Ingush activists declare national character of repressions

The first-instance court issued its verdict based on assumptions; while during debates at the appellate court, the prosecutor failed to answer a single defence's question, Malsag Uzhakhov, one of the activists, has noted in his last speech. Responsibility must be borne by Ingushetia's authorities, who had forced people to take to the streets against changing the Ingush-Chechen borders, Bagaudin Khautiev, another activist, has stressed. In the person of Ingush activists, the entire Ingush people are judged, Zarifa Sautieva has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since January 13, 2023, the court has been considering appeal complaints lodged against the verdicts passed to seven protest leaders in Magas. On July 20, Bagaudin Khautiev, Musa Malsagov and Malsag Uzhakhov stated that the charges against him were refuted by case materials; however, the court has ignored some of these materials, and deliberately excluded some of them from the case files.

In his speech, Malsag Uzhakhov stressed that the prosecutor had failed to answer to a single defence's argument, while for almost two months the advocates have been demonstrating "a scrupulous analysis of the verdicts". "It was clearly shown to the court that the entire accusation is based on assumptions and conjectures," Mr Uzhakhov has stated.

"We, Ingushes, are here because we dared to defend our people's lands to the best of our ability and within the bounds of the law. We were made criminals because of this," he has concluded.

Bagaudin Khautiev has recalled that Ingushetia had lost more than half of its territory – from the tsarist times to the Stalinist ones, until the 1930-40s.

He has also stated that from the day of their detention, they tried to put pressure on them, intimidate them and demand that they confess to committing crimes.

Zarifa Sautieva has stressed that it would be impossible to bring thousands of people out into the streets in one day if there was no such request in the society itself.