Titiev's defence not allowed to study CCTV records

Investigators told Oyub Titiev's advocate that the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in the police station, where Titiev was taken after detention, were inoperative on that day. Thus, the Titiev's case is deprived of the most important evidence, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has stated in its comment on the situation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since January 11, Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the HRC "Memorial", is being kept in custody on the charge of marijuana possession. The rights defender has rejected the accusation and said that the drugs were planted to him by law enforcers.

According to law enforcers, none of the CCTV cameras installed at the police station was functioning on the day, when Titiev was brought there, states the message of the HRC "Memorial" received today by the "Caucasian Knot". "It seems that we have no chance seeing the most important evidence in the case – records from CCTV cameras installed in the Kurchaloi ROVD (District Interior Division)," the HRC has summed up.

Titiev's defence sought to study the CCTV records of the video cameras of the police station, where Titiev was brought after his detention in Kurchaloi on January 9. According to his advocates, Titiev was brought to the police station twice on that day; and the fact of his repeated delivery there proves that the case of keeping marijuana by him had been falsified.

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