Law enforcers demand keys to Grozny office of HRC "Memorial"

During the past three days, Chechen policemen twice on January 16 and 18 demanded to open the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", but left without waiting for rights defenders. This was reported by Oleg Orlov, a member of the board for the HRC "Memorial", who referred to an owner of the premises.

"According to an owner of the apartment, policemen visited her. They wanted to enter the office for some reason and they wanted to conduct investigating actions there. We are not aware of the details. We did not see those people and we did not see any papers produced. When our staff member arrived with the keys, the policemen were already not there, they were called and left. And all that is very strange. If they get such an instruction and an assignment to conduct some kind of actions, so why then they left the place? We understand nothing," Oleg Orlov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on January 18.

"We do not associate with anything the policemen's visit to us, since we do not yet understand what is in question, who they are and what they want. However, one of the very believable versions is that this is a continuation of pressure on us," concluded Oleg Orlov.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 11, the court ruled to place head of 'Memorial' Chechen office Oyub Titiev into custody for two months on charges of possessing marijuana. Titiev claims that the drug was planted on him by a law enforcer. He told his advocate that law enforcers had forced him into self-incrimination and threatened to bring criminal cases against his relatives on promoting terrorism.

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