Chechens in France raise money to defend detainees after riots in Dijon

After the riots staged in the French city of Dijon, three Chechens remain in custody; another one was released under recognizance not to leave. One of the detainees faces a long prison term.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 14, in the French city of Dijon, a conflict occurred of members of the Chechen Diaspora with local residents of Arab origin. Policemen detained six members of the Chechen community.

On June 22, 17 people were detained in Dijon; they are not Chechens, Djambulat Suleimanov, the head of the Paris-based Chechen association "Bart Marcho" (Concord and Freedom), and Aslan Murtazaliev, the coordinator of the Assembly of European Chechens, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on June 24.

According to Mr Suleimanov, three Chechens remain in custody; another was released under recognizance not to leave the day before. One of those arrested, a 55-year-old Magomed Temirgeriev, is "facing charges under a heavy article," he has noted.

"The Chechen Diaspora has raised funds for advocates. I don't know how the prosecutor is going to prove the charges under the grave article, which threatens from three to ten years in prison. Magomed Temirgeriev from a Dijon suburb was a member of several groups where the action in Dijon was discussed. And in them, Temirgeriev, on the contrary, called on young people not to use violence, not to stir up the conflict," Suleimanov said. However, Chechen organizations fear a "demonstrative flogging," he has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2020 at 05:10 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.