KChR residents demand to free accused drug dealer

On February 28, the city of Cherkessk, the capital of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR) hosted a picket with a demand to release Kemal Atnasirov, a resident of Novaya Djeguta. According to the organizers, the picket was over 60 strong.

Kemal Atnasirov was detained in Cherkessk on January 6 this year, his brother Elbrus Atnasirov, a picketer, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, Kemal "was taken into the forest and beaten up there." "They put a bag over his head and planted a packet of heroin on him. They told him that should he refuse to plead guilty of storing and using heroin, they’d leave him in the forest. Then, they tortured Kemal with electric shocks; and he was forced to give a confession," said Elbrus Atnasirov.

Elbrus said that he had sent complaints to various bodies and handed over the video of the detention to the republic’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the Prosecutor’s Office, but "no reaction followed."

Taulan Shamanov, Kemal’s advocate, confirmed to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that law enforcement bodies failed to respond to relatives’ complaints. "People have the right to boil over, because no action is taken, while the authorities had to respond within 10 days," said the advocate.

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