HRW: political background of Savva's case is demonstrated by his pre-trial arrest

The arrest of Mikhail Savva, Director of grant programmes of the Southern Regional Resource Centre (SRRC), who is accused of fraud, has political background, and the Russian authorities should release him. This was reported by the statement of the human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW).

"The fact that the civil activist was taken into custody prior to the trial, while he began to raise his concerns about the checks of non-commercial organizations, is the reason to think seriously about the motives of his detention," Hugh Williamson, Director of the HRW's Division for Europe and Central Asia, said.

According to HRW, on April 15, Mikhail Savva was to make a report on the above issue before the President's Council on Human Rights in Moscow.

Besides, the detention of Mikhail Savva in custody prior to the trial without concrete evidence in support of his deprivation of the right to be released on bail contradicts the international standards, and he should be released pending trial. This was reported by the HRW's statement of April 17, translated into Russian.

HRW also expresses its concern about the fact that the investigation into the case against Mikhail Savva pays considerable attention to his alleged communications in abroad countries.

During the period when Mikhail Savva was in charge of the grant programme, the SRRC actually received numerous grants from foreign donors. However, the statement reports, this can be explained by the fact that this is a non-commercial organization, and it focuses on education and conflict resolution, including resolution of inter-ethnic conflicts.