Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev go on hunger strike

The Achkhoi-Martan Court of Chechnya refused to transfer to another region the consideration of a case against Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev brothers, accused of aiding and abetting a member of an illegal armed formation (IAF). The brothers went on a hunger strike with the demand to send their case to a court outside Chechnya.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that at the beginning of February, law enforcers took out from Nizhny Novgorod 20-year-old Salekh Magamadov and his brother Ismail, who was a minor at that time. In the absence of advocates and parents of the young men, the court ruled to detain them. In March 2021, the brothers complained to the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) about beatings and torture. The defence filed a complaint to the ICRF. In September, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* recognized Ismail Isaev and Salekh Magamadov as political prisoners.

Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev went on a hunger strike to protest against the judge’s refusal to transfer their case to another region, the press service for the “SK SOS” Crisis Group (a new project of the former emergency team of the “Russian LGBT Network”**) reported. On November 19, the Achkhoi-Martan Court of Chechnya dismissed the motion to transfer the case to another region for the third time in a row, the newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” reports today.

The case against Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev should not be considered in Chechnya, since the top officials of the republic publicly stated in the local media about the guilt of young people, which “promotes pressure on the judicial system” and interferes with “an unbiased consideration of the case.” Moreover, the young men received threats of “honour killings,” the “Novaya Gazeta” reports.

* The organization is included by the Russian Ministry of Justice in the register of NPOs performing the functions of a foreign agent.

** By the decision of the Russian Ministry of Justice, the “Sphere” Foundation, acting as the operator of the “Russian LGBT Network”, was included in the register of NPOs performing the functions of a foreign agent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 21, 2021 at 07:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.