Authorities refuse to sanction rally in support of Chechen natives

The Moscow Mayoralty has refused to sanction a rally in support of Khamid Razhapov and Tsetiev brothers, accused of attacking staff members of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE). This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Arbi Tsetiev, one of the initiators of the rally. "Holding of a public event may be treated as an attempt to put pressure on investigators," states the response received from the Moscow Mayoralty.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Chechen residents Said-Magomed Tsetiev, Khamzat Tsetiev, and Khamid Razhapov were detained in September, 2014. Investigators believe the Chechen residents have beaten MfE's staff members in the Moscow village of Vnukovo. Advocates of the defendants filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), in which they reported on the refusal of the preliminary investigation authorities to verify the alibis of the defendants. The court hearings on the case are being held at the Scherbinsky Court of Moscow.

According to Arbi Tsetiev, activists wanted to take advantage of the right granted by the Federal Law of June 19, 2004, "On Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations, Processions, and Pickets". "The purpose of the rally was to attract the media and public attention to the problem of gross violations of the criminal procedural laws of the Russian Federation with regard to the Tsetiev brothers Khusein and Said-Magomed and Khamid Razhapov," said Arbi Tsetiev.

According to him, the response received on April 15 from the Department for Regional Security and Anticorruption of the city of Moscow states that "the information contained in the text of the notification of the public event affords suggesting that the purpose of the rally does not comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the principles of justice." Meanwhile, Arbi Tsetiev has noted that the response received from the Moscow Mayoralty fails to clarify which provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation may be violated during the rally, which is also treated by officials as an attempt to put pressure on investigators.

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