21:15, 1 March 2019

Witness in Mikhail Savostin's case tells about threats from law enforcer

Mikhail Savostin in the courtroom. Photo: press service of the Committee in support of political prisoner Mikhail Savostin

The testimony about the joint use of drugs with Mikhail Savostin, the head of the "People's Assembly of Mineralnye Vody", was given under pressure, said the witness, Sergey Didenko, at the court session on February 28 and named the law enforcer who threatened him.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that law enforcers detained Mikhail Savostin on April 5, 2018; and two days later he was placed in custody. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" demanded to release the activist, announcing him to be a political prisoner.

Mr Savostin himself claims that the drugs, he was accused of possessing, were planted on him. His defence believes that he fell victim to politically-motivated persecutions.

Sergey Didenko, a prosecution witness, who was interrogated in Mineralnye Vody City Court on February 28, stated that he had slandered himself and Savostin at the preliminary investigation. "I was told that if I failed to sign the testimony that we had used drugs together, I'd figure in the case as an accomplice," said the witness, naming the law enforcer, who, according to Didenko, put pressure on him.

The prosecutor made a motion to summon the law enforcer, named by Didenko, and the investigator, who ran the case, as witnesses.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 1, 2019 at 07:01 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondent