Ruslan Kutaev left to serve his sentence in Chechnya

Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of North-Caucasian Nations, sentenced to prison, is serving his term in the Chernokozovo colony in the Naur District of Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in July 2014 Kutaev was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of drug possession. He appealed against his verdict. On October 31, the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya reduced his term by two months, while his defence demanded to send the case for retrial.

On November 14, 2014, Kutaev's defence claimed that two weeks after the entry into force of the verdict, the SC had not yet provided protocols of most court session for their review. According to the law, the period of time for making protocols in its final form makes three days from the date of the judgment on the case, said Pyotr Zaikin, Kutaev's advocate.

Finally, the protocols were received by the defence, said a source close to Kutaev's case.

Now, Kutaev is serving his sentence in Chernokozovo, said Elena Milashina, a special correspondent for the "Novaya Gazeta". According to her story, they plan to lodge a cassation complaint to the Presidium of the SC of the Chechen Republic.

Let us remind you that the human rights organization Amnesty International has recognized Kutaev to be a "prisoner of conscience"; and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has put him on the list of political prisoners.

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