08:32, 8 January 2019

Saratov activists demand to release of Oyub Titiev

The participants of the "Strategy-6" picket in Saratov have held the first action in 2019 in support of Russian political prisoners, demanding to liberate Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Titiev's trial began on July 19 at the Shali District Court. The defence and the prosecution are facing unequal terms: the advocates encounter problems when presenting written evidence in court, said Pyotr Zaikin, one of Titiev's advocates.

Oyub Titiev has been under arrest since January 11 , 2017, on charges of drug possession. He claims that the drug was planted on him by law enforcers.

The picket was held in central Saratov on January 6. Anton Khvostov, the head of the regional NGO "Centre for Socio-Legal and Environmental Initiatives", has reminded at the action that Titiev had been deprived of his liberty for almost a year: on January 9, it will be a year after he was detained.

Saratov activists have earlier demanded the liberation of Oyub Titiev; one of these pickets was held in June 2018.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 7, 2019 at 10:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.