15:55, 1 April 2019

Oyub Titiev refuses to challenge verdict

Oyub Titiev is listening to the verdict. Photo by Dmitry Borko, HRC "Memorial"

The sentence against Oyub Titiev entered into force, since the human rights defender refused to file an appeal against the verdict. He expects to return to his human rights activities after the conditional early relief (CER) in May, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 18, the court found Oyub Titiev guilty of drug possession and sentenced him to four years of imprisonment. If Oyub Titiev does not challenge the verdict, then on May 9, he will be able to apply for the CER, which will allow him to continue working in Chechnya or another region of Russia, an advocate of the human rights defender reports.

Oyub Titiev was arrested on January 9, 2018. He insists that drugs were planted to him. The HRC "Memorial" presented 10 facts testifying to the falsification of the criminal case against Oyub Titiev.

Among the reasons for the refusal of the appeal, Oyub Titiev mentioned the possibility to apply for the CER already in May, after serving a third of his imprisonment term, the press centre for the HRC "Memorial" reported.

"At the SIZO (pre-trial prison), I saw people in need of legal assistance, and I understand that I must return to the human rights activities as soon as possible," stated Oyub Titiev as quoted on the website of the HRC "Memorial".

Furthermore, Oyub Titiev noted that his family members needed his help.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 1, 2019 at 11:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.