Rights defenders demand to stop persecuting anti-mobilization protesters in Nalchik

Human rights defenders and activists in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) have called it illegal to bring the citizens-protesters in Nalchik on September 25-26 to administrative responsibility, and demanded to stop persecuting them. They also pointed to the selective nature of the mobilization, as officials' sons receive no summonses.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the KBR is the only region in Northern Caucasus where officials came out for a dialogue with anti-mobilization protesters. Thus, on September 26, they invited them to put their claims on paper and promised to "send back home" those who were mobilized in violation of the requirements. According to the "OVD-Info"* human rights project, by October 3, at least 20 protocols had been submitted to the court, in which protesters were charged under articles on discrediting the army, violating the procedure for holding public events and disobeying the police.

"Instead of actually addressing problems, the bureaucrats who came out to protesters, accused them of publicity and found no other way out as to bring protesters to administrative responsibility," the authors of the letter addressed to the head of the republic, Kazbek Kokov, wrote on the website of the KBR's Human Rights Centre.

The court imposed huge fines on fabricated cases, human rights defenders have noted.

"We believe that there are no offenses in these people's actions: they came out in despair to protect the rights and interests of their relatives," the authors of the letter have stated.