08:57, 15 February 2020

Law enforcers refuse to disclose reasons for searches of rights defenders in Dagestan

Law enforcers have associated the searches of the partners of the "Legal Initiative" conducted in Dagestan on February 13 with some operative-search activities, but failed to present specific grounds for such actions, Ksenia Babich, the press secretary of the "Legal Initiative", has informed.

On February 13, law enforcers came to search the Khasavyurt office of the lawyer, Malika Abubakarova, who is cooperating with the "Legal Initiative", and two employees of the "Legal Initiative" in Makhachkala.

Malika Abubakarova is the head of the human rights organization "Women's Rights". She specializes in women's rights and mainly helps victims of domestic violence.

"Perhaps the search had to do with sending complaints to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on behalf of leaders of Ingush protests," Ms Babich has suggested.

In August 2019, law enforcers came to search the "Legal Initiative" offices in Moscow and Nazran. Those searches were related to an attempt to put pressure on the human rights defenders, who support the leaders of Ingush protests in courts, the press secretary has stated.

Ksenia Babich has recalled that in December 2019, the "Legal Initiative" was put on the list of the so-called "foreign agents". According to her story, a fake interview of the head of the office was the reason for that.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 14, 2020 at 10:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Alyona Sadovskaya

Source: CK correspondent