Secret witness accuses Zarifa Sautieva of organizing attack on law enforcers

One of the prosecution witnesses at the trial of the leaders of the Ingush protest has stated that Zarifa Sautieva had instructed the protesters in Magas to resist law enforcers, Djabrail Kuriev, an advocate, has reported. According to his story, the witness had again incorrectly described the Sautieva's appearance.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case of seven protest leaders in Ingushetia, accused of creating an extremist community, is being considered in court since November 24, 2020. Almost all those questioned, including the prosecution witnesses, testified in favour of the defendants.

"Anyone who is even a little familiar with the Ingush mentality will understand that the testimony of this witness is false: never an Ingush woman will command men, organizing them for illegal actions against law enforcers; and men will not obey her orders without question," Djabrail Kuriev, an advocate, has stated.

According to Barakh Chemurziev, the testimony of this witness "was one of the proofs of the defendants' alleged guilt; and the prosecutor's office was counting very much on him." But the witness "made a number of very important statements that significantly strengthen the defence's arguments."

Issa Kostoev, an adviser to the head of Ingushetia, has noted that the qualification of the defendants was incorrect.

"Accusing them of organizing an extremist organization is completely over the edge. Personally I believe that prosecution witnesses, including law enforcers, had testified in favour of the defence," he believes.