16 July 2019, 07:51
Oyub Titiev comes to work for HRC "Memorial" in Moscow
After his release from imprisonment, Oyub Titiev, the former head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", will continue working in Moscow; he will deal with human rights issues in Chechnya and Russia.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 18, Oyub Titiev, the head of the HRC "Memorial" office in Grozny, was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in a penal settlement colony on the charge of drug possession. On June 10, the court granted the motion of Oyub Titiev for his conditional early relief (CER). On June 21, Oyub Titiev left the penal settlement colony in Argun.
Oyub Titiev insists on his innocence. According to him, the drugs, for possessing which he was convicted, were planted on him. The HRC "Memorial" pointed to 10 facts testifying to the falsification of the criminal case against Oyub Titiev.
At the Moscow office of the HRC "Memorial", Oyub Titiev will deal with "human rights issues in Russia," the RIA "Novosti" has reported today citing Oleg Orlov, the manager of the "Hot Spots" project of the HRC.
Titiev himself said that he would work at the HRC "Memorial" in Moscow as an analyst. "I will work in Moscow; my contract has already been signed," the "Interfax" quotes him as saying.
Oyub Titiev has noted that human rights work continues in Chechnya; and the HRC "Memorial" attracts lawyers to defend victims in courts; but the branch of the HRC will no longer work in this republic.
Mr Titiev headed the work of the branch of the HRC "Memorial" in Chechnya after the murder of Natalia Estemirova ten years ago.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 15, 2019 at 09:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
