Svetlana Zemskova: Kadyrov's claim to Orlov aims at restriction of freedom of speech

The claims like the one filed by President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov against the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" Oleg Orlov are not aimed at protecting one's good name, but attempt to restrict dissemination of information, as Svetlana Zemskova, a lawyer of the Fund in Defence of Glasnost, asserts.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that President of Chechnya initiated a criminal case against the head of the HRC "Memorial" after Oleg Orlov had accused Ramzan Kadyrov of involvement in the murder of the employee of the "Memorial" in Grozny Natalia Estemirova.

Svetlana Zemskova assumes that "the case will last for very long," because even if a decision is made to stop it, it can be returned by the prosecutor's office for additional examination. "Mr Orlov's phrase 'Kadyrov bears political responsibility for the death of rights defender Natalia Estemirova' contains no direct assertion about violation of legislation or committing any crime."

"Since in this case we have both a civil and criminal suits, then, according to the direct indication of the Code of Civil Procedure, "a civil case is suspended until the end of the criminal one," the lawyer explained.