Russian HRC to appeal to General Prosecutor's Office in connection with case against Imam Kurman-Ali Baichorov

The next week, the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) is to appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation in connection with possible violations of the rights of Kislovodsk Imam Kurman-Ali Baichorov, accused of drug trafficking. This is the result of the Imam's meeting with Mikhail Fedotov, the Chairman of the HRC.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 29, 2013, Imam Kislovodsk Kurman-Ali (Kurman) Baichorov was accused of illegal possession of narcotic drugs. Kurman-Ali Baichorov pleads not guilty. On October 22, he declared a hunger strike and claimed the Court violated his right to defence. His supporters associate criminal proceedings against the Imam with his rigid position concerning mosques in Kislovodsk, where the authorities banned their construction.

"We have appealed to Mikhail Fedotov and specified the facts of violations of rights of Kurman-Ali, with all the persons involved, with the details, with all the evidences. And we have asked him to pass the materials to the federal bodies of the Prosecutor's Office, the FSB, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Russian   Federation for creation of a special commission to check the facts described in our appeal... Mikhail Fedotov has carefully listened to us. He has studied all the papers very carefully and promised that his representatives will attend the next court hearings," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by advocate Alaudi Musaev.

Mikhail Fedotov, the Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, has underlined the importance of seeking for legal mechanisms to influence the situation.

"Of course, any pressure on the court is out of question. However, it would be extremely important to attract the attention of relevant public institutions," Mikhail Fedotov has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.