"Article 19" demands to immediately release Zhalaudi Geriev

The human rights organization "Article 19" has called on the authorities to review the case against Zhalaudi Geriev, a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", who was sentenced in Chechnya for three years of imprisonment.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the court sentenced Zhalaudi Geriev to three years of imprisonment on the charge of possession of marijuana. Zhalaudi Geriev testified to investigators under pressure and retracted his confession at trial. The defence has challenged the sentence at the court of appeal and pointed out to numerous examples of falsification in the case materials, evident contradictions in the prosecutors' version, and involvement of "hired" witnesses by the police.

At the open civil platform "Change.org", the initiative group of Zhalaudi Geriev's friends began to collect signatures under a petition addressed to the public authorities, investigating and supervisory agencies and aimed at creating the conditions for fair consideration of the journalist's case at the court of appeal.

The "Article 19" condemns the sentencing of Caucasian Knot journalist Zhalaudi Geriev on dubious narcotics charges and treats the court's decision as "politically motivated." This was announced by the statement published on the website of the human rights organization "Article 19".

The human rights defenders have noted that the "Caucasian Knot" is well known for its materials on human rights violations in the Caucasus and southern Russia, including investigations into corruption and other abuses committed by the Chechen authorities.

Members of the "Article 19" have called on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Zhalaudi Geriev and review his case.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.