Orlov's defense: witnesses having nothing to do with the case summoned to court

Such human rights activists as Natalya Estemirova are the pride of Russia, this is the opinion of Sergey Komkov, President of the All-Russian Fund of education who on October, 14, was interrogated in court on the action of Ramzan Kadyrov, President of Chechnya, against Oleg Orlov, Head of "Memorial" Human Rights center. Another witness, Nurdi Nukhazhiev, Ombudsman of Chechnya, said that Estemirova's role in human rights defense had been much exaggerated.   

Sergey Komkov who is also a member of an Expert council of two committees of the Russian State Duma declared that he had come to know the events from mass-media immediately after Natalya Estemirova's murder and considered it a "dreadful crime". He emphasized that the human rights activists like Estemirova were the pride of Russia. He expressed his regret about not having been personally acquainted with her.

Krasenkov asked the investigator several questions on whether Orlov's accusations against Kadyrov could be interpreted in an indirect sense (meaning political responsibility). Komkov answered that Orlov's statements had sounded more like a slander.

Henry Reznik, Orlov's attorney, in his turn, expressed a surprise about the fact that a person who had had no direct connection with the essence of the case was summoned to court.

After Komkov, Nurdi Nukhazhiev, Ombudsman of Chechnya, was interrogated. It is worth mentioning that Nukhazhiev did not come to the courtroom at once, the bailiff had to call him twice. When the judge asked Nukhazhiev about his attitude towards Orlov he replied that it was a "normal" one. Orlov however objected saying he had evidence of Nukhazhiev's animosity towards him.

Chechen Ombudsman said he had been working and had confidential relationship with Natalya Estemirova. He expressed an opinion that Orlov had established a kind of hierarchy in "Memorial" which had been an obstacle for Estemirova's work and in order to support any human rights activists' statement she had to phone to Moscow and talk things over.

The witness also said that he had been acquainted with the Kadyrovs since 1996 and knew exactly that Kadyrov could not threaten a woman. Nukhazhiev was sure that if Estemirova had received any threats she would have shared the information with him. According to the Ombudsman, no one in Chechnya was taking as much care of human rights as Kadyrov was.

Nukhazhiev stated that the role of "Memorial" and Estemirova personally was being very much exaggerated for she had not been a lawyer.

The Ombudsman expressed an opinion that it was advantageous for the human rights activists of "Memorial" to blacken all the events in Chechnya in order to prove the urgency of their activities to their sponsors. Nukhazhiev called members of "Memorial" "human rights radicals" and estimated their work in the republic as improper.

Nukhazhiev admitted that there had been illegal detentions in Chechnya during the past years but Kadyrov was struggling passionately against them creating public institutions and supporting the clergy. Nukhazhiev also said the federal bodies of Ministry of Interior affairs were working inefficiently in Chechnya.