Aslan Cherkesov complains about ban to pray in Ramadan

Aslan Cherkesov, a native of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), convicted of killing a football fan, has asked rights defenders and journalists to intervene in the situation with violation of religious rights.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the court in the Krasnoyarsk Territory refused to admit that placing Aslan Cherkesov into the dungeon (punishment cell, also known as ShIZO) for many times in a row was a violation. In the opinion of Valery Slepukha, a former head of the Krasnoyarsk Territorial Public Oversight Commission (POC), Cherkesov's custody conditions are inhuman, and he could get into the ShIZO as a result of a provocation.

On May 8, at the meeting with his advocate, Maria Bogdanova, Aslan Cherkesov recorded a new video appeal to rights defenders and journalists asking them to investigate and publicize facts of his rights violations in custody, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The colony staff prevents Muslim believers from fully practicing their religion, said Cherkesov, recalling the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

"When I do my namaz (prayer), the staff [of the colony] sometimes interferes; and when I do my namaz during physical exercises, they impose a violation on me. They force us to do physical exercises, although, in general, they are voluntary. At night, we are not allowed doing namaz properly, only sitting. Also, because of unbearable conditions, they do not allow us to observe the fasting," Cherkesov has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 10, 2019 at 00:48 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.