08:28, 5 March 2021

Rights defenders treat verdict to Kochesoko as political order

Martin Kochesoko. Photo by Lyudmila Maratova for the Caucasian Knot

The prosecutor's office demanded conditional imprisonment for Martin Kochesoko, because the charge has collapsed; but the court fulfilled a political order and refused to acquit the Circassian activist, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 3, a court in Kabardino-Balkaria sentenced Martin Kochesoko to three years of conditional imprisonment. The activist insists on his innocence and said that he would appeal against the verdict.

Martin Kochesoko, the head of the "Khabze" public organization and a co-chairman of the Democratic Congress of the Russian Nations, was detained on June 7, 2019. At first he pleaded guilty, but later rejected his testimonies; he insists that the drugs were planted on him.

Martin Kochesoko's sentencing was repeatedly postponed, which indicates the judge's dependence, said Oleg Orlov, a board member of the HRC "Memorial".

"The criminal prosecution of Martin Kochesoko was political in nature; and the verdict was a political decision. Our organization monitored the trial, and published detailed reports on the court sessions. Practically at each of them, facts were revealed to confirm falsification of the charges," Mr Orlov has stated.

"The very fact that the prosecutor's office has demanded conditional imprisonment indicates that the case was 'stitched with white threads.' The accusation has collapsed; but Martin couldn't be acquitted. What to do? To sentence him to conditional punishment," the today's post on the website of the HRC "Memorial" quotes Oleg Orlov as stating.

* the HRC "Memorial" is recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 4, 2021 at 08:36 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.