Seven Chechen women from Syria released from criminal liability

Rights defenders have supported the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to release from criminal liability seven women who were brought from Syria to Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 21, fourteen children and seven women were brought to Chechnya from the war zone in Syria. In Grozny, they were met by their relatives. The MIA has announced the returned women will be charged with confession and that will allow them to avoid criminal liability under Article on participation in illegal armed formations (IAFs).

Oleg Orlov, a member of the Council of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", believes "it is humane and fair that mothers are released from criminal liability even if they were members of illegal armed formations." "If they have voluntarily stopped their activities in IAFs, this is a ground to stop criminal prosecution. It is another matter if they are involved in some kind of terrorist activities," Oleg Orlov has added.

According to him, this is a unique situation for Russia when "some persons returned directly from the war zone in Syria, and they are released from criminal liability."

Oleg Orlov has noted that rights defenders are aware of another practice when people voluntarily stopped their activities in terrorist organizations on the territory of Syria, but they were still brought to criminal liability.

"The law enforcement agencies entered informal agreements with relatives and friends who returned their people to Russia. Law enforcers promised the returnees would not be brought to criminal liability at homeland. However, the people who returned from Syria were prosecuted. Thus, they and their relatives were deceived," Oleg Orlov has said.

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