HRC "Memorial": at Kutaev's trial, prosecution witness claims falsification of his testimony

In Chechnya, at a court session on the case of Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, who was accused of drug possession, a prosecution witness said that some phrases in the protocol of his questioning at the preliminary investigation were changed. Another prosecution witness said that she did not remember that she had been questioned on the case. Meanwhile, the defence witnesses emphasize the political nature of the case against Kutaev, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" reports.

Luiza Batukaeva, a neurologist from the expert division of the Republic's Drug Dependency, said that Kutaev had no outward signs of intoxication and denied the use of any drugs.

The second witness for the prosecution – Said Babatiev, a resident of the village of Gekhi, Urus-Martan District, and Kutaev's distant relative, refuted the version of the prosecution about the circumstances of Kutaev's detention and stated that on February 20, when Kutaev was detained, he was in Babatiev's house.

Vyacheslav Izmailov, a Major of Armoured Forces, a veteran of Afghanistan and Chechnya and a military observer of the "Novaya Gazeta", has explained to the court that on the day of his detention Kutaev called him and told that he had received threats from a high-ranking official. Izmailov advised Kutaev not to go to the appointment and urgently come to Moscow. Kutaev did not go there, but could not also leave for Moscow, rights defenders assert.

See earlier reports: "At trial, witness refutes official version of Ruslan Kutaev's detention, advocate asserts", "HRW demands to release President of "Assembly of Caucasian Nations" detained in Chechnya", "Resident of Ingushetia is in intensive care after questioning and suicide attempt, says his brother", "Dagestani native suspected of involvement in IAFs in Syria".