Defence complain about non-admission to Ingush activists

The staff of the Vladikavkaz SIZO (pre-trial prison) refused to let new advocates to Malsag Uzhakhov and Akhmed Barakhoev, Vadim Klyuvgant, an advocate, said on June 26. In his opinion, this violates the activists' constitutional rights.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2019, the court extended the arrest of Malsag Uzhakhov, the head of the Ingush Council of Teips (family clans) until September 25 under the criminal case on the use of violence against policemen during the March rally in Magas. On June 5, the court also extended, until September 25, the arrest of the Ingush elder Akhmed Barakhoev and dismissed the defence's motion for the disqualification of the judge.

The staff of the Vladikavkaz SIZO did not allow the lawyers of the "Pen & Paper" firm to see their clients, Malsag Uzhakhov and Akhmed Barakhoev. "At the SIZO, they talked to us through the door and refused to let us to our clients, because, as they said, there was no confirmation from investigators [about our entering the case]," the channel "Present Time" quoted Vadim Klyuvgant as saying on June 26. According to the advocate, earlier on the day of their visit to the SIZO, the advocates visited the investigator, who "refused to accept the notification of the entry into the case," citing the requirement to first "coordinate it with his bosses."

Mr Klyuvgant has treated the non-admission of advocates to their clients, despite the presented warrants, as "violation of defendants' constitutional rights," the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper quoted Mr Klyuvgant as saying on June 26.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 27, 2019 at 11:10 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.