21:12, 7 October 2019

Advocates complain about ban on visiting Ingush activists in SIZO

Pre-trial prison in Nalchik. Photo: press service of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service for Kabardino-Balkaria, http://07.fsin.su

The staff of the Nalchik SIZO (pre-trial prison) refuses to let advocates to the Ingush activists kept there. Refusals are motivated by the list of those advocates who are allowed to visit the SIZO.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in early April this year, Ingushetia began arresting opponents of the Chechen-Ingush border agreement, who took part in protests in the city of Magas in late March. They are charged with clashing with law enforcers after the participants of the sanctioned rally had decided to continue it without a further authorities' permit. According to estimates of the "Caucasian Knot", at least 96 activists were persecuted; and criminal cases were initiated against at least 29 of them.

All the participants in the March protests in Magas are being kept outside Ingushetia: in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, and Stavropol Territory. Activists' advocates have repeatedly protested against convoying their clients to other regions.

"At the Nalchik SIZO, lawyers en masse are not allowed to visit their clients arrested at the rally in Ingushetia," the lawyer, Kaloi Akhilgov, has written in his Twitter page today. According to his story, the FSIN (Russian Federal Penitentiary Service) employees are pointing to some list of advocates drafted by investigators.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 7, 2019 at 05:33 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.