Advocates challenge arrest of President of "Assembly of Caucasian Nations" at SC of Chechnya

On February 24, the advocates of Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the "Assembly of Caucasian Nations", detained on February 20 on suspicion of illegal possession of three grams of heroin, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya against the arrest of their client, said Igor Kalyapin, the chairman of the Interregional Public Organization "Committee against Torture".

On February 24 Igor Kalyapin, together with a group of human rights activists from Chechnya, visited the Urus-Martan ROVD (District Interior Division), where the detainee is kept.

Aminat Malsagova, the Chair of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Chechnya, has commented on the visit on her page on the "Facebook": "There is so much noise in the online space about the alleged beatings and torture applied to the detainee Ruslan Kutaev, As the Chair of the POC, I started asking him questions, in advance tuned to hear about those horror stories that were posted on the Internet. But to our calm, we heard no complaints about the custody conditions and about any beatings or torture."

According to Igor Kalyapin, it is too early to assess the course of investigation. "There is a certain position of the defence; and I agree with it – we believe that the arrest was illegal. I know Ruslan Kutaev for a long time; and I'd never believe that he has to do with drugs. Two hours before his detention, Kutaev called me and said that after the scientific conference on the deportation of Chechen people, held in Chechnya on February 18, the pressure on him began," said Igor Kalyapin.