan Dugiev, an Ingush sign language interpreter, was detained in connection with the so-called "rally case", when he was on his way to the investigator in Nalchik to give explanations; and a search was conducted in his home. On February 16, a court in Nalchik placed Ramazan Dugiev under arrest until March 24. On March 17, it became known that the Nalchik City Court transferred Dugiev to house arrest for two months.

According to Visit Tsoroev, a Ramazan's advocate, the main factors for placing Dugiev under house arrest were not even in the defence's arguments, but in the fact that the Ingush Centre for the Deaf and Dumb asked the court to release their sign language interpreter. "The second point that has influenced the court's ruling is that Dugiev's parents are also disabled; they are dependent on him and need his care," the advocate has explained.

The advocate has added that Dugiev would not plead guilty of using violence against a state official.

Ruslan Khadjiev, another advocate, who defended several figurants in the Ingush "rally case", has treated Dugiev's transfer under house arrest as a "positive moment". "He was transferred to more comfortable conditions; and then, perhaps, we'll hope for a milder punishment. Because if a court rules that a person may be not isolated from the society, not placed into SIZO for the duration of the investigation, this is a good sign. This means that the court shows some confidence in him," Mr Khadjiev has noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 19, 2022 at 08:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.