Appeal to release Zarifa Sautieva raises more than 170 signatures

Cultural workers, scientists, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists signed an open letter to the administration of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) with the demand to release Ingush activist Zarifa Sautieva. The appeal posted on January 27 was signed by 171 people.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since July 2019, Zarifa Sautieva has been under arrest on the charge of organizing violence against law enforcers at a rally in Magas.

In the evening on January 27, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" posted on its website an open letter addressed to the chair of the ICRF and the head of the ICRF's Chief Investigating Department for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD).

"We, cultural workers, scientists, social activists, members of the Association of Memory Museums, and human rights defenders, are deeply concerned over the arrest of Zarifa Sautieva, the former deputy director of the Memorial Complex for Victims of Repression in Nazran. [...] She was charged with participation in the use of violence at a peaceful rally, which was held in Magas on March 27, 2019, although in fact, Zarifa Sautieva tried to stop the provocation and avoid all kinds of violence," the activists state in their appeal.

As at 1:35 p.m. Moscow time on January 28, the appeal with the demand to immediately release Zarifa Sautieva and to stop criminal proceedings against her was signed by 171 people from different regions of Russia.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 28, 2019 at 01:37 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.