16:01, 2 July 2020

Ingush journalist Rashid Maisigov claims innocence of storing heroin

Rashid Maisigov. Photo by the press service of the 'Fortanga.ORG'

Journalist Rashid Maisigov, accused of drug possession, has refused to plead guilty, stating that the proofs had been planted on him, said Magomed Aushev, his advocate. The prosecution of Maisigov has to do with his professional activities, in particular, with his coverage of the protests of opponents of the border agreement with Chechnya in 2019, lawyers believe.

Maisigov had collaborated with the "Fortanga" edition, which covered protests in Ingushetia. He complained about anonymous work-related threats. He was detained on July 12, after searches in his house, where law enforcers found a package with white powder. The journalist claimed that he had been tortured.

At the trial, Maisigov insisted that he had never used drugs. Independent examinations also showed that for six months he had had traces of heroin in his blood.

Ruslan Mutsolgov, a lawyer for the "Mashr" human rights organization, is sure that Rashid Maisigov's activities on the "Fortanga.ORG" portal as an administrator and correspondent became the motive for his prosecution.

According to his story, law enforcement bodies fail to particularly bother themselves with finding grounds for detaining citizens.

Khasan Katsiev, an activist, has noted that Maisigov cannot be treated as an active participant in protests. "He had a different mission – at the 'Fortanga.ORG', he covered events in Ingushetia," he has noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 2, 2020 at 09:34 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Amina Zakaeva

Source: CK correspondent